Mopar Auxillary / Aux Switch Install Debrief / Helpful Hints

[Steel24]

Hey All

I know there are a few threads on the various issues faced with the Mopar Auxiliary (Aux) Switch install, but I felt it might help to summarize what I (and many of you all) learned in the install process.

Before reading the below, I will say to anyone thinking about this that you can get through this install, it just takes time, patience, and attention to detail with wiring.

The following are some tips and tricks I picked up along the way for anyone considering the install or doing it.

1. Be prepared for a long install. I would dedicate at least a solid half day to this if not the entire day. Especially if you are going to take breaks. The install videos don't really give justice to how long this takes.
2. Make sure you have a little portable led light or something like it because the areas you will be working at in in your JL/U are cramped, and there is no lighting. Also, have an interior trim removal tool (they are cheap and can be bought off of amazon or at your local auto parts store)
3. Watch these videos before the install: Mopar Auxiliary Switch Install with Z Auto Tazer for Jeep Wrangler JL and Jeep Wrangler JL Gains More Accessory Options with a Mopar Auxiliary Switch System Install
4. The mopar instructions that come with the switch kit are awful. Be prepared for that.
5. The most difficult part is getting the wire harness through to the interior. Basically, they have you reach into this very tight area in the inner front passenger wheel well area and stick it through. There is a plastic barrier that is very thick you have to get through. The mopar instructions tell you to kind of slide it around the barrier which requires a ton of force. It is next to impossible to get it through this way. and I broke a pin off of a wire form the aux wiring harness trying it this way. Here's an alternative:
   1. Like in the videos I linked to, wrap the entire harness tight in electrical tape to make it as skinny as you can get
   2. Get a metal coat hanger or something of similar material and thickness and tape it tightly to the wrapped harness. (I used the metal piece from a Macy's suit coat hangar than was thicker than your normal flimsy wire coat hangar)
   3. Use grease, vaseline, or any type of lube and put it on the hangar and the harness to make it easier to pass through this plastic barrier.
   4. Use a pair of scissors or something with a sharp end to poke a hole through the plastic barrier from under the dash where the glovebox is (you have to take out the glovebox for this install). This is not the easiest of tasks because it is a tight area and you really don't have room to put your head there to see where you are poking so a lot of it is going to be by feel. This is a thick barrier so some force is required with the scissors.
   5. Once you feel the scissors or whatever you have break the barrier to the other side, leave them in.
   6. Go to the inner fender wheel well and, again, this is really by feel, and put your hand up, and feel where the scissors or other object is. Then take the coat hangar and insert into into the punctured hole pushing the scissors out. If you have another person that can be underneath the glovebox dash area to let you know if you're getting it through, it makes it a lot easier.
   7. Once you pass it through, pull it all the way through.
   8. Now, you have to unwrap the lubed wiring harness that has electrical tape all over it. So, wipe the lube off and remove the electrical tape. This takes a little more time than you would think. You have wires underneath the tape so you just can't willy nilly use scissors or a utility knife to cut the tape off.
6. The next most difficult part of the install is the famed "loose orange wire problem" mentioned in other threads on this install. They have you take off a panel near the glovebox dash and rewire an already existing wiring harness. I'll call this the dash harness. If you search through the forum on this install, this is where a lot of us have encountered the loose orange wire problem. You have to take out an orange wire pin of the existing dash wiring harness and insert another orange wire from the aux wiring harness into the dash harness. They then have you take the orange wire that pinned into the dash harness and insert it into a connector and take another wire from the aux wiring harness, and insert it into a connector and connect them together. The issue is the connectors are not that great, and the orange pins don't always securely insert. if this happens, your aux switch won't work. Phew...that's a lot Here's a simpler alternative:
   1. Cut the applicable wires and wire them together. Use heat shrink and a heat gun, and they are as good as new. You don't have to worry about removing pins and loose connectors. Either way, make sure the wire you remove/cut from the dash harness is the correct one. I triple checked before removing the orange wire. There are very similar colored wires in the dash wiring harness, and me being a little colorblind (like most men are), it is often hard to tell them apart. This is where the little led light I mentioned really helps so you're not guessing wires in a low light environment.
7. So you're done with that, and move to removing the center console dash panels with your trim removal tool (make sure you remember how everything plugs in to the center console dash panel for your a/c, uconnect, etc. or mark it so you remember). The last hurdle is wiring pins from the aux wiring harness into a connector so you can plug the connector into the switches. Again, we have similar colored wires, so be careful or the switch won't work. Make sure you look at which way the connector is facing in the mopar instructions or how Matt is doing it in the CJ Offroad video or else you'll get the wiring backwards.
8. Finally, you have everything wired. If you have a z auto taser mini, you can flash it. If you don't have the taser you will have to take it to the dealer. Having the taser makes life so much easier because you can leave everything apart and flash it to see if it works so you're not taking dash panels off again.

After all of this, I'm sure you will ask, is it worth the headache when other aux switches have simpler install because you're not connecting them to the Uconnect so you don't have to run the wiring harness underneath the glovebox area. The uconnect gives you some features like to use the ignition or battery to power specific switches, when to power the switches on, etc. I would say, it depends upon your needs.

I hope all of this helps.

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[cram501]

If I did this again, I would remove the PDC and pass the wire through the grommet from the top. It would be easier and safer. Someone has a writeup here that shows a nipple that can be cut to pass the wire bundle through.

There are a lot of wires passing through the grommet. As some have found out, it is easy to nick some of those causing other issues.

 

[Steel24]

If I did this again, I would remove the PDC and pass the wire through the grommet from the top. It would be easier and safer. Someone has a writeup here that shows a nipple that can be cut to pass the wire bundle through.

There are a lot of wires passing through the grommet. As some have found out, it is easy to nick some of those causing other issues.

Absolutely that’s a risk. I went to the very bottom but you can do the top as well. The wires already there are wrapped pretty good, but still not impervious which is why I would not use a utility knife or something similarly very sharp.

 

[Trav73]

Anyone dissect the Mopar AUX after factory install kit - diagram? I'm thinking of cutting out the 4 fuses and moving them to a Sea Blue Safety Hub 150 along with my twin air compressor. Is the doable with some extra wire and Tesa tape? Trying to draw up how this would go together with as few connections/splices as possible.

 

[lashlee]

Anything is possible, it depends on what it gains. The OEM fuses are out of the way, and it seems like a lot of trouble to move the fusing to a different fuse block.

 

[Trav73]

Your probably right, I was just thinking it would be nice to have all the fuses in one location that is easier to access with a clean setup. Never really liked the fuses hanging off the wire when I installed it.

 

[jeepdadjeep]

Hey All

I know there are a few threads on the various issues faced with the Mopar Auxiliary (Aux) Switch install, but I felt it might help to summarize what I (and may of you all) learned in the install process.

Before reading the below, I will say to anyone thinking about this that you can get through this install, it just takes time, patience, and attention to detail with wiring.

The following are some tips and tricks I picked up along the way for anyone considering the install or doing it.

1. Be prepared for a long install. I would dedicate at least a solid half day to this if not the entire day. Especially if you are going to take breaks. The install videos don't really give justice to how long this takes.
2. Make sure you have a little portable led light or something like it because the areas you will be working at in in your JL/U are cramped, and there is no lighting. Also, have an interior trim removal tool (they are cheap and can be bought off of amazon or at your local auto parts store)
3. Watch these videos before the install: Mopar Auxiliary Switch Install with Z Auto Tazer for Jeep Wrangler JL and Jeep Wrangler JL Gains More Accessory Options with a Mopar Auxiliary Switch System Install
4. The mopar instructions that come with the switch kit are awful. Be prepared for that.
5. The most difficult part is getting the wire harness through to the interior. Basically, they have you reach into this very tight area in the inner front passenger wheel well area and stick it through. There is a plastic barrier that is very thick you have to get through. The mopar instructions tell you to kind of slide it around the barrier which requires a ton of force. It is next to impossible to get it through this way. and I broke a pin off of a wire form the aux wiring harness trying it this way. Here's an alternative:
   1. Like in the videos I linked to, wrap the entire harness tight in electrical tape to make it as skinny as you can get
   2. Get a metal coat hanger or something of similar material and thickness and tape it tightly to the wrapped harness. (I used the metal piece from a Macy's suit coat hangar than was thicker than your normal flimsy wire coat hangar)
   3. Use grease, vaseline, or any type of lube and put it on the hangar and the harness to make it easier to pass through this plastic barrier.
   4. Use a pair of scissors or something with a sharp end to poke a hole through the plastic barrier from under the dash where the glovebox is (you have to take out the glovebox for this install). This is not the easiest of tasks because it is a tight area and you really don't have room to put your head there to see where you are poking so a lot of it is going to be by feel. This is a thick barrier so some force is required with the scissors.
   5. Once you feel the scissors or whatever you have break the barrier to the other side, leave them in.
   6. Go to the inner fender wheel well and, again, this is really by feel, and put your hand up, and feel where the scissors or other object is. Then take the coat hangar and insert into into the punctured hole pushing the scissors out. If you have another person that can be underneath the glovebox dash area to let you know if you're getting it through, it makes it a lot easier.
   7. Once you pass it through, pull it all the way through.
   8. Now, you have to unwrap the lubed wiring harness that has electrical tape all over it. So, wipe the lube off and remove the electrical tape. This takes a little more time than you would think. You have wires underneath the tape so you just can't willy nilly use scissors or a utility knife to cut the tape off.
6. The next most difficult part of the install is the famed "loose orange wire problem" mentioned in other threads on this install. They have you take off a panel near the glovebox dash and rewire an already existing wiring harness. I'll call this the dash harness. If you search through the forum on this install, this is where a lot of us have encountered the loose orange wire problem. You have to take out an orange wire pin of the existing dash wiring harness and insert another orange wire from the aux wiring harness into the dash harness. They then have you take the orange wire that pinned into the dash harness and insert it into a connector and take another wire from the aux wiring harness, and insert it into a connector and connect them together. The issue is the connectors are not that great, and the orange pins don't always securely insert. if this happens, your aux switch won't work. Phew...that's a lot Here's a simpler alternative:
   1. Cut the applicable wires and wire them together. Use heat shrink and a heat gun, and they are as good as new. You don't have to worry about removing pins and loose connectors. Either way, make sure the wire you remove/cut from the dash harness is the correct one. I triple checked before removing the orange wire. There are very similar colored wires in the dash wiring harness, and me being a little colorblind (like most men are), it is often hard to tell them apart. This is where the little led light I mentioned really helps so you're not guessing wires in a low light environment.
7. So you're done with that, and move to removing the center console dash panels with your trim removal tool (make sure you remember how everything plugs in to the center console dash panel for your a/c, uconnect, etc. or mark it so you remember). The last hurdle is wiring pins from the aux wiring harness into a connector so you can plug the connector into the switches. Again, we have similar colored wires, so be careful or the switch won't work. Make sure you look at which way the connector is facing in the mopar instructions or how Matt is doing it in the CJ Offroad video or else you'll get the wiring backwards.
8. Finally, you have everything wired. If you have a z auto taser mini, you can flash it. If you don't have the taser you will have to take it to the dealer. Having the taser makes life so much easier because you can leave everything apart and flash it to see if it works so you're not taking dash panels off again.

After all of this, I'm sure you will ask, is it worth the headache when other aux switches have simpler install because you're not connecting them to the Uconnect so you don't have to run the wiring harness underneath the glovebox area. The uconnect gives you some features like to use the ignition or battery to power specific switches, when to power the switches on, etc. I would say, it depends upon your needs.

I hope all of this helps.

hey!! Great summary and I was with you through most of that pain. Where did you get replacement pin(s) for the end of the harness pulled through the firewall? I also (cough) broke a couple and can’t seem to find the right pins anywhere?!?

 

[Steel24]

hey!! Great summary and I was with you through most of that pain. Where did you get replacement pin(s) for the end of the harness pulled through the firewall? I also (cough) broke a couple and can’t seem to find the right pins anywhere?!?

Jeppdad,

Oh man was it a challenge finding that. Fortuntely, I had the help of @Gregj to get me in the right direction.

The required parts are made by mouser, and you have to crimp them together. See picture of parts below.

 

[jeepdadjeep]

Jeppdad,

Oh man was it a challenge finding that. Fortuntely, I had the help of @Gregj to get me in the right direction.

The required parts are made by mouser, and you have to crimp them together. See picture of parts below.

Awesome!! I was looking at their website about a hour ago and didn’t see this so thank you!!

 

[jeepdadjeep]

Awesome!! I was looking at their website about a hour ago and didn’t see this so thank you!!

Hey @Steel24 and @Gregj Sorry to be a pain but do you have any way to help me identify the female part in the green-ish bag? I tried all the numbers from the sticker on the mouser website but nothing came up.

many many thanks!!

 

[Steel24]

Hey @Steel24 and @Gregj Sorry to be a pain but do you have any way to help me identify the female part in the green-ish bag? I tried all the numbers from the sticker on the mouser website but nothing came up.

many many thanks!!

Jeepdad,

Here ya go.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...1Ad3cHZ5LpA==&countryCode=US&currencyCode=USD

 

[jeepdadjeep]

Jeepdad,

Here ya go.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/33012-2002-Loose-Piece?qs=8%2Bu/V6/T1Oo1Ad3cHZ5LpA==&countryCode=US&currencyCode=USD

Legend! Thank you!!

 

[jeepdadjeep]

Hey @Steel24, huge thank you again. I got the pins and now my Aux switchbox is fully functioning!

a 5amp fuse swap later and it was lighting up like a Christmas tree!

thanks again! Appreciate you.

 

[Steel24]

Hey @Steel24, huge thank you again. I got the pins and now my Aux switchbox is fully functioning!

a 5amp fuse swap later and it was lighting up like a Christmas tree!

thanks again! Appreciate you.

Jeepdad,

No problem!

Glad you got it up and running. Always here to help.

By the way, BC and Alberta are both out of this world. Wheeling must be incredible out there. I'm hoping to get out there on the slopes this winter.

 

[jeepdadjeep]

I have only wheeled in BC and I can confirm it’s wild. So much incredible terrain!! Also boarding in Whistler is legit!! It’s well worth the visit!

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