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Looking for info on rewiring my XJ

C

cb0019

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Austin, TX
I have a 88 with a 4.0 and Auto. All the wiring under the hood is a mess and I want to replace it myself. I was thinking about picking up some spools of wire and just replacing everything by following each individual wire start to finish. I know its going to be time consuming but it will be well worth it. I will try and get a pic up so yall can see how bad it looks.

Anyone thats done this have any tips?

Im sure a wiring diagram would be nice but since im doing one wire at a time it shouldnt be necessary right?

I'm going to beef up the battery cables and probably upgrade the headlight harness while im at it. Any other mods I should get to while I have the wire?
 
^ what he said.
OR
see if the dealer can sell it to you?
Add wire loom & zip ties until it looks tidy?
Strip everything with a conductor, swap in an LSx and re wire it all (if you are going to wire everything anyway...)
 
Unless you get color coded wire... do not do this.

If you ever have an electrical problem you will shoot yourself well before you figure it out if all the wires are the same color.

I would simply replace where necessary and re-tape/re-loom it.

DEFINITELY upgrade the battery and alternator cables and the grounds however. A RENIX will benefit greatly from this.
 
Yeah, I would listen to the others, find a salvage yard or parts car and strip the engine compartment harness from it.

Not saying it can't be done, but unless you keep damn good notes and permanent labels on the wiring you will hate yourself down the road.
 
You might want to check out ebay for new connectors for all the sensors. You can also find them on the web. Sorry but I can't remember what type they are called.

IIRC, Painless Wiring had a kit for an XJ. Maybe check out www.teamcherokee.com as well.
 
Most of the connectors on a RENIX are MSD Weathertight connectors iirc, possibly with a sprinkling of Weatherpak connectors.

For reference, many of the connectors on OBD II rigs (and some of the connectors on OBD I rigs, especially toward the later years of OBD I) are FCI 2.8mm spacing automotive connectors, you can buy them from most electronics supply houses.
 
Does the 88 in question have the older style harness (Big C-101 connector on firewall) that was on the 87, or the later style that was on the 89? If it has the earlier type, it might be worthwhile to see if you can find an 89 or 90 at the junkyard and replace the whole harness. The later type is in two pieces, as I recall, with a sub-harness for the fuel injection, and goes straight through the firewall to the engine computer. It's neater than the old style, and eliminates the troublesome C-101 connector.

Back when I had my 87 I found that it helped occasionally just to unplug every connector I could find, squirt it with connector cleaner, and plug it in and out a couple of times, then put it all back together. The Renix system always seemed very sensitive to little resistances in the wiring.
 
The later models are just as sensitive to it actually - the only reason they don't have the same problems is simply that they haven't been around as long, and the connectors used have better sealing gaskets.

I hate rust and corrosion of most types... especially when it's on my jeep.
 
Matthew Currie said:
Does the 88 in question have the older style harness (Big C-101 connector on firewall) that was on the 87, or the later style that was on the 89? If it has the earlier type, it might be worthwhile to see if you can find an 89 or 90 at the junkyard and replace the whole harness. The later type is in two pieces, as I recall, with a sub-harness for the fuel injection, and goes straight through the firewall to the engine computer. It's neater than the old style, and eliminates the troublesome C-101 connector.

Back when I had my 87 I found that it helped occasionally just to unplug every connector I could find, squirt it with connector cleaner, and plug it in and out a couple of times, then put it all back together. The Renix system always seemed very sensitive to little resistances in the wiring.
Click to expand...

Yes, the 88 had the C101, too. I agree with you on cleaning the connectors. You gotta do that at least once during your posession of one of these older XJs, preferably on the day you bring it home!! Might as well refresh all the grounds the same day and clean the thottle body and IAC while you're at it.
 
I have a 91 XJ and will be doing an engine compartment rewire also. I pulled off the abs and plan on eliminating the abs wireharness also. I found information on this site detailing several systems that we should improve, such as the headlights (relays), alternator, all grounds, fan relay controller, heater blower motor wire upgrade, starter solenoid wire, etc. Replacing the connectors sounds like a great idea also.
 
Thanks for the info. I have to get on this soon because there is a chance I will be moving soon and the 11 hour drive will not be fun if the jeep isnt ready for it
 
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