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adding options in a 97 xj...

C

camarorss350

NAXJA Forum User
Location
central, nj
i have a 2 door 97 xj that had basically no options besides power mirrors. so im in the process of adding some. I changed the head liner to one with speakers and the better dome lights, but inside the dome light was this circut board (i have no idea what it controls) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/icemanrs305/IMG_02611.jpg and there was no harness for it. and the dome light in the center that is supposed to come on with the doors goes off when u open the door adn then you shut it and its on?!?! lol. i also changed my tachless cluster to the tach cluster with all the gauges instead of lights, but the door/trunk ajar light is on all the time?!?. any one have any answers?

also, what doors are interchangable on xj's? i would like to find a pair of power doors, i hate having manual windows. do four door xj's interchange with 2 doors? are the harness's already set-up on non-power door xjs for the windows/locks? (basically, are they easy to swap?)
 
1.) Your link doesn't work. It may be a reciever piece for the keyless entry option. Check the link to your picture.

2.) Youre car probably isin't wired right to use the door ajar light if it diddn't have that in the first place. The solution is to remove its bulb. I did the tach swap on another year xj and liked it very much. I tightened, cleaned connections and removed the certain bulbs (like FULL time 4wd since I have a part time t-case) and the upshift light.

I don't believe the 2 door xjs have the same size doors as the other more common ones. You may find "junkyard gold" anyway if you look... I don't know about the wiring differences, I dislike power windows. I suspect you will be able to make it work but may need to get it rekeyed.

Hmmm... what else is there to do...
 
camarorss350 said:
how is it too much work? and how would i save money if i can get a set of doors for cheap?
Click to expand...
I have a 97SE which I bought to replace a rolled 98 Sport. The SE had only power mirrors just like your and I figured that since I have a donor vehicle with all the goodies (power locks, windows, keyless entry, rear defrost) I can swap everything easily. Well, I was able to swap everything in, but in the process I had to swap the main internal wire harness (the big H that goes from the the drivers side A pillar to the back, across under the bench and from the passenger A pillar to the back) which proved to be major PITA.

Theoretically you could do the swap without doing the main harness swap but then you'll have to try and figure out how to wire up all the power and controlls to the doors, which while possible would probably prove to me more of a PITA then it's worth it.
 
On the door/trunk light issue, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that there may actually be a difference between the 2 and 4-door gauge sensors. In other words, the cluster is reading a false circuit (or similar techie term) from those two invisible doors.
I would agree w/the previous fella: go through the cluster and remove the bulb. I have to do something similar on my 97 w/ a new cluster. One of my bulbs goes on and off. Of course, it's the one by the GAS GAUGE!
I also agree w/the assessment of two much work for PW/PD locks. It is a MAJOR PAIN-o, and tough to justify. I also considered it as well, but decided to spend my time tracking down the 30 other crappy little Chrysler cheap-ass foibles instead. Either HVAC/ fuel pressure reg/ spring sag/ endless cooling issues, etc. Too much stuff that breaks for no real reason to justify replacing something that works.
My Jeep is turning me into a huge pessimist.
 
My wifes 4dr 97 XJ had no power options other than mirrors. I got everything needed for the conversion for $80 at the boneyard; wiring and door panels too. It took a weekend to convert everything.
Now we have power windows and locks, keyless entry (hatch too), headlight delay, rear door pin switches, overhead console and Limited door panels with map pockets built in.
In my opinion, it was well worth the money and the time invested to do the conversion. Finding the required parts you need for a 2dr conversion might be a bit difficult though.

As for your problem with the gauge cluster light(s), it sounds like you got a cluster from a 99-01 which are different than the 97-98. The 97-98 cluster doesn't have the rear hatch light on it and a few other warning lights are in different locations. The easiest (proper) way to cure this would be to get the correct cluster for your year of Jeep.
 
JEEPZZ said:
As for your problem with the gauge cluster light(s), it sounds like you got a cluster from a 99-01 which are different than the 97-98. The 97-98 cluster doesn't have the rear hatch light on it and a few other warning lights are in different locations. The easiest (proper) way to cure this would be to get the correct cluster for your year of Jeep.
Click to expand...
Actually 97 and 98 have hatch lights but they are wired differently.
 
camarorss350 said:
how is it too much work? and how would i save money if i can get a set of doors for cheap?
Click to expand...
I think Kejtar summed it up nicely of course it's totally up to you...I wish you well
 
thanks for your help guys, and the cluster was from a 98... soo lol i dont know why it has the light and stuff.. but my shift light works and everything.... any one have any idea why my airbag light keeps randomly going on and off??
 
Kejtar said:
Actually 97 and 98 have hatch lights but they are wired differently.
Click to expand...
Both of my 97's DO NOT have a hatch ajar warning indicator on the instrument cluster. I do not recall ever seeing a 97-98 that did have the dash indicator unless it was a late 98 model that the factory had already switched over to the newer 99+ cluster. (Please correct me if I'm wrong so I do not give out the wrong info but does anyone have a 97 with a hatch warning light on their cluster???) These late 98 and 99+ XJ's are wired differently than the 97-98 models. Putting a early cluster in a late XJ will create the same problem with having the warning lights in the wrong positions. I believe that this is the same problem you are having Camarorss350. You have the late cluster in an early XJ.
I just so happen to have a picture of a 99+ cluster that I plugged into my 97. Notice that the hatch light stays on in addition to the low washer light even though I was not low on washer fluid at the time.

52_1_b.JPG
 
JEEPZZ said:
Both of my 97's DO NOT have a hatch ajar warning indicator on the instrument cluster. I do not recall ever seeing a 97-98 that did have the dash indicator unless it was a late 98 model that the factory had already switched over to the newer 99+ cluster. (Please correct me if I'm wrong so I do not give out the wrong info but does anyone have a 97 with a hatch warning light on their cluster???)
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure that the idiot light cluster I pulled out of my 97 had hatch ajar warning light.
 
As far the the airbag light..
I bought my 99 used about a year ago. A couple months afterwards the airbag light would sometimes stay on and the turn signals would not flash. It seemed to solve itself, so I didn't worry about it anymore. While going back to the dealer for a free oil change ( I only went because it was free, and it was cold outside at that time of the year), I mentioned it to the service attendant. He had worked at the jeep/dodge service section of the dealer prior to transfering to to used car section. He siad he had heard of that before on some model years, but wasn't sure which years. Sometimes some wires would short out in the dash, sometimes temporarily, sometimes longer. According to him it only affected the indicator lights, not the actual functioning of the airbag. If I didn't continue to have a problem, then don't worry about it. I don't know if this could be related to your problem or not. I am only going on his word. I took my dash apart only once since i owned it, and could see no visble shorts or places where they would. So ...?
 
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