1996 XJ - Want To Add Power Mirrors

[seanof30306@yahoo.]

I see a bunch of listings on ebay for new breakaway power mirrors for my XJ for around a hundred bucks for both. Has anyone tried them?

A few other questions on retrofitting power mirrors:

1) Is the wiring there already, or will they have to be wired?

2) if they do have to be wired, is there a source for the harness(es)?

3) Where does the switch mount?

 

[Dragonlich1961]

I'm not sure on the wiring. I think the car side is there with the exception of the switch portion. You will need the jumper harness from the door to the kick panels. And from the dash to the switch.
Source of wiring would be a junkyard.
The switch mounts on the full center console above the ebrake. My experience is on a 94. Jeep as at least apart in that everything is prewired. Just plug in the jumpers.

 

[Anak]

Just a bit of clarification on the location of the switch: It is on the console to the driver's side of the e-brake slot in the upper part of the console. If you remove the black insert (from ash tray to storage bin/armrest) you will see an opening in the remaining/base/lower half of console. I am going to guesstimate it as about 2" square. That is where the factory controls would have been mounted. You would need to add a hole in your insert to match the switch assembly. A few carefully drilled holes and some time with a file should do the job.

FWIW, in my '96 Sport there is no wiring harness in place in the console (at least nothing unused--there is a light for the T-case lever). I don't know about the doors or dash.

I have thought about trying to add '97+ mirrors, and what I have found in the JY has all been electric. Trying to add electric has crossed my mind, but Murphy says the two systems would probably not speak to each other.

 

[Dragonlich1961]

I believe the mirror switch jumper plugs in next to the floor vent box by the drivers right foot. Not positive but that plug location makes sense.

 

[TRCM]

I just did this on my 96, but haven't wired them up yet. Been driving the Ram, so wasn't a high priority.

I added 97+ power & heated mirrors....and they were even cheaper by a good bit than the manual remote ones I had.

The power is in the door if you have power windows/locks, but it is a different connector. I am going to use a mustang switch and mount it in the center console once I get the diagrams to figure out the wiring.

I had to file the mirror base and tap the trim back to get them to sit flush. Crappy parts made overseas is my guess. Had I not done this, I'd have had 1 heck of a water & air leak (> 1/8").

You will also have to massage the door frame to get the connector down past the mirror and into the door.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I did this upgrade on my '92 a number of years ago.

I found that my truck wasn't pre-wired for it, so I built my own harness using the wiring schematics from my FSM and connectors I got from someone parting out an XJ going to the JY, it wasn't difficult. I also bought an OEM switch and put it in the stock location. I got power from somewhere near the fuse panel (not in the doors), but exactly where escapes me presently. Whole thing looks factory-installed since I even hit up a JY for the little flat panels to replace where my "joysticks" once were.

The worst part of the job was getting the harness laid under the carpet, but at the time I had that out to deal with a leaky cowl, which made it a lot easier.

Anak - I can't think of any reason why the 97+ mirrors wouldn't work for you. There's no fancy computer circuitry involved - just two motors (one for up-down, one for left-right) to actuate the glass, and a switch that allows each motor to be sent 12V in one of two polarities. if your truck is already set up with wiring, I'd guess the worst part electrically would be changing the connectors on the new mirrors to match them up with the older harness in the vehicle. JY connectors, wiring diagrams, and a few splice connectors are really all you need for that.

TRCM's already covered fitting the mirrors to the doors, but there are other writeups around here from the past that you might find interesting, have a search around and I'm sure you'll turn up a couple...

 

[seanof30306@yahoo.]

OK, here's another idea.

My Jeep got sideswiped a few years back. Both passenger doors were pretty banged up. They work, but they look like crap. The guy at the body shop said he could fix them, but it would take a lot of time, and it would be simpler to just find good used doors.

I just ran across a 2000 a guy is parting out that is black, just like mine. He's asking 50 bucks a door, but he said if I buy all 4, he'll take 150. I'm thinking I could swap all 4 of those doors onto my Jeep, and still have my 2 good passenger doors to sell and get some of that 150 back.

Not only that, but these doors already have power mirrors, so I'd save the expense of buying power mirrors for my Jeep.

a) are they a direct bolt on.

and

b) how complicated would wiring 2000 doors on a 96 be?

 

[Dragonlich1961]

The doors will bolt on but the striker (latch)is entirely wrong. Either mod the door to the old latch or the car to the new latch. Possible but not just unbolt-bolt and go.

 

[Anak]

Somewhere around here is a good write-up on changing the striker (body side) to the newer style. It did not appear to be all that complicated a project.