'96 up Auto trans gear control: Montana Fab

I documented my installation in my build thread, but here's a pic of where I chose to mount my control knob:



The installation was almost entirely plug-and-play, as I used a T-tap to connect the switch to the interior lighting circuit.

The price on these switches has gone up to $180, which is a bit pricey. Montanafab’s online order form has a field to enter a discount code, but I haven’t been able to find one. Does anyone happen to know if any discount code is available?

I just received my override unit in the mail, and am looking forward to installing it on Wednesday.

Having read through this old thread, it’s pretty apparent the device has evolved quite a bit over time. It no longer requires the mounting of resistors (as referenced in post #1), and it’s no longer mostly plug-n-play (as referenced in posts #58 and 61.) Seven small gauge wires will have to be spliced, including six splices right near the TCU. The device does not come with any butt splices, and I don’t have any on hand that are small enough, so I’ll have to pick some up. (Normally I’d just solder the splices without giving it a second thought, but given the location where the work needs to be done, I’m thinking I should opt for the easier approach, even though I’ve removed the driver’s seat in anticipation of needing to work under the dash for this installation. I’m not one of those slim and limber guys.)

The template for mounting the switch is still mis-sized, as noted in Post #1. (See the image below.) But no big deal. The switch plate itself will serve just fine as a template for all holes except the holes needed for the leds, and those I can manage.

I plan to install the unit in the exact location shown by the image in post #44. Having looked at various options, I like the idea of having it within easy reach and unobstructed by the steering wheel or shift lever.

Here’s the image of the template, which I think is actually a little bit funny:

I've run the Montana Fab controller for over 10yrs and been very happy with it. Mine is also mounted in the blank bezel area to the Right of the trans shifter.

Yeah, when I talked to them last year, they said the plastic connector plugs were stopped being manufactured which allowed the plug and play method. It moved to needing to be spliced in.

Ahhh. That explains it.

Yeah. They were 040/070 multilock connectors from Tyco Electronics. I bought a tube of them several years ago but never used them... They have since been discontinued. I really hate it when they do that, it makes working on stuff like this for older cars rather difficult.

Nimrod said:

Ahhh. That explains it.

Click to expand...

Too bad about the splicing, mine has the plugs. it's an old unit.
I wish I had been smart enough to install on the center console instead of on the dash, in the specified position, it's awkward to engage.
That said, it's worth the effort to keep the trans in the wanted gear.

I mounted the override switch module onto the center console yesterday, but haven’t totally finished the install. I realized in the process that the supplied wire is just barely long enough to reach between the TCU and the switch module, but not long enough to allow the console to be removed in the future without disconnecting the wire at the module first. And disconnecting the wire at the module would require loosening the console, sliding a hand underneath, and then delicately disconnecting a fairly dainty connector entirely by feel. Knowing myself, I’d either forget how short the wire is and break something by yanking on the console the next time I need to pull it out, or I’d spend an hour trying blindly to disconnect the wires from the module without breaking anything and cursing myself all the while for installing it like that. So, planning for the future, I’ve decided to run the supplied wire from the module to a plug-type connector that I can reach through the opening for the console storage tray, and then run another length of wire from the plug-type connector to the TCU. In other words, I’m going to use an extension cord. Needless to say, that’ll require supplies that I don’t have readily at hand. So this simple project has become more time-consuming than I anticipated, just like pretty much every other Jeep project I’ve ever worked on. (I don’t know why I enjoy doing this stuff. Is something wrong with me?)

The shortness of the wire wouldn’t be an issue at all if the override unit still plugged into the TCU without having to be permanently spliced, or if I had decided to install it on the shifter bezel instead of near the e-brake lever, but them’s the breaks. I’m not bitching, just providing information to anyone who does this install in the future.

I finally had a free day to finish this project and I have to say that splicing the wires to the TCU harness under the dash is a HUGE PITA! It’s not that spicing wires is complicated, obviously, but even with the driver’s seat removed there just isn’t much room to work down there, and the harness that plugs into the TCU doesn’t have any slack in it to speak of, even when the plug is pulled from the TCU. For me, lying on my back, it was hard just getting two hands up into the workspace. And just as challenging, for me, was that despite trying reading glasses (“cheaters”) of three different strength, I was never able to get the work fully into focus because my head was just too close to it. (Go ahead and laugh, youngsters, but you’ll suffer the same fate some day.) Removing the plastic and steel panels under the steering wheel helped a little because I was able to squeeze one hand through a small gap that removing the panels created, so that’s definitely worth doing if you are going to try this installation. I also recruited my GF to do some of the work, and that helped because she had a much easier time working in the small space than I had. If I was smarter, and not so much of a control freak, I would have just asked her to do the whole thing. My bottom line advice, if you are thinking of doing this installation, is to hire a very tiny electrician.

Here’s the GF, hard at work.