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Using stock wiring harness to upgrade to power

BIGSLVRXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Des Moines, Iowa
I'm looking to upgrade my 90 to power locks, power windows, and power mirrors in the near future. I have a friend that has a 91 parts Jeep with the full harness he'd be willing to let go. I've heard if you get the harness that is close to your year it is plug and play as long as you get all of the front harness. Is there a truth behind this? Anyone familiar with this upgrade?
Thanks for any help,
Collin
 
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CollinM said:
I'm looking to upgrade my 90 to power locks, power windows, and power mirrors in the near future. I have a friend that has a 91 parts Jeep with the full harness he'd be willing to let go. I've heard if you get the harness that is close to your year it is plug and play as long as you get all of the front harness. Is there a truth behind this? Anyone familiar with this upgrade?
Thanks for any help,
Collin
I can't see where installing 14 year old electrical parts is an "Upgrade" their always the first thing to go bad.
 
langer1 said:
I can't see where installing 14 year old electrical parts is an "Upgrade" their always the first thing to go bad.

Who said I'm installing 14 year old parts, I just said I want to install a 14 year old harness. Can anyone else provide help?
 
CollinM said:
I'm looking to upgrade my 90 to power locks, power windows, and power mirrors in the near future. .....
If currently DO NOT have the power stuff, yes it would, generally speaking, be useful.

It looks like that portion of the harness is 'disconnectable' from the 91 -- no cutting required. As to whether you can plug it into the 90, I don't know, but you could determine that fairly easily yourself.
 
Lou said:
If currently DO NOT have the power stuff, yes it would, generally speaking, be useful.

It looks like that portion of the harness is 'disconnectable' from the 91 -- no cutting required. As to whether you can plug it into the 90, I don't know, but you could determine that fairly easily yourself.

Yeah that is a good point, I just wanted to see if there was anyone out there who had done this before.
 
I cant see why it couldn't be done. Power windows and locks where an option on the pioneer according to my broshure. The pioneer model was the middle model. Base,Sport,Pioneer,Laredo,Limted. So you might find some wires already there.
 
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Yeah mine is the Pioneer so thats what I thought too, but I think I've looked just about everywhere for any extra wires, and couldnt find any. Anyone else suceeded at this?
 
CollinM said:
I'm looking to upgrade my 90 to power locks, power windows, and power mirrors in the near future. I have a friend that has a 91 parts Jeep with the full harness he'd be willing to let go. I've heard if you get the harness that is close to your year it is plug and play as long as you get all of the front harness. Is there a truth behind this? Anyone familiar with this upgrade?
Thanks for any help,
Collin
If 90 is going to be anything like my 97/98 was than you are in for a LOT OF WORK. In order to get all the power stuff out of my totalled 98 into the 97 I had to replace the whole in cab harness (big H which goes from more or less A pillar down to D pillar with a split at C pillar to the other side and there going up to A and D pillars. Again it was a LOT of work, but it was worth it (although next time I'll buy a jeep with power everything).
 
If there is any wires at least for the power locks look under the side kick panel on the passenger side thats where the wires for the locking relays would be.

When you put your OHC up did you find where the wires for the temp sensor come threw the firewall?
 
Aquit45 said:
If there is any wires at least for the power locks look under the side kick panel on the passenger side thats where the wires for the locking relays would be.

When you put your OHC up did you find where the wires for the temp sensor come threw the firewall?

You must've looked at my website. Actually the wires for the temp sensor came through the firewall and into a plug they just didnt come out the other end of the plug, so I spliced those. I don't have anything to speak of in my passenger kick panel as far as relays go that I can see though.
 
I converted my 1987 to power door locks and power windows without the wiring. I made my own wiring with the help of a wiring diagram in my manual. It's not that hard, the hardest part is going to be removing the old manual stuff and bolting in the new electric motors. If I had to do it all over again I would leave the manual door locks and roll up windows in there. I have had no problems with my wiring but the old switchs are crap and fail all the time. Keep the manual stuff it's not worth it!!
 
Every up grade I make is to enhance dependably, power and Offroad performance, Power windows and power this and that is just not on the list.
These things are the first thing to go bad and cause problems and I feel most important is the are just not needed. Power door locks may be the only exception.
 
Pwr. door locks in my '90 XJ haven't worked in ages, its the old wiring. Manually they work fine, so they'll stay that way. The pwr. window switch's work most of the time, usually on hot summer day that they'll fail...lol.
If it comes down to it and I needed to change the harness I would convert to manual windows, only have to worry about losing an arm to operate them, not a used wiring harness.
 
I'm just to the point I've gotten sick of manual everything. I plan to get doors off of a 97+(yeah I know how much work it will be to convert) with the motors for both already in them, but I would really rather not build my own harness. Anyone else?
 
CollinM said:
I'm just to the point I've gotten sick of manual everything. I plan to get doors off of a 97+(yeah I know how much work it will be to convert) with the motors for both already in them, but I would really rather not build my own harness. Anyone else?
But your only 16, you can't be that lazy.
 
langer1 said:
you can't be that lazy.

Trust me, I am. I hate leaning across the console to roll down the passenger window to talk to people. I hate not having keyless entry. I'm VERY lazy. Anyway back to the topic at hand, how close are 90 and 91's wiring?
 
They should be very close, plugs will be the same, colors could be different. AMC changed colors all the time anyway. Now the big question is the 97 doors will be way different and will not plug into 90-91 wiring.
 
langer1 said:
They should be very close, plugs will be the same, colors could be different. AMC changed colors all the time anyway. Now the big question is the 97 doors will be way different and will not plug into 90-91 wiring.

I'm not too worried about that, I can get the connectors off the 97+ harnesses and splice them onto mine. I just want to have the plug n play to get power running through the wires, then I'll mess with where that power is directed to. My other question is do I have to add anything like more fuses or relays?
 
You will be replacing the entire under dash wiring harness so there will be lots of extra stuff to add. The windows get power from a added circuit breaker.
If you have a 4 door then you will also need that harness and the one for the lift gate.
 
langer1 said:
You will be replacing the entire under dash wiring harness so there will be lots of extra stuff to add. The windows get power from a added circuit breaker.
If you have a 4 door then you will also need that harness and the one for the lift gate.

To me it doesn't sound like much more than pulling the seats, the carpet and some trim panels and simply plugging stuff in. Am I making it sound easier than it is going to be?
 
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