Ibanezz

I am looking to install some aftermarker LED strips to my foot wells. I would like them to function just like the overhead light does. Turn on when the door is open, or when the headlight **** is turned all the way. So I imagine just tapping into the dome light wiring would be the easiest way to accomplish this. but does anyone know where the path of that wiring is before going up into the head liner? Or is there another way to have them turn on when the door is open and/or the lights are turned on manually.

This is a 95 cherokee sport with pretty much no options. I have been doing tons and tons of research and googling, as I am in the process of converting the whole interior to LED, but havent been able to find much information pertaining directly to this.. Most posts say people have courtesy lights in the footwells from the factory...

While I am on the subject I guess, and to save from making a second post. I am putting white LEDs into the dome lights. both the front dome and the dome in the hatch are the "loop/hoop? style festoon bulbs". All the ones I've seen for purchasing are just like 2 rows of SMD diodes. I have seen a lot of people do much much bigger boards of LEDs, and I imagine they are just soldered in manually, but cant seem to find the right size I need that would fit best and give the best light output.

any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Pelican

I don't know about the '95 but my '93 with minimal options came with the wiring for the foot well lights (along with wiring harness for almost all other options that it did not come with).

Hopefully someone will chime in to confirm what the '95 has the wiring but you can check by feeling/looking up behind the lower dash panel. Feel for the connectors on both sides. They are not real easy to spot or feel in amongst the other wiring.

For those wanting to install standard bulbs, the sockets I had for the bulbs were from my '85 and did not match the connectors on the '93. No problem of course to just cut the connectors off and add compatible connectors or wire directly. The OP is adding LEDs so this will be his route in the first place.

Ibanezz

Thank you pelican. While disassembling my whole dash today to get a bulb count and doing other things (converted my 12v accessory/cigarette lighter to be powered all the time) I stumbled on lots and lots of unused connectors. Do you know what colored wires and what the connector looks like?

Pelican

Easy to check--I'll do it tomorrow.

Ibanezz

Great, I look forward to it

cruiser54

Grab a test light or meter, hook it up to the harnesses that have 2 wires and push on the door switches..............

Ibanezz

Great idea. I popped the cover off the dome light last night and I wanna say it was orange and white wires. So I imagine it's the same throughout. But I'm at work and will double check later. Just ordered 16 feet of white led strips for 9.99 on eBay so I'll have plenty to tinker with.

Pelican

Did I say "easy"? I've been around long enough to know never to make that statement offhand!

In any event, I have the foot-well lights hooked up to a red (or pink) and yellow pair. I hadn't read your post about the orange/white at the time I was out but I don't believe I saw those colors.

Good luck with your project.

vulcan1701

The dome lights work with constant 12V and when the switch opens for the doors, it is grounded. On my 96 XJ, the ground for the dome lights is yellow. On the 90 Laredo overhead console I am installing, it is black with a white stripe.

Just give the lights a positive source and tap into this circuit. It can be accessed by tapping into the dome lights themselves, the security ball plug, or at a plug on the passenger side dash. In older XJs it is a small black plug with three wires: pink, black and black with white stripe. Up to 96 XJ it is a red connector with, if I recall, red+, black- and yellow (dome light ground).

rmoore1031

I was lucky enough to have stock foot well lights so I cut the old one and put in some LED strips from Walmart.

Ibanezz

Thanks for all the input fellas. The wiring at the dome is orange and white. and the wiring for the hatch light is one orange and two white wires... Whatever that means...

Looking under the kick panel I really didn't find anything helpful specific. There's at least 5-7 unused connectors and nothing seemed like like it was relative. The passenger side didn't have anything unused. and there were definitely no factory wiring for footwell lights. I'm going to just try and tap into the wires going into the open door sensor itself. it is black and yellow (at least on the passenger side). So i assume black is the ground.. I'll wire it up and see how it goes. My LEDs will be here hopefully before the weekend. I purchased a roll of 16' worth of led strips. So if it's not bright enough I'll double it up or more.