Waking the bear-1988 Cherokee

[Rob Mayercik]

Originally Posted by PacificEd

Both sets are power. I've been debating on how to handle that since the plugs and wiring on the late model mirrors seem to be rather large. I may take the time to find the connectors to make them fit right. Thanks for the advice and tips.

Sure thing. I was going to add a bit more info, but I'm at work and the stupid firewall/internet security package keeps scrambling what I type when I hit preview so it's gonna have to wait until I can do it from home.

I had some handwritten notes from when I did my mirror upgrade, I'll see if I can find them.

[PacificEd]

I've been driving the XJ for 4 weeks now and being very diligent but it got me yesterday. My RA was acting up, I was getting sore and stiff and I didn't quite make it. It got my first belt loop in 5 years. Those who know, know the struggle.

[PacificEd]

Last night, on my way home I heard a roaring coming from the Jeep that wasn’t there earlier. My suspicion was correct…….a bad rear u-joint.

Like everything for me, it became a more difficult task than it should have been. I had some new joints in my stash so I installed a new one and the 8.8 flange. Everything went back together well and seems good. Yay!



Completed rear driveshaft.

[Rob Mayercik]

Well, I wasn't able to track down my notes - I might have tossed them after finishing the job, since they weren't all that complex. Now that it's the weekend and I'm not behind that company firewall, I can elaborate a little on the wiring conversion:

The older-style mirrors use the same 3-pin plug as the dome lights (it's also used for some sensor in 2004-2005 Ford Super Duty trucks, but exactly what escapes me. Scavenging the connectors from XJ dome light harnesses or broken mirrors is probably easiest). They use a "2-axis" system - one motor for up/down, one for in/out. Direction is handled by which polarity the 12V and Ground are connected to the motor through the control switch; the two "ground" lines from the motors share one pin on the connector (usually the black wire).

On the newer model mirrors, Jeep went to a larger, six-pin connector that has two rows of three pins. Some later mirrors are heated - when looking into the connector with the locking "nub" on the top, the two wires for the heating element should be the right-most pin in each row. The mechanism inside the mirror is basically the same (an up/down motor and an in/out motor), the other four pins are for the motors (same two-axis system as the old mirrors, but the two "grounds" from the motors get separate pins now.

I'm not sure if all 97-01 power mirrors use the same colors on the wires, and I didn't have a schematic, so I simply applied 12V and ground to the pins in pairs until I figured out what pin combinations caused the mirror to move in each direction and wrote it all down.

Then, I pulled the door apart and removed the old mirror. I twisted the wires onto the "new" connector and experimented until the mirror movement matched the direction I pressed on the switch, then I replaced the temp twistings with heat-shrink crimp splices and started reassembly.

Once I had it together I found that (as noted in several writeups on the topic) that there may be interference between the newer mirrors and the window trim; rather than try to trim the trim, I elected to just torque things down and fill the gap with a bead of black permatex RTV to seal the mirror to the door. Seems to be working fine, and isn't noticeable unless you go in close specifically for it.

Finally, I sprayed some white lithium grease into the pivot points (you can spray in from the bottom through a little cover you can pull, and from the top by folding the mirror half-way in) and worked the mirrors back and forth a few times to loosen them up, as mine were a bit stiff from sitting a while.

Best of luck in your swap - all in all, it's probably an hour or two of work for both sides, if you're fairly efficient with getting the door panels on and off.

[PacificEd]

I'm back to driving the Jeep again.

The Ranger has started acting up and I believe is on it's way to blowing a head gasket. The 2004 VW Passat we picked up for for my daughter to drive was then chosen for me to use since the Ranger is acting up. Well, that dumb thing made it a week and a half and I can't deal with the misfires and other crazy stuff that has come up. My commute is stressful enough without having to deal with a car that won't idle but drives perfect at speed.

I think I'm going to try to figure out why my charging gauge reads low and make sure the battery charge is staying where it should. I do have the good heavy duty battery cables on it so that eliminates that as a draw source. The headlights and running the heater/blower seem to be where the biggest pull is from.

[PacificEd]

When I replaced the rear u-joint, I had also installed it in a spare driveshaft that I thought was is good shape. Ever since I installed it, it seemed like it had some vibes and harmonics that didn't feel or sound right. Nothing bad but just not as smooth as before, especially over 55 mph.

I decided to swap back to the original driveshaft and install a new u-joint in it. My son, Jack, assisted me and we installed a new joint and another flange I had on hand. He was great help and I explained the process as we went. We also greased everything on the driveshaft really well. Hopefully the XJ will be good for a while.

I also installed a new set of wiper blades.

Sorry no pictures of the work done today.

[Ghost]

How old is Jack now? Keep them busy with Jeeps and they won't have time or money for anything else.

[PacificEd]

Originally Posted by Ghost

How old is Jack now? Keep them busy with Jeeps and they won't have time or money for anything else.

Jack is 12 now. He seems to want to help work on stuff now. We are in the process of getting two early 1992-1996 Ford F-150 4x4 trucks. He's asking a lot of questions about when they will be here and what it will take to get them running. Hopefully one will become his first vehicle.

[Ghost]

That sounds awesome.

[PacificEd]

Ok, with the Crawl coming up it looks like it's time to do some much needed general maintenance.

Oil and filter change
Grease everything
Replace front axle seals - probably won't get this done
Check fluids in differentials and t-case
Alignment and tire rotation
Rear axle seal - just weeping a bit

Install new 1997-2001 style mirrors

Other than that, I'm not sure it needs much else.