Thetastycat

Hey all - I've got a 95 w/AX15 and 4.0 and I'm wiring in a kill switch, using relays wired NC, for the brake lights and reverse lights for early morning hunting. The brakes were very straightforward but now I'm trying to find a wire, hopefully under the dash, that will disable the reverse lights. Here's a page from the FSM for a 94 - maybe it's the same as my 95?


About halfway down the far right edge of the diagram is L10 18BR LG* FEED TO REAR LIGHTING SYSTEM. That seems like the most logical place to put a relay (as it would hopefully not interrupt anything except the reverse lights) - would anybody have any idea where I could locate that wire?? There are several plugs under the kick panels on both sides, but I had no idea if what I was looking at was anywhere on this diagram.

Sure appreciate the help!!!!!

robsjeep

My 1990 XJ has different wire colors, however on my fuse panel, fuse 4 works the back em up lights, turn signals and rear window defogger. and one of the connectors in my back em up light circuit is in the dash to right of steering column.
However early xj had fuses under dash, late ones had them in the engine bay. I dont know about 1994?
You will need other pages of the 1994 factory manual. it will have an index of what each symbol is, shows the harness locations, and where the connectors in your drawing are physically located. For my 1990 I need to refer to maybe a half dozen pages to trace this circuit, and understand the symbols and all the connector locations.

The 1990 is much to different for me to be of much help, using the 1990 manual. even my wires are different colors than yours.

Perhaps some else has done this or has a 1994 manual?

robsjeep

ps C5 is a bulkhead disconnect.

BlueRidgeMark

PM sent.

Thetastycat

Hey all - a member here very kindly shared the relevant parts of the FSM for a 95 with me. Here's what might be the most relevant page:


On the lower-left, there's the "backup lamp switch", which I think is on the AX15. Seems like somewhere around that switch might be the best place to interrupt the reverse lights. If I'm reading all this correctly, it looks like connectors C153, C146, and C108 might all be good areas to find and interrupt that wire. The FSM says that C153 would be "left rear of radiator closure panel", C146 should be "right side of grille opening", and C108 is "left lender side shield". I was really hoping that I could find something near the dash or kick panels since that's where all the relays and the switch will be, but I'll take what I can get.

People that are good at reading these, what do you think my best option would be for getting to this wire? Maybe even something easy that I'm not seeing?

Sure appreciate it!!

BlueRidgeMark

Might be easier to grab them all in the back, near the lights. The bundle runs along the driver's side down low, and shows up behind the panel behind the spare tire. Pull the spare tire and the panel there, get busy with a test light, and you should find all your wiring. You'll also be inside the vehicle, protected from weather. Plenty of room to mount relays, too. I'd run wires forward along the driver's side to your switches on the dash, or whereever yoiu wnat them.

It's pretty easy to loosen those plastic pieces that cover the side... rails? Not sure what you call them. Pull the spare tire out, pull the back seat out, and you have PLENTY of room to work on running wires forward, mounting relays, whatever you need to do. And it all goes back together easily, too.

If you aren't sure how to hook up some relays, check https://www.the12volt.com for some ideas, or we can bounce it around here. Or both!

Thetastycat

Thanks again, Mark - that makes sense and I've been into that area that you're describing for some other rear lighting. Looking at this page:



It looks like the backup light wires don't split until splice 303, which the FSM says is "near left c-pillar". I'd like to grab that wire before it splits so I don't need to use two different relays - I wonder if S303 is down in that area? Any advice on identifying splices?? Maybe just by the number and color of wires going into and out of them?? In fact, if I can find it back there, I'd be willing to remove (yet again) all the trim pieces along the bottom of the doors in the hopes of tracing it back up through the kick panels - really would be wonderful to be able to find it in there. Looks like I've got some sleuthing to do!

Sure appreciate the help!

BlueRidgeMark

I think so. That's the C pillar, and it has to feed there. The wiring splits there and goes overhead to feed the other side.

Yeah, that and a test light and some tedium! Sorry, no magic!


Fun project.

What are you hunting?

Saudade

Thetastycat

Mark and Saudade, thank you so much - this is exactly what I needed! If I can get through all my other work tomorrow I'll go hunting for a light green wire at splice 303 - and thanks to you all I know exactly where to find it! Will report back.

So I'm going through all this trouble because I've installed infrared cube lights in the front bumper. One of the farms we hunt requires a mile or so drive to get to where we'll park, and whatever we can do not to spook the deer and coyotes is a bonus, so I'll be driving, albeit slowly, with night vision, assisted by the IR cubes. I'm using relays to disable the brake lights and reverse lights when the switch for the IR cubes is turned on, and in a separate thread I'm also working to put a master kill switch for the dome lights on a separate switch. That one is even trickier as the dome lights are always hot - the door jamb switches provide a path to ground, turning them on. I'm trying as hard as I can to figure out from the diagrams where to interrupt the circuit, but it is a HEAD SCRATCHER. Oh well - at least it will be great to have this and the brakes taken care of!

BlueRidgeMark

I want to come on your next hunt, but if you are hunting coyotes, you probably aren't in my neck of the woods.

I responded on your other thread. You're making that one too complicated!

Thetastycat

NEWS UPDATE

So I dug into that lower-C-pillar area and only found one obvious splice - maybe the rest are deep within that main artery of wires! There was a plastic shroud around about an 8" section of that thick bunch of wires right in the middle of where the bottom of the door would be when closed, so I cut the tape securing it and only found one light green wire; unfortunately, cutting it didn't prevent the backup lights from coming on. I looked at the diagram again and discovered my mistake - the wiring I was looking for was BROWN with light green. There were two such wires - one for the left reverse light and one for the right. I got them wired into the relay and it's working perfectly - with the IR cubes off, power runs straight through the relay to the reverse lights, and only when it's on are the reverse lights (and also the brakes via a separate relay) cut off. Can't wait for a field test - the yotes will never see us coming!!

Sure appreciate all the assistance here - you all are fantastic!

BlueRidgeMark

Pics or it didn't happen!

Thetastycat

Fair enough!! Let me get the dash put back together so it doesn't look so totally embarrassing but I will post a vid

Thetastycat

Alright all - sorry for the long delay! Life got complicated but it's finally all up and running and here's a vid of all if it:


Again, can't thank you enough for all the help!