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Overhead Console Re-Wire (97 to 98)

blair19

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Louisville
I'm looking to utilize a 97 overhead in my 98, and I'm looking to build a harness to accomplish this rather than hack the factory wiring.
How I see accomplishing this;

  1. A post pointing me to proper wiring diagrams in order to read-up on how to accomplish this myself.
  2. A post detailing how to accomplish this specific re-wire.
  3. Someone building the harness for a reasonable fee. (Hey, my plates full, I'll take any help I can get)
  4. Someone that wants to swap a 97 overhead for their 98 overhead.
It would actually be pretty cool if we had a post that covered all the overhead re-wires for these late year XJ's.
 
I added a 98 overhead console to my '99. There are some pretty extensive OH Console wiring threads out there. I dont have them saved any more but do some googling and it will come up.
 
Installing a 1997-2001 OHC is plug and play, all you need is the OHC, the bracket, and an OHC wire harness for your model year Cherokee.

Any 1997-2001 OHC will function in any 97-01 XJ, the only difference is the plugs on the fusebox end of the model year specific OHC wire harness, the upper console wire plugs are all the same 97-01. The non-OHC and OHC wire harness are different, but you could add the necessary wires and not locate an OHC wire harness. If you have an OHC wire harness and the correct wire plugs, you simply release the wires from the wire plug and install them into the correct wire plug in the correct order. You can change either the body side wire plug or the console harness side plug so you have mating set of plugs. Or you can swap somebody your wire harness for the correct wire harness.

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I put a '99 overhead in my '00. I grabbed the overhead, harness, bracket, ambient temp sensors, the short harness that is attached to, and visors from the '99. I had to repin the bigger connector on the '99 harness with the one from my '00 which is the one that goes in the passenger side footwell area. The other issue I had was the vanity visors. '99 is an internal ground. One wire. My '00 is an external ground. Two wires. I just used the '99 visors. This is why you grab everything that is even remotely associated with what you are doing just in case.

Do you know the round brushes on a street sweeper? The metal bristles that are on it? I got some of those, ground them down a bit on my bench grinder, and used them to push the tabs in the connectors to release the wires to swap the '00 connector I need to on the '99 harness.

So I am looking at the pictures Tim_MN posted. In the '97 the connector on the left goes to the overhead and the other two go into the footwell area.

On the '98 the top two go in the footwell area and the bottom one goes two the overhead.

All that matters is the connectors that go in the footwell area. Now in the shots of '97 and '98 they look the same. Thinking plug and play. If not that is what you will need to swap. And you have them with the dome light harness which you are not using anymore once you make this swap.

I did touch on my experience with doing this upgrade but have not finished the thread yet. Here is what I have written so far. Might help you with your install.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f177/putting-99-overhead-console-00-a-4224930/
 
Please be aware that my hands on experience is with swapping the '99 overhead to the '00. My understanding is that an '01 is exactly the same as an '00. So I feel confident when discussing that swap I know what I am talking about.

Never have seen a '97 or '98 overhead, and associated parts, up close and personal. I have done some research concerning my install and of course have read about other years.

My point is that while I feel pretty confident I know what I am talking about there is still a chance I don't. Please just keep that in mind when going forward with this. LOL.
 
1997-2001 use the same OHC wire arrangement (with the same number of wires and the same wire colors/functions), but they use different model year specific wire plugs on the fusebox end of the wire harness. 00 and 01 use the same wire plugs.
 
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Now that it's a bit warmer outside I've gotten back to this. Based on the posted pictures, it actually turns out the eBay'd unit is from a 99, not a 97.
Regardless, moving onto identifying what needs to be re-pinned. Other than the street sweeper bristles; any other tool and technique suggestions for this portion of the task?
 
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