Swapping 1996 4.0 into 1989 cherokee body with original harness and pcm

Bimmerto4x4

New member
Im swapping a 1996 4.0 into my 1989 cherokee. Im still running my 89 harness, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, and pcm. Everything seems to be going good, but Im having a few problems with the wiring since the harness for the new engine was just cut up to save time in pulling it out. Any tips on how everything should be done? And I broke the screws holding on the cap to my distributor, how do I get them out? I haven't started the engine yet. Is there anything I should worry about when I do?
 

You should be reusing most of the sensors from the '89, which ones are you having a problem with?
 
Im having trouble wiring up the starter right now. My email is toddwilliams 501 @hotmail.com (no spaces) Maybe we can chat on msn for faster replies? Im going out of my mind on the third day of the build.
 
Here are 2 wiring diagrams. Both are from a 96 Xj and Zj 4.0.
 

Attachments

  • xj 96 starter wiring.gif
    xj 96 starter wiring.gif
    26.5 KB · Views: 16,190
  • zj 96 starter wiring.gif
    zj 96 starter wiring.gif
    20.8 KB · Views: 5,258

Thanks! This really helps. But in the maze of all the wiring, Im having a hard time deciding which yellow to use, which black, and so on and so forth. Any advice?
 
Trace the yellow wire and see if it goes to the starter relay. If it does, connect this to the starter solenoid start circuit. Black is ground. I'm not sure where thats supposed to go but the ground on the starter is from the same ground as the engine block ground. There should also be a Thick red cable from the battery to the starter motor.
 

Ok, so I got it all to work! 8). Have a partner turn the ignition, with the battery hooked up, as if you were turning on the car, and hold it there. There are maze of wires running from your steering column under your dash. Use any basic *power checker thingy*, Im having a brain fart here, to check each wire. With the ignition in the "run" position, the right wire should have power running through it. Wire that wire into your ignition post on your starter relay. Then run a wire from the solenoid post on the relay to your starter solenoid. Ground the relay from the "g" post to a good unpainted ground. Then wire your battery to the largest post on the relay (Or wire it to your fusebox for safety measures). Then make sure your starter is grounded. If your starter isn't bolted in, then just use jumper cables to ground it. Clip one end to the starter housing, and one end to a good unpainted ground surface. But if your starter is bolted in, it's grounded already through the bolts. But one problem I ran into was my battery kept dying, so I would use a jumper box. The problem with that is for some reason, the low voltage on the box wasn't allowing the starter to disengage when switched from the "run" position to the "on" position. So I had to take the jumper box off and recharge the battery. Thanks to everyone for all the help. This was WAY more of a hassle than it should have been, so thanks to all!:shades:
 
Back
Top