Where can I find an engine wiring harness? 96XJ Country 4.0 4x4

The shop told me they can't find an engine wiring harness - part number 56017779. If I can find it they'll put it on but I don't know where to look beyond Ebay and it's hard for me to really know if I'm looking at the right thing. Any advice on how or where to search would be helpful.

My Jeep was pretty well optioned for the time and I think that's why it's hard to find a harness. It's a 1996 XJ Country 4x4 4.0L straight 6. Has AC, cruise, power locks and windows. It was sitting last year and some squirrels got into the engine, made a nest, and chewed all the wires they could find. It's mostly stock, only 120k miles and ran well before the squirrel attack. The exterior was rough but rust free. I'm also wondering if an XJ like that is worth saving to become a project or if I should just sell/donate it.

It is very highly unlikely that you will find a new wire harness anywhere. Your best option is to locate a good used wire harness from somebody local on CraigsList, here on , or at the junkyard.

1996 is a really odd model year, because of the switch from ODB-I to OBD-II. Before you spend much on a wire harness, confirm it is correct for your Cherokee.

Yeah you're probably going to have to grab a good wiring diagram and the old squirrel-chewed harness and start making some repairs on your own. If you have to do this, watch some YouTube videos on how to make and use a nail board. And to save lots of time, just buy yourself some of those solder-seal connectors that melt and shrink with a heat gun. Get an assortment of split loom and some Super 33 electrical tape to finish it off.

Agreen said:

Yeah you're probably going to have to grab a good wiring diagram and the old squirrel-chewed harness and start making some repairs on your own. If you have to do this, watch some YouTube videos on how to make and use a nail board. And to save lots of time, just buy yourself some of those solder-seal connectors that melt and shrink with a heat gun. Get an assortment of split loom and some Super 33 electrical tape to finish it off.

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That does not sound like something I'd be very good at. Assuming I have to pay someone to do it, is it a terrible financial decision?

How rough is the exterior?

And in what condition is the interior.

XJs are becoming harder to find, especially ones that haven't been beat to death. If a rough exterior means peeling clear-coat that is one thing. If rough exterior means rock rash and a fender bender that is another thing.

Pablosaurus said:

That does not sound like something I'd be very good at. Assuming I have to pay someone to do it, is it a terrible financial decision?

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It's pretty much connecting the right colors together man.

If you're trying to keep a 25 year old vehicle alive, you either have deep pockets or you start learning how to do stuff like that.

To answer your question though, it would be straight time, and the amount of time depends on the extent of the squirrel damage. I'd guess somewhere in the 6-8 hour range, and at $100/hr it's not gonna be cheap.

Agreen said:

It's pretty much connecting the right colors together man.

If you're trying to keep a 25 year old vehicle alive, you either have deep pockets or you start learning how to do stuff like that.

To answer your question though, it would be straight time, and the amount of time depends on the extent of the squirrel damage. I'd guess somewhere in the 6-8 hour range, and at $100/hr it's not gonna be cheap.

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Yep, take it one wire at a time, and match by colors (some will be one color, some will have a main color and a secondary stripe). Do the easiest-to-identify/match ones first, which will narrow down the possibilities for the rest.

If you can't find the "solder seal" connectors mentioned previously, heat-shrink crimp-type butt splices are a good second option - I used those when I replaced the big firewall connector on my '92 over 10 years ago, and they're holding up fine. Either way, you want something that you can apply heat to and completely seal up, or you'll be doing the job again in a few years.

I prefer the crimp and shrink method actually. Solder seal connectors are just more convenient. Every OEM harness I've ever seen has crimp connections and splices, so I'd rather do that if I had the time. But an entire harness would take forever!