bheath

This is how you would wire up a trailer wiring plug to your XJ for towing purposes.

I found a unopened plug still in its original packaging in the shop; it's amazing what you'll find when you clean up. It was 4 pin and free so why not. I have to imagine the basic idea and principle remains the same with any other trailer plug (5, 6, 7pin). The only thing that would change is the amount of connections that would be made. Here is a link http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...lerLights.html that shows the wiring connections for all the different plugs. Follow only what it shows for Jeep. This write up is for a 4pin style plug.


Tools:

MultiMeter/Test light
Wire strippers/crimpers
Soldering iron and soldering wire (or wire connectors)
Electrical tape or Liquid electrical tape or both
Screwdrivers
Pliers
Assorted socket set with matching ratchet or whatever you need
to remove the bumper.
Zip-ties
Extra wire (I needed 18g)


Time: 30mins-1hour Depending on skill level. Took me 3hours due to lunch, feeding the horse(my great dane), cat, moving a deer stand and welding on a bush-hog during the process. Anyways...

Skill: If you are not color blind and can operate hand tools, you can do this... If you are color blind, find a non-color blind friend that will help.



Start by cleaning all the crap out from the back of your jeep (cargo area).
Use screwdrivers or drill (because I'm lazy and I have one) and remove the trim from the center of the cargo area where the hatch latch is and also from the drivers side under the cargo window. It's a few screws for me considering the spare tire and mount is long gone.

Depending on where/how you want to run your wires, you may want to remove the tail light and the bumper and end caps. That's totally up to you.

Locate this bundle of wires that runs along the wheel well behind where the plastic panel was.



Locate a bundle of connections/plugs just above where the filler neck enters the body.

us the pliers to remove the plastic mount for the connections then disconnect the connections/plugs and pull out the bundle of wires for easier access.



Remove all tape and clips on wires to expose them.

Locate a solid blue, solid brown, and a grey with black stripe set of wires from the bundle that you previously uncovered.




!!! YOU NEED TO MEASURE THE DISTANCE FROM WHERE THE SPLICES IN THE JEEP WIRING WILL BE LOCATED, DOWN THE ROUTE YOU WANT TO RUN YOUR WIRES TO THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR JEEP TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH WIRE ON THE TRAILER PLUG. IF NOT, YOU'LL NEED TO EXTEND THE WIRES ON THE PLUG USING THE SAME GAUGE WIRE (I believe mine was 18g) SO THAT YOU HAVE PLENTY OF WIRE LEFT OVER.

You can always bundle the excess up and hide it easier than you can add more wire.

Run the plug wires however you want them starting from the back by the hitch and ending up in the same compartment where you will be making your connections.

I'm not 100% sure these colors are accurate. This is what I found online in a diagram and it stated that these colors were for all Jeeps. I find that hard to believe so take your multimeter or test light and double check so you can't blame me!

Jeep Wiring:

Brown----------------------------Right Turn/Brake Lights
Grey w/ Black Stripe------------Left Turn/Brake Lights
Blue------------------------------Tail Lights


Plug Wiring:

Green----------------------------Right Turn
Yellow---------------------------Left Turn
Brown---------------------------Tail Lights
White----------------------------Ground

So naturally:

Jeep Brown-----------------------Trailer Green-------------Jeep Brown
Jeep Grey w/ Black Stripe-------Trailer Yellow-------------Jeep Grey w/ Black Stripe
Jeep Blue-------------------------Trailer Brown-------------Jeep Blue



Now make your connections. I cut the wires on the jeep end, soldered, covered with Liquid Electrical Tape then wrapped in regular electrical tape because I'm a sucker for overkill. You can do the same or use butt connectors or 3 ways or whatever.

However you connect the trailer wires, remember, you are splicing in to the jeeps wires only, you are not redirecting the current to just the trailer plug, you need to continue the current along the original path to the tail lights.


If you want to run the white wire from the plug to the ground just above the spliced wires in the compartment then you can but I just used a self tapping screw and a round hole connector and attached the white wire to the back crossmember above the hitch.

If you have a trailer handy, now's the time to test the connection. Make sure each light and signal are operating correctly. Or check with your test light/multimeter. Don't forget to check the jeeps tail lights for proper function.

Now wrap the bundle of wires up that you previously uncovered with electrical tape or whatever you want, and put back in the compartment. Pull excess trailer wiring up and zip-tie it in a bundle and put in the same compartment. Reconnect all the plugs and remount the plug board/plastic plug holder thing... I used self tappers to reattach the plastic to the body due to I broke the christmas tree clips when removing it.

Replace all the trim you removed and the tail lights and bumper if you removed them and tidy everything up.

Now if you want the plug hanging down all the time then that's your choice but I wanted to keep it out of harms way as I've landed on my receiver once or twice in the rocks, so I bent a small bungee cord end around the bundle of wires so It wouldn't slip but It wouldn't cut the wires either, and then I strategically placed the other end so the cord was barely snug and the plug was pulled up above the bottom of the hitch under the bumper.

Pull on the plug and the bungee stretches to allow you to connect it.





You're done. Stand back and admire your work.



If anyone has any issues, feel free to PM me with questions/comments/concerns/insults/whatever.