I wanted to upgrade my engine's wiring harness to the new one available from BJ's Off-road, but it won't work with my year FSJ. The problem is that the various engine connectors changed so much during the late 80's as a result of AMC's penchant for using parts from a variety of different manufacturers from year to year (Ford distributors and carbs, GM ignition modules, etc.) and Chrysler's purchase of Jeep from AMC. My next best option was a used wiring harness that I could recondition before pulling my own, which is the route I went.
Zach at Z&M Jeeps in Ohio sent me a used wiring harness he pulled from an '88 GW. I was able to look it over on my dining room table and fix any cracked wires, clean the connectors, re-grease all metal prongs with dielectric, and wrap it in braided sleeving from Painless Performance. Here's what I started with:
It had plenty of old electrical tape and grime on it, but it was largely free of cracks. The few I found, I repaired with a double-ended crimp connector (don't know the technical name) and then wrapped 'em in fresh tape. Where needed to help hold a cluster of wires together at a branch off the main harness, I used some additional electrical tape. I then went nuts with Painless's Powerbraid and zip-ties. Yes, it's overdone, but I wanted it clean, tight, and manageable, all of which it now is. Nothing gets tangled, and I have confidence that it will flow juice where it needs to go on a consistent basis.
Overall, I was quite pleased with what I received from Z&M and with the clean up job I did. While I could have simply pulled mine and refreshed it, I wasn't inspired to trust it due to some wiring gremlins I'd had in the past and the nest of wires (mentioned and photographed in earlier posts) between the alternator and the passenger side fender. I'll keep my old one as a hopefully unneeded backup.
