hey guys,
i have a 97XJ, anyone know where i can get a new rubber boot that surrounds the rear hatch wiring and seals the hole that they run through? i'm looking but not finding much info. thanks guys

can you make one?

possibly, just need to make sure it seals good at the bottom of the hole so it doesn't leak into the rear cargo area.

thought i'd try here first in case anyone knew of where to find one or had a parts jeep with one lying around.

I'm going to be fixing some broken wires in this area. anyone know what gauge wire i should use?

hey guys, any help/tips with this? the rain has become my enemy, haha.

16 or 18 should be fine. Except the two wires to the defroster. I used 12 there but I think the factory stuff may have been 14.

thanks waynerd! any thoughts on the rubber boot? that’s where water is coming in

Pretty sure they are no longer available. Just need to check junkyards/scrapyards or whatever they're called in your area.

I would go to a electronic store and get some hi flex wire or you mite be doing it again in a short time .

You are going to need to hit up a junkyard for the rubber boot, but there are always XJ's in the junkyards so it should be an easy part to find.

thanks guys, visited the junkyard today and didn't have any luck. they only had 2 XJs, one with no boot and one with a rotted one. anyone know of any work arounds? CPPTUNA mentioned making one, anyone ever done that? if so, what'd you use?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/1-2-Inch-...&wl13=&veh=sem
something like this should work... Not 100' tho lol

Don't forget to check part outs on this forum and other Jeep forums. Also on Craigslist for partouts.

And if it's convenient for you to get some more flexible wire then by all means go ahead. When I did it I had to do it now so I couldn't wait for any to be shipped and I live in a small town at least 20-50 miles from anywhere that would sell better wire. Also I'm very limited on my time I have to do things like that. It's been a bit over a year and still all good.

This same problem vexed me after acquiring my XJ this fall. Everything I found at the "auto recyclers" was the same.

I pulled mine (left side of the hatch looking into the cargo area) and after a lot of squinting made out the following part number:

56009766AB

https://www.factorychryslerparts.com/products/GROMMET-Body-Wiring-Liftgate-to-Body/4425670/56009766AB.html

Of course not shown on the diagram properly... but helpful in that we see the part was used on the 2004 Liberty and 2013 Grand Cherokee. Opens up the aperature in the junkyard hunt.

Check out the sweet project cars channel on YouTube. He did a repair tacking a similar boot shut with locktite gel super glue. Then went over it with black silicone. I'm giving it a try.

The repair I plan to reinstall tomorrow so not sure how it will hold up. It will be better than before though.