Electrical

[dmichaell77CJ7]

Alright, this weekend I'm ripping out the rats best of wires on my 77 CJ7 and installing an EZ kit. Hopefully it really is "EZ".

Any suggestions from those who have ventured down this road?

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Not speaking from experience as I have never rewired a CJ , but any electrical work I've done or do , I always document . I would first lay out the replacement harness and compare every connection that it is truly a direct replacement and that all connections and circuits will be complete and that there will be no voids . If there is anything different or incomplete , you want to know about it before you tear down so you have a plan to deal with the missing item(s) or change(s) you will have to make. You really want to know this installation will truly be plug and play knowing where every connection will go and is complete when it's go time . The last thing you want is stop cold right in the middle and have the project sit until your ready to resume .
The reason I say this is because electrical being complicated enough as it is , you want to do everything methodically moving right along and NOT forget a step as you have planned .
Projects that sit too long waiting for completion have strange things happen to them . Things disappear , get altered or disturbed with no explanation and then you get set back and frustrated , ending the joy and positive thinking that would have completed an "EASY" project.
Im sure your CJ is your prized pride and joy , would not want you to be disheartened just because of glitches . Really , if you take pictures , make notes and diagrams as you feel the need , you will thank yourself later . Disassembly will tell the story as you will compare the differences, if any , and praise the similarities that will make you happy and confident all will go well .
when you start breaking it down , there will be no one more qualified than you to complete this job right as no manual or text will be more complete than your own two eyes and hands .
No book can walk you through this job , even wiring diagrams and schematics vary with the different models and options so only you will know this job best . That is why you would not want to stop in the middle and continue another time , you want it fresh on your mind to complete it right . Not trying to question your ability , you would not even take this on if you did not think you had a chance to complete it , just that every wiring job always starts off with the thought ; " I'm just going to remove the old and install the new ". Dosen't seem to always work,out that way . If you document as complete as possible , I know you'll finish it the way you want , the right way . Wishing you best of luck and a great running CJ soonest . Greg

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

So I went from a rats nest, to no wires. I'm at the point of no return, hope i can put it back together and get it running. #nervous.

 

[TrailRatedRN]

Someone die in there? I see a skull.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Let's try to look at it like its plug and play . Easy to say for anyone who's NOT doing the job , but trying to stay focused , your next step would be to compare the harness you just removed to the one you will install . As soon as you find what plug ( terminal or connector ) goes where , you will logically route the harness to where it should be fastened , preferably where the original was .
What makes it look a mess is when the wires separate from the main branch . It is best to concentrate on keeping all wires temporarily bound and separate until slack is needed to make the connection . Once the connections are all made , you can then neaten it up using wire looms or friction tape . Naturally , you'll want to get it neat and right the first time as unwrapping friction tape and having a sticky mess is not appealing . Luckily you can clean it up with citrus cleaner .
Lets try to avoid that though , if the wire are marked like painless wires are , you'll rub off any coding and tracer markings . You'll need those . But most important is that now is the time to find the connections that match the ones you took off while everything is fresh in your head .
Thats what I meant by staying focused . You got this far , you know you can complete it right.
I know once your done , you'll be saying two things to yourself ; what a PITA , will never do this again , and , that was a lot of work but it wasn't so bad . Just remember how successful,you were at removing the old harness and you'll see what is meant when the repair manuals always say " INSTALLATION IS THE REVERSE OF REMOVAL " . Yeah , I got choice words for them too .
All jokes aside , I know you'll get it done . Just remember that a nice neat clean and unbutchered wiring harness is going in and that will make you feel good about doing it right.
The last time I pulled my dash off my XJ , I felt the same way as you , but I knew I had to get it right , had to use it for work Monday ! Yeah , Mondays suck here too .

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

Now that would be interesting pressure to work with. Needing to drive it the next day. I have a daily driver vehicle, so no worries there. Everything I have done on my jeep, big or small, has given me a sense of accomplishment. I'm having fun with this also. And I am learning all kinds of new things about how vehicles work. It's funny to think that, up until owning this jeep, I've never done more mechanical stuff than changing the oil or battery in a car. Now, I've had many projects and have the confidence to add more to the list. If someone would have told me, owning an old jeep was this much fun, I would have bought it ten years ago.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Happy you have a daily driver and that you can take this project one step at a time so that , yes , there is less pressure. It is our best wishes that the install will go just fine and I truly believe that you'll take the right approach with what you've experienced thus far and complete it right .
here at Jeepz.com , we look forward to successful builds and projects and look forward to happy owners . Just think , not only will you be proud of your accomplishments , but you will be a mentor for all who will follow with the same or similar project or repair. Above all , you will be enjoying your jeep for the intended purpose you own it , FUN ! Take it nice and slow , enjoy this experience and never be afraid to post any questions if you have a problem . There are many in our forum who have traveled this road and there will always be many more. There's a lot of CJ's out there that need some TLC , your knowledge and accomplishment will be greatly prized .
youd be surprised at how helping someone with a little step(s) will get them going to the finish line. When you turn the key and everything lights up and waorks as expected , that happy moment will be shared by someone else someday , just because of members like you .
Above all , thank you for sharing this project with us and thank you for your membership with Jeepz.com . Greg

 

[Shewilly]

When you turn the key and everything lights up and works as expected, you better start going to church, because you have witnessed a miracle! JK =) honestly I hope it goes as "painless" as possible! I read that if you lay out your new harness on a piece of plywood first it will give you a better picture in your mind of what you are about to assemble. Good luck, and post any tips or trips you may come across, I will def be following this thread, as this will be my next milestone...

 

[Shewilly]

PS love the shifter knob =)

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

So one thing I have found is that all the nice plastic wire connectors don't come with the EZ kit. EZ simply has bare wire ends. I've taken all the ones off the old wires that I could salvage. The big deal about this is 1. Connecting all the dash indicators would be a pain without them 2. Connecting the light dimmer switch would leave too much stress on the connection. 3. In my case, the head lights and tail lights are nicely connected and wrapped in plastic tubing. I don't want to rerun all that wire, so I need a solid way to connect those wires to my be harness. The plastic connectors allow for less stress where the old and new come together.

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

I and thanks for the compliment on the shifter. It was my first addition to the jeep. Sorta made it mine.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

I'm failing to understand why this is called an e-z kit. It seems they are making you do all thee work by terminating it yourself. Apparently , they are making you decide what connections are correct and will have you make the connections for your particular application. I'm now wondering , is this kit supposed to be sold at a savings significant to a painless wiring kit ?
I was under the impression it would be complete , plug and play. Or , did we get played ?
So , do I understand this correctly , are there metallic terminals at the wire ends , but no plastic connectors to make the connections ? Or , as you've stated , bare copper , no terminals ? Is this correct ? If so , do you feel the kit is complete otherwise ? Do you think all the wire you need to complete this job that you personally removed is in the kit ? This seems like sort of a test , but is it fair ?

 

[greg92jeepxj]

If it will be necessary to you yourself terminate the wire ends with terminals to bare copper ends , it seems you will have to clip them from the old harness , one by one , carefully to avoid confusion , and slip shrink wrap over each wire first , then manually join them together and finally solder them to finish and heat the shrink wrap to complete . This of course is tedious and labor intensive , but will make a complete harness , correct and you can make to the correct length of the original harness to make it like the original OEM install . Yes , please save EVERY part of the original harness until the job is complete , as you have undoubtedly surmised .
If your like me ( a pack rat with car parts ) , you might opt to keep all remains of the original harness for future projects and , if nothing else , prosperity . Lol
all in all , this seems like a really nice jeep so I guess it deserves all the TLC it will get .

 

[PoliceMonkey161]

Hey Dmichaell...... You may want to consider getting "Deutsch Connectors" (4-pin) for your tail lights. They are a universal, sealed and a positive connector which will have a male and female end much like the OEM CJ harness, I know JEGS carries them. You will have to cut the stock ends off your housings but it would give you a uniformed,solid (but removable) and weather-tight connection. You can also check around auto parts and RV/trailer suppliers in your area for the stock plug ends. The OEM harness and tail lamp connection are nothing more than "trailer" lights.


Check with NAPA auto for the headlight pin connectors and the dash lamp sockets. I have the part number somewhere for the dash lamp sockets, I'll look around for you. But I have purchased these from NAPA in the past. They should also have the side marker light sockets as well or I've seen guys on Ebay selling them too.


The only part that I'm not certain about is the headlight switch at the dash? Does the 77 have the switch that uses a snap in plastic connector thats square (like the later CJ's)? That you may have to re-use.

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

So to answer some of the questions. 1. Yes the EZ harness wires are mostly bare copper. With a few exceptions but there is a huge need for the male / female metal connectors along with the plastic connections to keep everything grouped. I don't think it's worth an extra $200 if the painless come with the caps. 2. The dimmer light is a weird set up on the 77. Pictures are attached. The only connector I could find for sale was a four prong, so I was happy to be able to salvage the old connector (7 pin). 3. I have the plastic adapters for the tail lights, but bare wires for the headlights (connected). So after getting the metal ends, I will be able to attach the tail lights with ease, but will have to also cap the headlight wires.

Question for y'all, the old set up had this nice "through fire wall" connector. Anyone know the nomenclature and if I could find another one? I now have a big hole in my firewall and need to close it off or reinstall this type of connector.



Through wall connector



Light Dimmer switch




EZ harness ends




Only connectors on harness




Salvaged connectors




Dash indicator lights that need connectors.

 

[PoliceMonkey161]

Ok...... Now things are starting to making more sense or are coming together rather. You're removing what appears to be a Cen-Tech (early design) wiring harness, so it is your Jeeps second at least re-wire job.


I'm not certain how the EZ kit runs through the firewall? Does it have some kind of bulkhead connector for the wiring that passes into the engine bay? The OEM setup would have had a fuse block that screwed in over the hole in the firewall and two plug connections routing from the back of it, one for head lights and the other for the engine. Regardless, you may have to make a cover for the existing hole whether it be made of steel metal (DIY fabing) or check with an electrical supply shop for a rubber gromit.

The dash indicator lights in your photo are simply connected with female press on connectors, soldier or crimp on are available pretty much everywhere ( i.e. STA-CON).

 

[dmichaell77CJ7]

EZ kit runs through the fire wall as a bundle of wires. I'll need to add some type of sleeve/rubber gromit or else the thin metal will slice away at the plastic coating on the wires. The connectors for the dash indicator lights won't be a problem. I was just pointing out that there are none included with the kit. I'm at a standstill for a while. I ordered an assortment of connectors for the wires so they'll take a couple days to get here. This weekend job is already 5 days old. Hopefully Saturday, I can make a big push to get things hooked up. Thanks for all the conversation on here, it's given me some good insight, ideas, and items to pay extra attention.

 

[Turbogus]

3M makes some of the very best heat shrink wrap available~at a price. This stuff is not only thick walled when shrunk it also has internal adhesive so absoltuely the connectors get sealed.

 

[78cj71ton]

Sent from my D6708 using Jeepz.com mobile app