Which ignition switch is the right one? WTF... picture inside....

OK, per your guys recommendation, I picked up a new ignition switch from Schucks today. I got the old one out of the steering colum (last one in the picture), and the two switches are nothing alike.

First off, the one that was in my 1990 4.0 AW4 XJ with a tilt wheel, is that the switch only had four prongs. The one Schucks sold me has eight prongs, and is shaped differently.

Normally I would just assume they sold me the wrong part. But if you look at the diagram in my Haines manual, the switch Schucks sold me, the one pictured is almost identical to the switch I bought today. The only difference is there is no "slider hole" on the Schucks switch, as the Haines manual pictures. The switch I removed from the Jeep has the slider hole.

Also the Haines manual said I would be removing a black connector from a white connector. Well it was a black connector on a black connector.




What do you guys think?

I'd say the upper switch in the picture IS the ignition switch, the lower one is the dimmer switch.

IF you removed the lower switch today then you still have the igniton switch in place. You can not miss it since it uses the same bolts to hold it on.

The ignition switch is different depending if you have a tilt column or not. Crawl under you dash again and find the ignition switch. On my 88 XJ with a tilt column the ignition swich is on the right side of the column ( 1 o'clock positon), the dimmer on the left hand side (11 o'clock position).

The top switch in the picture is for the ignition, it mounts on top of the column. The bottom switch in the picture mounts to the side of the column and is for the selection of high and low beams on the headlights. You might be just as far ahead to drop the column to access the ignition switch. I'm in the middle of putting mine back together and it made it a whole lot easier to work with the switch where I could reach it. Good luck.

Wow, don't I feel like a dumbass, lol.

But what do I do about it not having a slider hole?

My advice is to take back the switch and tell them it is defective since it is lacking the hole for the slider. If you are lucky enought to have a spare vehicle then take in your XJ's old ignition switch and show them what you mean.

You should not have to modify a "new" part to fix a prodution defect.

Well, I doubt any of the other ignition switches they would give me would have the slider hole either. I don't think the part is "defective".

Maybe I should just get one from Jeep?

Rather than relying on the Haynes Manual, I'd take out your ignition switch and compare it to the one you bought before taking it back, just to be sure.