Removed interior panels and wiring harness connections. When using a test light on connectors, should each pin or wire be a hot lead? Also, where is best place to purchase new harness?

 

Thanks for your post.

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I am assuming your license plate light isn't working? Look at the boot in the upper left hand corner of the hatch opening. It is likely that a couple of the wires are frayed or damaged at that point.

To verify if the wire is good, disconnect the plugs at both ends. Set meter to Ohms (the omega symbol), and touch test leads to both sides of the wire - at the body side of the harness and at the light side of the harness. Should read close to zero resistance. While holding the test leads on the wires, jiggle the rubber boot around.

If you find a damaged wire is the issue, you have two choices I know of. Scrapyard - hopefully you can find that harness undamaged in another Cherokee. I wasn't that fortunate. Which leads to choice two - repin the harness to use an unused wire for the wire you need. Jeep only ran one harness, whether the Cherokee has all of the accessories or none of them. My Cherokee is a base model with few features, so there were a lot of extra wires in that harness. I was able to repin the connector on the body side to use a different wire for the license plate light. Then I spliced that same wire in the hatch to route to the license plate light.

 

Thank you so much. Quick? When checking pins with a light and power on I only get power to one or two of the pins in the harness plug. Are they all supposed to be hot? I do not have an ohm meter? I have a 1998 Cherokee sport. Didn't specify that. Sorry

 

One is power and the other ground.

 

You can get a multimeter (has ohm meter built in) free at harbor freight. They have coupons for a free one in most car magazines. Not top quality, but will do what you need.