Wiring

Over the weekend I lost a taillight. Wasn't a bulb, it turned out to be a bad connection at the connector near the base of the steering column. While under there repairing it, I took a real good look at the state of the wiring & it's not pretty....lots of cracked insulation with bare wire visible and even a few broken wires.
I'm thinking a whole re-wire of the CJ is in my future, and I'm debating buying a reproduction harness vs a more modern version from someone like Painless wiring.

Complete Wiring Harness - Made in the USA Fits 66-71 CJ-5 with V6-225 engine | Kaiser Willys

Jeep – Painless Performance

I can do basic wiring but I've never re-wired a whole vehicle so I'm a little nervous about the whole process.
Any thoughts/advice?

For reference, this is a 70 CJ5 V6.
Electrically, it's mostly stock with the exception of some aftermarket gauges & a 100 amp 1 wire alternatior.

 

The only thing would add if you do the rewire is to run the wires that go to the back through the interior of the tub rather than along the frame rails. That helps to keep the wires high & dry and out of harms way.

 

I have removed the entire wiring harness from my 74. I am planning to use it as a pattern for building my self a new harness from scratch with some up grade changes from the stock harness that would not be available in a stock replacement harness. I will be changing the alternator and VR wiring to a 3 wire 90 amp 12SI with amp light and a volt gauge rather than the amp gauge. Also I will add a head light up grade with relays per the timgr sticky write up in the intermediate section. I will install a fuse block to protect about 12 of the circuits. It is a really simple harness when you just sit down and study it a bit, no computers! just study each circuit individually and it will all make sense.

 

I've done a number of them from Bronco's to Blazers. Jeeps would be mine (71) with an adapted Bronco loom and a buddies (73) with an existing painless harness.

ECJ's are simple and have little complex wiring. You can purchase a loom or, if possible, scrounge one out of a U pick yard.

Things to consider:
Any electrical upgrades. Lights, dual tanks, stereo's, etc. Make this part of your rewire plan. Looms like the painless have extra circuits for added appliances. Now is also a good time to think about headlight and heater motor relays.

Fuse box. You need one.

Install a wiring plug at the firewall for the rear loom. This lets you disconnect the rear loom.

Keep your wires loosely bundled till you are ready to finish. You can use tape or the corrugated wiring covers in your choice of color.

Do as much initial dash wiring as you can while it is out. I mounted my buddies on a couple of garage studs so I could get the lights and grounds installed.

Then use 4 long bolts to space your dash out from the body. This allows you to finalize any dash wiring without having to lay on your back.

We used thin faced nutzerts to replace a lot of the stripped dash bolt holes.

You will need a Vohm meter and a test light.

QUALITY crimpers, dykes, and connectors. Waterproof for all the outside work. Shrink tubing, soldering gun with rosin core solder, and body clips to pin the wiring looms to the frame.

PLAN PLAN PLAN. Have a good idea of your circuits, how they lay and any added legs prior to starting.

 

I made a complete wiring harness for my buddy's 55 jeep . very simple
he had rolls and rolls of new wire different colors
only had one hiccup . when it came to wiring the aftermarket column
I knew . 1 wire - brakes . 1 wire - LF . 1 wire - RF . 1 wire - LR . 1 wire - RR . 1 wire - horn . 1 wire - flasher
simple right . for the life of me just couldn't figure out why I couldn't read all the wires out of column
LF RF LR RR all connected
then the light bulb went off in head . 4 way flasher switch was engaged
so I would say it still might be a money saver to make your own
pull the wiring harness . and copy wire for wire

 

If your going to be doing any rewiring now and in the future check into a power probe.
8 years ago when i put a fiberglass tub on i was fighting with my wiring and a friend told
me to get a power probe i got a power probe 3 deluxe kit from Amazon $80.00 back then
they are twice that now, but they have cheaper kits. probably some videos on U-tube also.
this saved me so much time, super easy to use, i won't do any wiring now without it.

 

I put an EZwire kit in my 2a. It had no wiring when I got it so that seemed like the easiest thing to do. That was my first adventure at a complete re-wire and it went pretty smooth. I put a painless kit in my 71, which had an electrical fire under the hood some time before I got it. That was also pretty simple to follow. Running the wires is just time consuming. I'm interested in the direction you go - original from KW vs aftermarket like Painless or EZ. The KW harness looks good other than all the inline fuses.

 

Its not that bad on a cj. I did keep my efi and chassis harnesses separate so its easier to track down issues. Plan the wire layout and take notes in the painless handbook. Lay the harness on the ground and separate them into sections. Then once the fuse block is mounted, work on one section at a time trying to be as neat and organized as possible. Oh, and always leave the wires a little long incase you need to redo a crimp connection.

 

This is what I did, ran the rear wires with the fuel sender then along the bed rail.
don't forget to put in those flat tow diodes.

 

If you aren't concerned about originality, I would go with an aftermarket harness with a fuse block and modern fuses like the painless.
I used a harness similar to the E-wire setup.
X2 on weather pack connections. I have all of my circuits on weather pack connections at the firewall.

 

I like custom, all 125 degree C wire and components. Back and front sides of panel mounted to left of clutch. All wires through firewall grouped through Deutsch bulkhead connectors. This panel has flasher showing on top of the fuse /relay box. Headlight relays, low pressure fuel pump, fuses, etc
High power panel under battery box on passenger side (EFI fuel pump, electric fan, fuses, etc)

Can you tell I like wiring? 6th Jeep I’ve wired/rewired over the years, each one seems to add more.

hinge is to allow opening panel to backside for service if ever required. Big cable is switched power from battery.






Does it look like I bought the wire in bulk?

 

You want to come to Colorado and do another one?

 

Thank you no.

one is enough for this summer



Dennis

 

At first I freaked out thinking that was a mess, then I looked closer and realized that it's actually pretty organized. Nice work.

 

That's a lot of little red wires!

The nice thing about a bought harness is they generally have color coded wires.

I threw together a quick schedule from a later electrical fuse chart with some of my added junk:
Tbi, 15amp?
Ignition, unprotected
Heater A, 20amp
Heater B, 20amp
Windshield wiper, 15amp
Turn signals, 10amp
Reverse lights, 14amp
4way flashers,14amp
Stop lights 9amp
Courtesy outlet A, 15amp
Courtesy outlet B, 15amp
Headlights, integrated Breaker(30amp spare?)
Headlight Relays if any would be on there own breakers
Trailer brakes, 20amp Breaker
Trailer charge, 20-30amp Breaker
Probably an inline 10a fuse for the air compressor clutch (doubles as a disconnect)

Plan on a center high mount stop light, and diodes for flat towing.

 

I’d definitely buy a kit if you don’t like wiring.

Avoid Hot Rod Wires.

I’ve always recommended Centech Wiring. It looks like they’ve become a supplier for Omix Ada? They’re a small local guy out of small-town PA, and their stuff has always been top-notch.