If you're running Carling Contura switches in a '97-up overhead console...

[casm]

Take a look at the following photo (and apologies for not crediting whoever took it originally, but I lost the thread that it came from):

This is pretty much exactly how I think I want to wire in some extra switches in my 2000. Got a few general questions about the installation, though:

- Is clearance between the pins on the back of the switch and the roof reasonably decent? My concern is bending spade connectors, etc. if they contact the headliner / roof.

- Were there any physical space issues with bringing in the extra wiring?

- Did you manage to tie in to the instrument dimmer line for the switch lights?

- What other problems did you run into, and what would you avoid doing again if you had to do it all over?

The more I look at the amount of switches I'm going to need to plumb in, that bit of plastic in the roof is looking more and more attractive as somewhere to corral them.

 

[AT FAB XJ]

I mounted 8 of them where the factory switches were and relocated the power outlets to the front face of my center console. I'll post some better pics tomorrow.

 

[casm]

I mounted 8 of them where the factory switches were and relocated the power outlets to the front face of my center console. I'll post some better pics tomorrow.

To be perfectly honest: I like the idea, but it's not a route I want to take. Both the power outlet and lighter are used regularly to run low-current-draw stuff, and I'm just not keen on tearing out the four switches that are down there after going to the trouble of installing the Extended Idle switch.

However, I did wonder about the feasibility of doing basically the same thing but using a Jeep 2500 centre bezel:

Note that there's a small storage binnacle under the power outlet / switch bezel that may be the right size for mounting a few Conturas in. I haven't been able to find any dimensions on it, though, and have no idea if it would even mount up in a US-model late XJ much less leave the air vents, etc. functional.

 

[hubs97xj]

Casm, was it this one? Fyrfytr1717's console, I believe.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937436&highlight=switches&page=6

 

[casm]

Casm, was it this one? Fyrfytr1717's console, I believe.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=937436&highlight=switches&page=6

Weird - it's definitely his setup that I was looking at, but that wasn't the thread I found it in; it looks like I completely missed that one in searching. Wish I hadn't, because there are some really good ideas in there.

FWIW, the space next to the handbrake and in front of the transfer case shifter lever are already in use on mine (CB transmitter and locker switches, respectively), so the overhead console is pretty much my one remaining open spot - the space to the right of the instrument panel is being kept aside for some specific stuff in the future.

Thanks for that; I'll shoot him a PM and see if I can't get his input on it.

 

[Built2Flex]

I mounted 8 of them where the factory switches were and relocated the power outlets to the front face of my center console. I'll post some better pics tomorrow.

This is SICK! I like.....ALOT!

 

[casm]

Late addition: I just found a source for bezels, mounts, etc. for the Contura switches.

http://www.cmsquick.com/prod_17_S_RocA.html

This could come in handy - the idea of cutting the overhead console for a full complement of switches and filling the unused slots with blanks until needed is appealing - and if someone's looking to do something more akin to AT FAB XJ's setup, there are good options in there as well.

 

[RCP Phx]

How many switches are you trying to install?I have mine(2000 XJ) under the power outlets,theres enough room for about 8 Contura's.

 

[casm]

How many switches are you trying to install?I have mine(2000 XJ) under the power outlets,theres enough room for about 8 Contura's.

That's a good question. Unfortunately, I don't have a solid answer on it right now. What I'm doing is planning on eight as the maximum number and building around it; if it means having some blanking plates in place until I reach that number (assuming it ever happens), I'm OK with that.

Going the centre bezel route would be preferable from a visibility standpoint, but the overhead is winning out on reducing the chances of accidental activation. I don't plan on relocating any of the switches that are installed presently, so the number I'm planning around is in addition to what's already in there.

FWIW, I'm trying to avoid cutting the existing centre bezel if at all possible - hence why I was looking at the Jeep 2500 one as a possibility.

 

[kastein]

I'm pretty certain that http://www.otrattw.com/ has some more parts you may want.

How is the angle of the actuator if you mount them below the power outlets and stock switches? It seems like they would be pointed too far down or would interfere with the shifter.

 

[casm]

I'm pretty certain that http://www.otrattw.com/ has some more parts you may want.

Now there's a name I haven't heard since I opened an envelope from them this morning What kicked off the planning on all this switch stuff was the decision to finally replace the existing switch faces with ones that are actually labelled as to their function; OTRATTW were the default go-to place for all that. My locker switches now light up an interesting light cyan/turquoise colour courtesy of having replaced the green indicator lenses with blue ones.

How is the angle of the actuator if you mount them below the power outlets and stock switches? It seems like they would be pointed too far down or would interfere with the shifter.

You nailed it - both of those are a large part of what's putting me off of that idea but eyeballing the Jeep 2500 centre bezel. The curvature of the lower part of the stock bezel doesn't really look like it'll lend itself to being able to mount the switches securely, and (at least with the AW4) interference with gear selection isn't so much the issue as the awkward reach you'd have to do in certain gear positions to get at the switches further over to the right. I also seem to remember (from one of my excurisons in doing some off-the-cuff measurements) that switch depth may also be an issue back there, but could be wrong on that.

And I'll admit to not wanting to tear into my existing fake woodgrain bezel - those are hard to come by in the junkyards. If I could find one to do some experiments on, it wouldn't be an issue - but with no direct replacement at hand, I'd rather not risk FUBARing it.

 

[RCP Phx]

Thats where mine are mounted,I think the access is good and the shifter "acts" like an "anti-accidental" device(its not like anything there is a life or death function).Been there about 9yrs now and it totally works for me.

 

[casm]

Thats where mine are mounted,I think the access is good and the shifter "acts" like an "anti-accidental" device(its not like anything there is a life or death function).Been there about 9yrs now and it totally works for me.

Hm, OK. So much for my eyeball measurements, then

Do you happen to have any photos of the installation? I'd like to get a visual idea of how it all goes together.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Take a look at the following photo (and apologies for not crediting whoever took it originally, but I lost the thread that it came from):

This is pretty much exactly how I think I want to wire in some extra switches in my 2000. Got a few general questions about the installation, though:

- Is clearance between the pins on the back of the switch and the roof reasonably decent? My concern is bending spade connectors, etc. if they contact the headliner / roof.

- Were there any physical space issues with bringing in the extra wiring?

- Did you manage to tie in to the instrument dimmer line for the switch lights?

- What other problems did you run into, and what would you avoid doing again if you had to do it all over?

The more I look at the amount of switches I'm going to need to plumb in, that bit of plastic in the roof is looking more and more attractive as somewhere to corral them.

I've been meaning to do a write up on how I did this, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Here are some thoughts.

-Space behind the switches is fine. I had to trim out about a 2"x8" piece of headliner, but the rest of the hole is already there as it is the same location where the keyless entry module sits. Unfortunately this means that you have to move the keyless entry module a little to make room. I just cut off the mounts toward the front of the module, rotated it around 180 degrees on the rear mounts, and then glued the front mounts (now at the rear) back into the OHC in the appropriate spot.

Here's a pic of the wiring (backside of the above pic) to give you an idea:

And here are some pics to show the holes in the headliner, most of which is pre-existing:

And here is the relocated keyless entry module mount:

-I ran the wire for the dimmer and the ignition switched 12V+ up the passenger side A-pillar (which was pretty tight) and ran the Cat5 cable for the switches as well as 6 power wires for my future roof top lights down the driver side A-pillar (plenty of room in there). I picked the ground up from the existing OHC wiring. I used disconnects for everything so I can still take my OHC down if I need to.

-Yep, tapped into the Orange dimmer wire just above the fuse panel by the passenger's feet and ran it up the A-pillar.

-Cutting the holes for the switches was probably the hardest part. I also cut out an aluminum backing plate which I glued to the back of the OHC to add a little rigidity. It's pretty tight and while the bezels on the switches will cover up some mistakes, you still have to be pretty careful. Someone suggested that I just cut out a large rectangle the size of 4 or 5 switches and just mount them all side by side. I personally like the look of having a bit of space between each switch.

Relocated keyless entry module and aluminum backing plate:

Everything in place prior to wiring it all up:

Another suggestion I recieved was using stranded Cat5 cable instead of the more common solid Cat5 cable I used for the relay trigger wires. Supposedly for added vibration resistance.

I think that answers all your questions. Let me know if you have any more. You should be able to figure it out by pulling down your OHC and comparing it to the pics I've provided. You will need to cut out a little of the plastic that originally housed the keyless entry module, but if you do it cleanly, you shouldn't affect the integrity of the OHC at all. Let me know if you have any more questions or need any other pics. I have a bunch. I think I could also dig up the template I made on a CAD program if you're interested in doing the same 8 switch configuration.

 

[kastein]

What did you use to cut the holes? Knife/dremel/nibbler tool? My experience with nibblers is that they work great so long as you plan carefully, tape the surface first to protect it, and debur the edges.

 

[casm]

I've been meaning to do a write up on how I did this, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Awesome, and thank you - that clears up everything I was wondering about.

I think I could also dig up the template I made on a CAD program if you're interested in doing the same 8 switch configuration.

That would definitely be appreciated. FWIW, after looking at what I'm planning on plumbing in and where I want the switches to go, I may be able to get away with just a 4-switch configuration in the overhead - but if I ever need to expand beyond that, it'd be nice to be able to just do all the cutting for it at once.

 

[XJOutsider]

Can you explain the wiring of the switch I an a total Wiring newbie. Looks like a cat 5 Line. I assume you have a remote relay box and the the blue and orange are for the the power. Once again total newbie when it comes to wiring.

 

[slimpartywagon]

Can you explain the wiring of the switch I an a total Wiring newbie. Looks like a cat 5 Line. I assume you have a remote relay box and the the blue and orange are for the the power. Once again total newbie when it comes to wiring.

he said:

And just so my electrons wouldn't get confused... Orange for dimmer, Blue for ignition switched power, Black for ground, and Cat 5 for signals.

wich can be found here. and yes the signal wires go to the external relays...

Blue wire goes to power to the switch, orange is the wire for the light inside the switch, black is ground for the light in the switch.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

What did you use to cut the holes? Knife/dremel/nibbler tool? My experience with nibblers is that they work great so long as you plan carefully, tape the surface first to protect it, and debur the edges.

Don't have a nibbler... It was kind of a pain in the butt. I was hoping to use a hot knife, but the plastic that the OHC is made out of is kind of weird. I don't really know how to describe it, but it's pretty hard and almost seems kind of fibrous. It just doesn't melt well.

I tried a rotary bit in my dremel, but that was nearly impossible to control. It would find a path of least resistance and would just start chewing through the plastic in a very unpredictable manner.

It's been a long time, but if I recall I had the best luck using one of the mini cut-off wheels in my dremel. I used it to make a rough cut just a bit smaller than the final hole. You had to be careful because if you left it in place too long it would start melting the surrounding plastic and make a mess of things. I then came back afterwords with a dremel sanding drum to clean up the edges and make the lines straight.

The sanding drums worked awesome on this particular type of plastic, but obviously they couldn't get into the corners of each hole. That had to be done by slowing nibbling away at the plastic with a utility knife blade.

It was a long slow process that took a number of hours to complete. It wasn't too bad once I figured out a system that worked, but experimenting with different techniques was time consuming (and nerve wracking) as I didn't want to screw up my OHC. A few times I got to the point where I was considering just cutting a big hole in the OHC and gluing a nice clean sheet of stainless or aluminum in place with the switch holes professionally pre-cut. In the end though, I was glad I put the time in to make it look nice.

That reminds me, the aluminum backing plate was a major hack job that I did during some down time at work. I used a big drill bit to start each cut-out, and then used a hack saw blade (run through the drill hole) to cut out the switch holes. Gotta love having the right tools for the job.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Can you explain the wiring of the switch I an a total Wiring newbie. Looks like a cat 5 Line. I assume you have a remote relay box and the the blue and orange are for the the power. Once again total newbie when it comes to wiring.

he said: wich can be found here. and yes the signal wires go to the external relays...

Blue wire goes to power to the switch, orange is the wire for the light inside the switch, black is ground for the light in the switch.

Pretty much nailed it. The Cat5 is used for the signal wires as a space saving measure. The amp draw of a relay coil is very, very small so the Cat5 provides a way to neatly run 8 signal wires together while taking up minimal space behind your interior trim panels. It's also cool that you can use the RJ-45 connectors to make easy quick-disconnects, provided you have the tool to crimp your own.