Matt_the_Butcher

First time posting a fix. I have a 97 XJ SE 2wd. I've been on here & trolling a bunch of other Jeep forums trying to fix my a/c. I performed all the checks for vacuum I could find and think of. Everything I tried still left me with all functions blowing through the defrost vents. I did notice there's a slight hissing sound from the dash too







. I figured I'd try replacing the climate control panel before ripping deeper into the dash but all my parts searches say 96 and older or 98-01. No love for the 97?!

I recently bought a 00 XJ 4x4 Sport rotten with rust & had suffered the 0331 curse but also had a botched engine swap for parts really cheap. Possibly a 4x4 conversion later on. Anyway, I pulled the climate control panel from the 00 & noticed they're exactly the same EXCEPT the temp selector. The 97 is cable & gear driven and the 98-01 is electric. I imagine y'all know how to get to the control and get it out and all that jazz.

So, on the 97, I disconnected the vacuum harness from the glove box , unhooked the wiring harness from the fan speed selector and took the temp selector **** off, unscrewed the back and let it hang on its cable

The 00's temp selector came off easily and the gear drive pops right out. The selector on the 97 pops right in and there's extra points for either drive type to screw to. The fan selector plugs right up too. I used a string to help fish the vacuum harness back around to connector behind the glove box, plugged it up and fixed! All of the blower options work. Both of the vacuum harnesses are female. That connector piece also works for all 97-00's and vacuum tube colors are the same.

I'm learning that almost everything that for a 98-01 will work on a 97 if you "dumb it down" a little. Hope this helps!

JTE Brett

dave1123

Yeah, 99-01 uses a stepper motor to control the blend door. That's when it tends to shear off the door shaft.

Matt_the_Butcher

Thank you. Oh wow, I didn't know that applied to 98 as well.