FINALLY.... After two years of looking, I got one.

[zuke]

I'm going to leave that one to the others to answer, as I've never done a full harness in anything...

That being said, if it were me, I'd rip it all out, and use the kit to redo it completely. The Scout II doesn't have an overly complex electrical system, so I would be happier replacing it all and knowing there weren't any marginal components left... If you do that, I would consider replacing as many of the light sockets and switches as you can with new, possibly even including replacing the gauges in the dash...

But if that would lead to frustration for you, and possibly stalling the project, a different route for you might be better... Hopefully others will weigh in with advice too!

 

[jfulwider]

Thanks. If not I will ask Mike on Friday. He might get tired of me really quick. Lol. I'm such a Scout Noob and I have so much to learn. But I'm having fun though.

 

[Ty M]

I see that you're listed as being in Mechanicsville... Are you? I've just done a complete rewire with the 21 circuit EZ harness and I'm at VCU 5 days a week. I might could lend a hand.

As far as what to do, I'd suggest cutting most everything off the plugs with about 3" of tail so you can butt connect to those wires. You'll also need a butt load of butt connectors. The blue ones in the box of 50 or 100 from Lowes or Advance Auto or wherever should do fine for most things. I'd also get a box of 20 or so yellow ones for when you need 3 wires to go to 1 connector. You'll also want a box or 2 of grommets for where wires will pass through the firewall. Don't tear up any you take out as they may need to be reused.

While you're at Lowes anyway, buy a pair of Vice-Grip wire strippers. They work like pliers, but in one motion they will strip wires of any size beautifully. BIG time saver. I also use a pair of dikes and something ti crimp with.

I'd recommend leaving the dome light stuff in tact as much as possible (ask me how many fuses I blew...). The kit should come with the headlight plugs, dimmer plug, and the steering column plug, so you can just unplug the existing ones, no cutting required.

Did you get the 12 harness or the 21 harness from EZ? Are you gonna reuse the stock gauges? How 'bout the ammeter? What other tidbits are you gonna add into the electrical system (radio, amp/subs, spotlights, ARB pump, CB, etc)? Now'd be a good time to plan for it and maybe think about upgrading the alternator if you plan to have a bunch of goodies.

HTH,
Ty

 

[jfulwider]

Yea I'm in Mechanicsville. Actually in Studley. I bought the 21 circuit. It already has a nice radio and amp and a sub. I would like to use the factory gauges if they work. I like some symbollance of originality. But I have a feeling that they dont work and will probably have to upgrade to a new dash panel with aftermarket gauges. You are more than welcome to stop by most any night. You can reach me at 804-814-8132 (cell). I need all the help I can get.

 

[Ty M]

A couple things to think about.

1. The gauges. The temp, oil pressure, and fuel level work on 5 volts. The rest of your truck works on 12 volts. In order to drop 12 to 5, your truck has a little box mounted to the back of one of the gauge pods (temp/oil pressure, i think) called a constant voltage regulator (CVR). It's a mechanical device and is therefore prone to failure and weird stuff that leads to problems like a full tank of gas registering at 3/4 tank on the gauge. It's not impossible to work around this, tho.

Also in the gauges category is the ammeter. In stock form, power from the alternator goes though a connector in the bulkhead, through the ammeter, back through the bulkhead connector, to a post on the starter, to which the battery is connected via another wire. That's the battery charging system. The EZ harness will come with an optional wire that goes from [BRACE YOURSELF] the alternator to the battery. But it will render the ammeter inoperable. We could also put the ammeter in there with a little less mess involved, if you like.

What I did was take an aftermarket set of gauges and modify the gauge 'pods' to fit everything together (pic attached). That pic was the first time I threw the switch to see if they worked, but before it was all installed so sorry for the bad pic. When it's all put together and settled in, you can only see a little of the white rim of the aftermarket gauge's case. It all screws into the scout dash and behind the cover panel. I have water temp, oil pressure, fuel level, and a voltage meter (as opposed to the ammeter). You could use different gauges so long as they are 2", 90 degree sweep, and work on the same resistance range for the fuel sender. I went for the cheapest I could find.

Stock wiring diagrams can be found in your service manual or here.

2. IMHO, It would be prudent to figure out why your truck isn't working BEFORE you clip every wire out. Could be a component that will break the shiny new harness.

 

[jfulwider]

Yea, that was next on my list. I not 100% positive but i think it is in the ignition switch as it was how you had to start the truck when i bought it. The PO told me the rod that goes from the ignition key to the switch was gone. So you had to use something to stick into the slot and push it down to start it (a real theft deterent). Another reason that I bought it was because I was trying to find a 12 volt source under the hood to hook up my electric choke and every wire I checked was 10 volts. So to me they were wore out and needed to be replaced. But I could be wrong. I wonder if the headlight plugs and other plugs can be found fairly easily. It would be nice not to have to splice wires together and have new plugs for everything. Look forward to meeting you.

 

[Ty M]

Check your PM's.

Sounds like your battery may be shot. Dumb question, but did you ever check the voltage across the battery? With a wonky ignition switch, it'd be easy to leave it in 'accessory' position powering the radio and whatever else until the battery drains to 10 volts.

 

[jfulwider]

Nah its a fairly new red top optima battery. I did check it and have charged it because i did leave it on all the way back up.

 

[jfulwider]

Ok another driveshaft question. I hooked it up the other night and spun it a little, but tonight I got under it and spun it around as fast as I could and it gets to a certain point locks up. Is this normal? It happens when I spin it in both directions. I'm not sure if this is telling me that something is wrong or it is engaged. Thanks for the advice.......

 

[zuke]

If the Trasfercase is in 4 Wheel Drive, or the hubs are locked that would be normal, If neither of those are true, then the shaft is binding, which would indicate a problem with the drive lline angles, which could explain why the shaft was out to begin with. Does it make a full rotation?

 

[jfulwider]

I believe it does make a full rotation I'll have to mark it and try it again.
I did try the 4x4 gear shift out to see if it would shift into 4l and 4h. it went into 4l but not 4h. i havent messed with the hubs.

 

[zuke]

Well, if it can make a full rotation, then it probably isn't binding, double check to make sure both hubs are unlocked, and that the TC is in nuetrak or 2 high, if the shaft still doesn't turn, you might have to take the shaft out to figure out where the problem is...

 

[jfulwider]

It does have a 3 or 4 inch Rough Country lift kit on it. So I guess it could be a little off. I went out and checked it. It almost makes a full rotation. Not quite though. So you'd say it was binding? That raises a lot of possibilities of potential problems.

 

[zuke]

It does have a 3 or 4 inch Rough Country lift kit on it. So I guess it could be a little off. I went out and checked it. It almost makes a full rotation. Not quite though. So you'd say it was binding? That raises a lot of possibilities of potential problems.

It does, but it may not be too bad...

Figure out where it is binding, it might be a simple matter of grinding a little material off the yokes, or even just something stuck in the yokes, when you were cleaning the shaft up before you put it in, did you check to make sure both U-joints moved freely, and the caps all spun fine? You might even be able to solve the issue simply by flipping the driveshaft around so the other end faces the differential instead of the transfer case, (I'm assuming this is just a straight U-joint shaft, as Scout II's came with stock, If it has a cv-joint, don't flip it around!).

If it isn't something that simple though, yes, it could take some work to get it right... Check the stuff above, and if it isn't any of that, we'll start talking about Pinion Angles, and cut and turns, and all manner of fun stuff!

 

[zuke]

Anything new?

 

[jfulwider]

I'll be tackling it tomorrow. Had to run some errands today and got some little things fixed from parts I got from Mike yesterday. Door handles, taillight lens, rear view mirror and cleaned some emblems. I also want to change out the steering colum to the tilt one I got yesterday. Hopefully be ready for Ty on Monday if he is still able to swing by.

 

[jfulwider]

Today was a very productive day. Thanks to Ty, he was awesome. Found the problem with the drive shaft( grease fitting hitting causing it to bind). Got all the wires ripped out. Got the tilt steering column put in an ready for a new steering wheel. Found where I'm mounting the new fuse panel and will be jumping on that tomorrow evening. Thanks again Ty, you are the man.

 

[zuke]

Excellent! Ty is the man, he worked on a Scout up here with me all weekend before coming to help you... I wish I could've made it too, But was tied up with a bunch of stuff I still didn't get accomplished

I'm glad the binding turned out to be minor, and that you are well on your way to getting in the new harness, It will make that Scout so much more reliable when you are done.

 

[jfulwider]

Tonight went kinda slow. I separated all the wires from the harness out of the four looms and zip tied them up. I got 7 that need to come out (not sure how to get them out of the fuse panel). Tomorrow I will mount the fuse panel and drill the hole to run the front harness for the lights and engine. Still have to contemplate how to run them to make them not stand out under the hood. But I'll figure it out. I ordered the new key lock kit from SSS and a new steering wheel that looks like a Ralleye one. Well more tomorrow I hope.

 

[zuke]

I know you and Ty have been doing some plugging away at this, How about an update?