Hey all - I'm trying to wire up a cutoff switch so I can disable my dome lights when hunting. I've found several writeups but none of them seem to be correct for my 95. I have learned that when the door plungers get opened, they allow a path to ground for the dome lights, so finding a way to disable that path to ground is the best way to do this so that turning the headlight **** still functions normally.

Here's what I think is the relevant page from the 95 FSM:


BTW I only have door plungers on the front two doors.

So even knowing pretty much what I'm looking for, I'm still confused - I'd really rather interrupt the circuit with a relay and switch in just one place instead of needing two relays, but if I'm reading this correctly, it seems like the grounds from the right and left jamb switches don't come together until S205, right in the middle of the diagram; and S205 has a LOT GOING ON. Looks like it's got 12 different grounds coming together right there. AND that's after the right jamb switch has come through another splice, S214.

So basically I don't understand from looking at this diagram how this circuit works. And, maybe I'm absolutely barking up the wrong tree - maybe I need to interrupt the ground somewhere totally different!

This writeup https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/dom...177730/index2/ was successful in locating just one wire that would disable the ground path for the door switches - any chance this could somehow be a usable option for my 95? Believe this one was on a 97.

Put simply, my question is where can I interrupt the ground circuit that will prevent both right and left front door jambs from completing the ground, and thus powering the dome lights?

Sure appreciate the help, all!

 

LIke wqith your other project, the easy way is to go close to the light you want to control. If you don't mind offending the purists among us. grab a roll of 18 or 16 gauge speaker wire and fish it down from the dome light. You can use a section of electrical fish tape (more later) to snake from the dome light opening to the driver's side pillar, then attach your speaker wire to it and pull it through.

Once you have the end through to the kick panel area, run it to wherever you want the switch. Connect each wire to a switch terminal (no relay required here). On the upper end, cut the ground wire as it comes out of the dome light. Splice each cut end to one of the speaker wires. It won't matter which one goes where.

Now the ground flows from the light, down to your switch, back up again, and out to the door jamb switches. Turn your switch off and the ground path is interrupted. Done.

Now as to the fish tape: Here's what I used to do when I installed cell phones and business radio equipment for a living.

Buy a standard steel electrical fish tape. Cut off about an 8 foot section. Heat the end red hot and bend it around into a tight loop. Braze it shut and file smooth, so there's nothing to catch on any thing if you have to pull it backwards. Trust me, you don't want an open loop catching a wire or maybe a sheet metal edge and getting permanently bonded to the vehicle. (Don't ask me how I know about that.) Repeat for the other end.

You can now push this thing lots of places in a vehicle, find where it comes out, and pull it through. Down pillars, under carpet, over headliners, just about anywhere. Disconnect the battery ground cable first! This thing might poke into places you don't want a grounded piece of steel to be poking. Better safe than sorry.

With the loop on the other end, you can loop your wire through it, tape it down with some electrical tape, and pull your wire through places where you could never get it otherwise.

Having a few different sized sections is very handy. An 18 incher is really nice.

 

Well that fish tape is an EXCELLENT idea - I've had to make my own with a coat hanger, some thin wire, and tape before, and you can imagine how that went. I'm going to have to file that one away for sure.

Good idea with just going directly to the light - only thing is there's two :/ I could use two relays to control both the dome and cargo light, but I can't help but think if I could just figure out where to interrupt that ground circuit somewhere down below my life could be a lot easier. I keep staring at that wiring diagram but I can't come up with anything workable yet...

 

Front and rear? I'm going to bet that one runs to the other, and there you have the common point you need. Pull them down and I'll bet you can confirm that.

 

This reminds me of something that I have been wanting to design for years.
Something to let you keep the doors open but not have the lights stay on.
For me just for when working on the Jeep.
Figure it would be easy enough and with a 3D printer easy to make.
So imagine a "U" with a short throat and little clips at each part on the open
end of the "U" so it could clip on the locking nut that holds in the little plunger for the lights.
But a switch would be so much easier. LOL.

 

Not a bad design, Ralph - I think I've seen something similar on the market for Wranglers.

Well gents - I'm slightly proud of myself. Had a lot of good ideas thrown around here, but I just couldn't shake that dealing with wiring under the kick panels ought to be easier than some other places.

So - I spend a few days staring at all the parts of the FSM and learning, gradually, what all the symbols in the wiring diagrams mean. Miraculously, I was able to find what I was looking for. The always-on power for the dome light goes through C218, which is a small red connector behind the passenger kick panel. Power for the cargo light goes through C204, which is a large, light-gray connector up high behind the driver's kick panel. There were some inconsistencies with the colors of the connectors in the FSM, but then I discovered there are pinouts, including wire colors and circuits, listed for each connector. So word of warning, on that C204 behind the driver's kick panel, there are two pink wires, slightly different shades, that go into the SAME SLOT. One is 18g and one is 20g, I had to look REALLY closely to see which one was smaller, but it was the ticket.

Anyway, I wired them through relays using 87a, so that when the relays are unpowered, current goes right through it to the dome lights so they function as usual. Only when the toggle switch is turned on, and the relays powered, is the circuit interrupted. Absolutely works like a dream!

Sure appreciate all the good help here!

 

Kudos!

And thanks for letting us in on the secret!