overhead console install

Been using the search function, and got some good info, but, being new to XJ's don't want to screw this up. Got a early '90's overhead cosole I want to put into my '90 Pioneer. Can anyone tell me exactly what I need to do and install this? and where I should wire each wire to? [yes, I'm pretty bad at understanding auto wiring, but getting there]
I have the temp sensore harness in place from what I can tell, and have put a temp sensore on it's end. Where does the beginning part of the wiring reside for it?

Any help, or photos of this for those who've accomplished this would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
cykaaro

EXACT same thing I did. There will be 1 plug that will solve most of your problems(before it was for the domelight) find that and plug the corresponding one on your console harness in. Wire the compass up and IIRC you're good to go. Check my writeup for exact wiring of compass etc. Good Luck!

http://www.freewebs.com/jeepguy/overheadconsoleaddon.htm

Copied the info so I have for reference. I cut out the main wire harness as well, and made sure I took the brackets. If some of my questions seem pretty basic, please note that this is new to me, and just want to make sure I don't miss anything.

The harness I unplugged, pulled out and followed down to the kick panel. I cut it so I could get it out, but have both pieces, so I have the actual connectors the wire end up under the dash. From the main plug of the console, I have as follows.

top row:
pink | pink | black | blank | black/green | blank

bottom row:
white/black | yellow | black/blue | purple/green | blank | blue/red | orange/black

Just down from there is a pink wire [drivers visor, but mine isn't powered]. From there it splits where I cut the one part off, the wires coming out are in no particular order:
pink | pink | pink/purple | blue\orange | orange/black | black
Not sure what this one is for. Back light I think? and just after that is another pink ne, which I think again is for the visor on the passenger side which mine is wired. There are a total of 14 wires in all where I had to cut it.
Having had to cut it may cause a wee bit of a problem connector end wise, but as long as I can trace the wires from the console molex connector, it won't be a problem.

The three connectors I have are the red one [ pink | black | orange/black | pink/purple ]
small black one [ pink | black | yellow | blue/orange ] and the one big connector [ white/black | purple/green | orange/black | black/blue | black/green | blue/red ] On this one though, the blue/red goes in as a single wire, but comes out as two.

Where did you end up connecting these wires to? as I guess that the actual connectors that I pulled aren't on the '90 at all? I took a quick look in the dome light. There's a small black connector on it, but don't know it's wire colours. I guess those will splice into the console wires? if so are they a simple match the colours?

Did yours come with the temp sensor wires already in? or did you have to put them in? Mine has the harness in place it seems, and I added the temp sensor already, but just don't know where it comes on dash side at all.

Sorry for all the questions. Just want to make sure I know where everything is going to connect before I start on it and make a totally mess. I don't mind tackling something new, but want to make sure I have all the info I need of what goes where. It's going to be nerve-wracking enough cutting into the headliner. Don't want to mess that up at all!!. I take it that the screw holes are there ready to go for the brackets? [I grabbed the screws as well just to make sure]

Thanks for helping me on this. Greatly appreciate!

Im going to try and answer your questions in order.

If your wiring is the same as on mine, one plug on the console harness will plug directly into the dome light one. We do have the same year and model so the wiring should be very similar or identical.

Mine did not come with the temp sensor wires run. I have my temp. sensor mounted in kick panel(not a good idea). I suggest you run it somehow out through the firewall and to the front bumper to its original mounting place.

Yes it is very nerve-wracking cutting the headliner. Please dont botch yours like I did. I have a hole the diameter of my pointer finger right next to the console, and my headliner was just redone a year ago.

The screw holes for the brackets are there. Ya know the brackets your dome light mounts on now? Take those things that hang down off and screw the rear bracket into those holes. The holes you put the front bracket in should be on the roof with nothing in them.

It's frustrating (or was for me) but keep working at it because the final product is WELL worth it. Take your time cutting that headliner. Oh and by the way, dont saw that plastic tab on the back of the console that goes into the headliner off. You have a nice gap at the back if you do.

Collin

Thanks for taking the time for going through this with me. It's really appreciated. I'm not afraid of wiring at all, or such, but just want to make sure I do it right, and rather go over things until I understand than botch it up bad.

I used to do visual display, so no problems on carefully cutting the headliner. I'm going to carefully measure, and cut small, and then make bigger as needed as I go. Still nerve wracking though for sure.

The correct wiring is what I worry about the most. I've taken some pics of the wiring I ripped out. I think I cut off the part to the dome light you're talking about. [DOH!!!!!] so I'll have to try to plan a day to hit that wreckers again, and get it to make sure I get it all. or hardwire it myself which woulod be easier. I assumed it ran to the back dome light, but mayhap I was wrong? I have from the main plug for the console [with pink wire for the visor] then working back toward the passenger visor, have where I cut what came off of there, leaving a tail, and another pink wire for the visor. From there I went down to the kick panel, but had to cut it there to get it out. I then went underneath and cut the other side of the plugs, as I didn't need if I need any of them or not, and to try to compare them to what's in mine if needed. It's an easy splice though to connect the two pieces for me, so that I'm not worried about. Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but are you saying that the dome light molex connector will plug into the console? If so I don't see where [although I've not looked at mine yet] The only plugs on the console are the big one in the front, and one for the IR, which I don't need to even worry about at all. Would be neat to put in a small camera in the dome piece! hehehe.

Good to hear on the brackets. I was wondering what was up in my roof. The late 80's I've seen don't have the screw holes in the front at all, and the front dome light many don't have the reading lights that mine does. It had me concerned there! You didn't take any pics of yours while you were working on it did you?

I've just taken pics of the harness I ripped out, so I'll get them photoshop'd so you can see exactly what I'm seeing. Do you have an email addy I can send them to you at all? In the end I think I may just write a step by step from what you went through and what I'm doing now. Mayhap help others like me, who have no clue about the wiring at all. It's not that I'm averse to wiring. Hell, I build computers and mod them, but I'm really anal about doing it right and understanding what I'm doing before jumping in and finding I'm over my head. You should have seen me do my power mirrors!! :laugh2:

padraic

On the dome light thing I meant that one of the plugs on your OHC harness will plug into the plug in the kick panel your existing dome light plugs into now. Hope that rewords it better. I didnt take pictures although I wish I would have now. I am awful at wiring and in the end had to take it someplace to get them to fix one wire, so Im sure there are others like me that could use your help. If you care to send pics my email is [email protected]

ok, think I gotcha! I got a hold of another harness out of a '90 and was able to grab it all intact. Only the plug ends are missing off of it, so between the two I should be good wire wise now.
Think I may wire it up independantly before trying to put it in, and see what happens to understand some of this better. It's how I did my power mirrors, and how I did the stock fog light switch/relay so I can get those in place as well.
Do you remember at all specifically what wire hooked to where? and what wire did you have the problem with? I want to get it all to work as it's supposed to when it's done, not just the lights like some seem to do.
Still have to find exactly where the temp sensor goes to. Not sure what's up there when I cut to put the bracket in. Who knows. Maybe I'll just luck out and have everything in place for it, but not expecting it to. Strange it would have the temp sensor if it wasn't wired into place at all.
np on sending pics. Once I get them done up, I'll send you a copy. Maybe we could colab on a write up with pics for others, since it seems many have the same problems with the conversion.

I noticed the other day (on my 93 sport) that the stock temp sensor connections are located just behind the battery tray and inside the firewall, just above the accelerator pedal. Colours are green/mauve and light blue/ black. You should be able to plug in the extra length of wire that takes the sensor itself to in front of the radiator from the connection near the battery tray, but I don't know what you can do about the connection inside the car. Let me know that you find out!

Also, I'm in the dark about the compass wiring, so any advice on that would be good. Is there really another light blue/ black wire?!

Been doing my research and pulled the unit and wiring out of the console to do it desktop wise first before attempting in the jeep.
I got this from a JU thread that gives as per it's description of the '91 description for it.
The strange thing is, from what it's saying, my wiring is the EXACT reverse order than the schematic shows!
http://community.webshots.com/photo/58951859/59357374qGmNBP

I'm beginning to understand how to read the schematic, but a long way off on figuring it out to comfortably know what I'm doing. Also been using what CollinM has on his site as well. Trying to label everything and get everything in place. Just on the plug the order is mirrored, so if it's supposed to be wires 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 then mine are actually 5,4,3,2,1 on the plug on the console, I'm confused why this is. [looking at the back end of my plug to the plug on the schematic] The only things I got working where the lights, using the pink and black wires. Except two wires I haven't figured out, [yellow and black/green] the rest make sense to the schematic at least

I got the missing part of the harness as well, [IR unit] and while there, cut out part of the ceiling to use as a guide to cut my headliner, which I intend to make into a 'template' as well as measure both cuts so I know their sizes. The jeep is a limited, manufacture date of 11-90 C [90? or 91?, and looks outwardly like a '91 or later. Does anyone have FSM at all for a '90? Would be interesting to compare. Does anyone have a '91 FSM? it seems to point to other pages, but of course would like to take a look at what they look like to help me understand all this before I attempt to actual wire it. Anyone have any ideas.

All help would be greatly appreciated!!

Chancer said:

I noticed the other day (on my 93 sport) that the stock temp sensor connections are located just behind the battery tray and inside the firewall, just above the accelerator pedal. Colours are green/mauve and light blue/ black. You should be able to plug in the extra length of wire that takes the sensor itself to in front of the radiator from the connection near the battery tray, but I don't know what you can do about the connection inside the car. Let me know that you find out!

Also, I'm in the dark about the compass wiring, so any advice on that would be good. Is there really another light blue/ black wire?!

Click to expand...

How are you making out with yours? Got my wiring almost sorted out, and ready to put in. Just waiting for a nice warm day I've got the time to start disassembling things.
What year is your console you're putting in?

ok, nearly done with this to the point of actually putting it in to the jeep. Since I don't have keyless entry, I took the wiring harness apart, and just left in what I needed for my pioneer.

The only wires I have left to do are the orange/black and the dark blue/red wire. Anyone know exactly what these ones are for/do? and what I need to hook these ones to?

TIA