AMC Eagle Den Forum

The Mighty 258 => The Engine => Topic started by: DaemonForce on May 27, 2014, 08:09:18 PM

Title: Correct wiring harness
Post by: DaemonForce on May 27, 2014, 08:09:18 PM
I'm trying to source a wiring harness for a stroked 4.0L that will be going into the Eagle. From what I understand I need the complete engine wiring harness and ECM from a 91-95 Wrangler. That isn't going to happen. Or a 1991 Comanche. That also isn't going to happen.

I'm stuck looking at OBDI year Cherokees that have the 4.0L and a gearbox, correct?

I went out to I-5 Auto Wrecking this afternoon and found a possibly useful Cherokee but it's perched on the ground with a moat around it and I think it has an automatic bolted up. The wiring harness looks good but the dash was gutted and I have no idea what could be missing. I think I did the right thing by passing this one up:
(http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag176/DaemonForce/WP_20140527_005_zps14f0da03.jpg) (http://s1368.photobucket.com/user/DaemonForce/media/WP_20140527_005_zps14f0da03.jpg.html)

I'm thinking it's almost time for me to take a lengthy trip to Portland. Does anyone around there know if B & R Auto is a good place to pick Jeep parts? I think Pick-N-Pull would be cheaper but the selection is always horrible when I'm there. :-\
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: carnuck on May 29, 2014, 09:31:57 PM
'91-95 Cherokee, not Wrangler$. First, Wrangler doesn't run AW4 if you plan the O/D trans swap later. If you keep the 998 just get harness, etc from a Cherokee with 4.0L 5 speed. You'll need an adapter later for the speed sensor.

Definitely auto in that one, but since the fuse box is passenger's side, I think it's '96 up. (could be wrong. Have sinusitis today)
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: DaemonForce on May 30, 2014, 07:20:34 AM
Quote from: carnuck on May 29, 2014, 09:31:57 PM
'91-95 Cherokee, not Wrangler$. First, Wrangler doesn't run AW4 if you plan the O/D trans swap later. If you keep the 998 just get harness, etc from a Cherokee with 4.0L 5 speed. You'll need an adapter later for the speed sensor.

Definitely auto in that one, but since the fuse box is passenger's side, I think it's '96 up. (could be wrong. Have sinusitis today)
When I really think about it, why is this so difficult to execute? I remember when I pulled a throttle body from a 96 Cherokee I noted how neat the wiring was. Big grey plastic connectors on the passenger side firewall and the loom actually looked arranged in a way that sort of made sense. What is the difference between that bulky PnP harness and the slightly older one that resembles the...Veiny shaped 258 harness? I'm going to be tearing the dash apart one way or another and I just realized at this point that it sounds completely ridiculous.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: carnuck on May 30, 2014, 06:30:56 PM
'91 to '95 has everything you need to run the EFI under the hood (except trans controller which has a harness through the firewall to the box). '96 up is more complicated because of OBDII requiring many more inputs. Grand Cherokee is the worst because there are even door controllers that have to be hooked up or it won't start. (encoded key that trips security system too)
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: DaemonForce on June 02, 2014, 10:27:19 AM
Quote from: carnuck on May 30, 2014, 06:30:56 PM
'91 to '95 has everything you need to run the EFI under the hood (except trans controller which has a harness through the firewall to the box). '96 up is more complicated because of OBDII requiring many more inputs. Grand Cherokee is the worst because there are even door controllers that have to be hooked up or it won't start. (encoded key that trips security system too)
It's really a pain to find this wiring harness. I've been up and down the Tacoma-Sherwood picking yards looking for an appropriate harness and cannot find one. I'm probably going to look up 205 Auto Wrecking and buy it from those guys over the weekend. I've considered going to a Grand Cherokee wiring harness but the obvious problem is the Grand part. It implies a specific luxury called an automatic transmission. I believe the gearbox was an OPTION on this vehicle that was rarely if ever taken up, so I'm not about to go looking for that.

So far, all I've been able to find is interior stuff. There's a lot of stupid stuff in St. Johns. A big Wagoneer with a 5spd, high gears and a 4cyl up front. Useful Cherokees but they carry Renix harnesses. An AMC Eagle in full desert camo, busted hood latch, valve cover is off, crank might be good to salvage, the front axle and torqueflite look great, the dash looks crushed and the back has that rolling cover flap thingy that I never had in my Eagle. Sherwood has a Grand Wagoneer with fairly good looking seats in that rare tan leather color and since the PO was like me, he rarely had passengers. I might pick the passenger seat to motorize my Eagle passenger seat and make the driver seat look and feel a little more reasonable than 30 years of shredded leather. I just realized I have very little chance of restoring the interior of this car. I'm picking about color and pattern. I should be looking for an 83-84 Eagle Limited if I'm going to do that. x_x

I'm probably going to go look for a Renix Cherokee with a 5spd and start screwing around with that to get familiar with what I'll pull off of an OBDI model. That's basically the point that I'm at right now.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: carnuck on June 04, 2014, 01:34:36 AM
Start from inside at the computer above the gas pedal and work your way out from there. Somewhere around I have an HO harness from a '91 with 5 speed that I parted. I decided to go carb style LPG and an HEI dist in my J10 and since it has an AW4 I'll control that with my old Renix trans harness and throttlebody. I have to make a Renix TB to HO intake adapter for it to work.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: DaemonForce on June 04, 2014, 01:53:29 AM
Quote from: carnuck on June 04, 2014, 01:34:36 AM
Start from inside at the computer above the gas pedal and work your way out from there. Somewhere around I have an HO harness from a '91 with 5 speed that I parted. I decided to go carb style LPG and an HEI dist in my J10 and since it has an AW4 I'll control that with my old Renix trans harness and throttlebody. I have to make a Renix TB to HO intake adapter for it to work.
The thing is my original plan was to go with the Renix harness but then I decided that it was too much trouble getting all the adapter plugs to keep everything consistent. This morning I unbolted the cute little fusebox and a black square :amc: plug that was bolted just under the dash. I know I'm going to be pulling the engine bay wiring harness from this box but I have no idea where the rest of it goes and I do NOT want to start removing a bunch of carpet and what not to chase down the accessory wires as that's what they obviously are. It would be nice if I had a plug and play harness that allows me to swap the engine ignition harness and computer without tearing into the rest of the wagon.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: carnuck on June 04, 2014, 03:15:24 AM
That's what I had planned. My '87 had the C101 connector in good shape when I swapped in a '90 Harness which was simpler and had the AW4 harness built in.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: DaemonForce on June 04, 2014, 05:31:15 AM
That last part is what screws me. It's impossible to find a complete OBDI harness that DOESN'T have that link to an AW4.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: vangremlin on June 04, 2014, 09:08:28 AM
Have you checked on eBay?
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: eaglefreek on June 04, 2014, 09:21:34 AM
Quote from: DaemonForce on June 04, 2014, 05:31:15 AM
That last part is what screws me. It's impossible to find a complete OBDI harness that DOESN'T have that link to an AW4.

It"s not that many wires. Just leave the wires or cut them out.
Title: Re: Correct wiring harness
Post by: Prafeston on June 04, 2014, 02:10:17 PM
eaglefreek, we can see your avatar again!