Another Wiring Thread

I've seen several wiring threads here, and the wealth of knowledge here is clearly deep, so I want to tap into it. I bought a '72 CJ5 this summer (304, 3 speed, factory everything that's still attached except wheels and tires) on the cheap, REAL cheap considering all the drivetrain/running gear and frame are solid and it actually drove home and then around the farm for a week or two before anything went wrong. I've got an EZWiring 12 circuit harness waiting at home for my Christmas break project. I can't wait to get home and dive into it, but I'm scared I'll get the wiring ripped out and get lost on it before I finish and be left with a useless Jeep. I've got the Chilton manual for it, but with a new harness, that's useless here. So I guess what I want is a little advice from all you guys that have done a new harness before. Any tips or suggestions would be a big help. Thanks everybody.

 

Welcome,

I haven't started rewiring my Jeep yet but from many other wiring experiences (from scratch) I can tell you that you shouldn't rush into it. Decide where the fuse block will go. Spread the new harness out from there to where it needs to go and make sure you have accounted for everything you need to rewire. You can even take notes, make a chart or whatever helps keep you organized. Masking-tape labels (by sections maybe) help, too, even though the kit circuits are probably printed on the wires.

Don't cut anything or even route the wires until you're sure you're ready to go forward. Then just do one section at a time (headlights, engine, taillights, gauges, etc.), routing the wire first, securing in place and only then cutting and attaching. Always leave a little extra length, just for those little gotchya's that will pop up no matter how well you plan. You can leave the old wiring connected until you put on the new wires, if you need that.

And always remember that no matter how badly you screw up, it's fixable! R)

Best of luck. Keep us posted.

 

I bought the EZ2Wire 14 on Ebay. I downloaded and printed their wiring diagram and several other diagrams for other upgrades like the Delco CS alternator upgrade. Nice to not have to worry about wiring issues and evrything just works better.

 

Go to this link www.c104.net, goto tech manual - and grab wiring.(super slow) It's for a 72 commando but it was dead on accurate for my CJ5 wiring and made better sense.

 

What's wrong with the original harness?

JMO - using a replacement harness will be easier if you had a fire, or if part of the harness is missing. Otherwise, since it runs, I'd suggest you just fix what you have. It's easy to get overwhelmed by wiring if you try and take it all in at the same time, especially trying to figure out the changes that have already been made. It's easy to give in to frustration and want to rip it all out, but I think that's usually a mistake. The previous owner may have made a mess of the harness, but you can fix it if you focus on one circuit at a time.

 

There's only one manual for all the '72 Jeeps. The page is about the Commando, and the link says 'Commando Manual', but the manual is for Wagoneer, CJ, J-truck, and Commando - all '72 Jeeps.

 

Is the information accurate for a '73 CJ5 too?

 

I'm probably going to finally go through with this wiring work next weekend. Once I finally got some time and space, I got the new harness figured out, and I'm working on what will have to be pulled from the old one. I'm putting in generic switches on the dash for the wipers, headlights, running/park lights and some 55W work lights that I'm mounting up front. I had to buy a new turn signal switch (which also has hazard lights integrated), new dimmer switch, and the four light and wiper switches. Tomorrow (probably after the US Open playoff), I'll find the reverse light and break light switches, test them out and buy replacements if necessary, and buy some heat shielding for the wiring that runs near the engine, and a beefy quick disconnect plug for that wiring, for when the tub gets pulled off at some point down the road. Add to that list the drill bit I need to widen the existing holes in the dash.


I wasn't exactly impressed with the wiring diagram in the tech section (no offense to its maker), so I did some searching elsewhere. This is about as solid as a diagram can get, I think. Maybe you guys can add it??

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/Jeep-Wiring-Diagrams-1972-1973-CJ.htm

Just click on the pictures to blow them up. Thanks for all the advice. I'll take a few pictures of the wiring once its in place, and a new avatar picture, since my current one shows what the PO had it looking like.

 

I rewired my 72 a couple of years ago with a centech harness from quadratech. It would be difficult unless you have some wiring experience. If I had to do it again I would order a harness for a 75 cj with the bulkhead connector at the firewall.

 

A '75 also has a fusebox, unlike the earlier harnesses which use inline fuses.

If the plug-and-play aspect is important to you. the '75 harness might be worthwhile. Otherwise, there's lots of experience here with the aftermarket 'hot rod' harnesses. Should be within most people's comfort zone with a little patience and clear headedness.

I still think that most harnesses can be repaired easier than a new harness can be installed, but that's just me.

<edit> Just an afterthought about the bulkhead connector: more connectors is bad. Mechanical connections are a liability and are much, much, much less reliable than straight-through wiring. Most problems with wiring harnesses come from faulty connectors. The factory uses connectors for ease of assembly, not for superior performance.

 

While I agree that more connections means more places for problems to occur, many of us here are constantly changing things. I like the bulkhead connector so that I could unplug the engine harness to remove the motor or the headlight harness to remove the front clip without disassembly to remove wires, or even to make yanking the tub off for the 7th time a little bit easier

 

I also like bulkhead connectors to make things easier to work on. A little extra diligence in assembly should result in a solution that lasts for many, many years. Weatherpak stuff works great and is pretty bomb proof once it's been assembled correctly.

 

Thanks Boyink, I'd seen that before, and it serves double as a role model and motivation. I'll probably run the tail wiring in the tub like you did, but won't be needing more water than a canteen or Nalgene can carry. That pump and tank setup was pretty sweet, though. I've got a few small projects in the same realm as that one in mind, but that's way down the road. My CJ was originally a champagne or bronze color not far from what your 6 was in those pics. One of the various previous owners rattle-canned it black, and some day it'll be green.

I'm going to use only as many disconnects as I'll need to separate the engine from the tub without rewiring anything again. When I get around to painting and coatings, the tub will be on and off a few times, I predict. The engine and drivetrain are solid for now, but I'll probably change that once this wiring job is finished and bug-free.

Speaking of bug free, I did some hot-wiring type experimenting this afternoon and figured out my wiper motor situation. Still don't know what that blue wire does, but heck with it. I'll have hi, low, and park functions with just one three position toggle.

I'll probably crawl underneath it tomorrow after work to find out if that reverse switch works. Horn is shot, but that was expected. I might use a starter push button switch on the dash for that, but that'll be a next-best for the switch on the wheel if that doesn't work. Either way, I'm glad I waited to do this until now. If I'd tried to do this 6 months ago, I'd be jeepless right now.


Tim, I understand how the original harness would have been easier to work with for most jeeps, but this thing has been chopped and patched more than once. By the end of the month I'll have my wiring done until I decide to add more lights or accessories or something. What I want more than anything out of this is the piece of mind that the wiring wont burst into flame when I'm out and about. Looking at the condition of it right now, its not impossible. After the electrical is taken care of, I'll move back to the gas tank and the fuel system in general. Then I think body work is in order. If I get the fuel thing taken care of by the end of the summer, I'll save the body work for this winter, and get some smiles out of it before it gets cold. Thanks for the help, I'm sure I'll have some questions later.

 

I'm working this out right now for a future build.

I got a notebook and a good wiring diagram and went out to the heep. Started tracing wires and comparing to the wiring diagram. Make notes and start a list of circuts: lights, guages, engine, altinator, etc.

Then I came in and started looking at the upgrades. For instance I found an article in using a junkyard 130 amp altinator from mid 90's GM cars.

I started sketching out the new circuit's one at a time on a graph page using pretty colored pencils for the wires.

I have one page for the overall jeep circuts, and the following pages I'm working on the individual circuits.

When it comes time to wire, I hope to have 90% of the issues worked out.

 

I've sort of done the same thing, but without the paper. I laid the new EZ wiring harness out in my kitchen/dining room area, and since almost nothing from the original wiring is staying, I've got new switches laid out with the wires they'll be connected to, or a masking tape label showing where the wire will connect. I think I'm good to go come Saturday with the exception of the alternator. I am considering an alternator upgrade, but it won't make this part easier, so I'll wait on that until I actually have a need for it. The 35 Amp will power what I have going just fine. No A/C, No heater, No Radio. Just lights, gauges, wipers and the engine itself. I'll probably write more later, I should probably be paying attention to my Calc teacher right now. hahaha.

 

I used a EZ wiring harness to rewire my Jeep. If I can do it anyone can.R) If you have any electrical knowledge then a wiring diagram isn't really needed. The biggest decision I had was where to mount the fuse box under the dash to make the routes easiest. I still have the extra wires under the dash in case I need to add another circuit.

 

Alright, got a little sun today while wiring things up. I'll have to make a run to the FLAPS to pick up a few more splitter connectors to finish the lights, and I've left the gauges for last. The wipers work, but the park function no longer does. I'll straighten that out tomorrow. The reverse lights will be controlled by a dash mounted switch, since I was too lazy to mess with the one on the transmission. This way I can use them off the beaten path at my discretion as well. The headlights and park/signals up front all need to be grounded, but they're ready to go. The engine ran today.....exhaust is a few spots down on the list. A local shop quoted me a reasonable price, so we'll look into that. I'm considering mounting a couple small lights inside, but I'll just wire them into either the headlight or park switch at some point down the road. We'll have to see. Other than that, no problems. I don't work or have class tomorrow (gotta love summer) so I might have a picture or two of the Junkyard Jeep tomorrow if I run out of work. Cheers

 

I have run into an interesting problem. I have some tail lights that are supposed to be factory replacements, and they have two wires, a ground and a positive power wire.

When I turn on one turn signal, i basically get a hazard light effect, in that both sides blink in unison. I've decided that what must be happening is that the connection of both the turn signals and the running lights is not working in my favor, and now when I give juice to one tail light, I end up with it going back through the running light wire to the other tail light as well. I don't know what to do about this, as this is the only way I can think to hook up both running lights and turn signals/flashers to the same wire. What should I do here???

 

The tail light you have should be wired with the dark wire (usually brown or black) to tail/park light circuit. The lighter color wire should be turn/stop light, the light gets it's ground through the mount bolt. Hope this helps.