dmoney
Member
- First Name
- Derek
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2018
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 21
- Location
- Central CA
- Vehicle(s)
- 18JLUR
- Thread starter
- #1
First, these things are great. My wife and kids no longer have to get a running start to get in the Jeep, which is nice.
That said, I am not a fan at all of installing electronics in the engine compartment. I don't care how many hours of testing, or how much salt you spray at something, at the end of the day, electronics last longer when they aren't subjected the elements and high temps.
On a previous project, I installed a Whelen Carbide lighting controller and integrated it heavily into the vehicle electronics, so I've been over every square inch of the JL and have become intimately familiar with the electronic topology. As such, when I decided on the Power Steps, my very first thought was to install the controller under the passenger seat, which is what I did. It's dry, and obviously much cooler than an engine compartment. I also didn't like the fact that AMP suggests you install the wiring by simply removing the passenger floor drain plug, and haphazardly routing the wires through it. Negative.
In addition to those two points, I'm also not a fan of any mechanical splice that relies on tension to connect to wiring, especially the little posi-tap screw connectors AMP provides to tie into the door position wiring. While they're better than most, they're relatively huge and bulky, and I still prefer to solder and shrink which is what I did here. Instead of removing 3 connectors at the BCM and splicing there (it's incredible tight), I soldered inline at the main harness that runs under the passenger sill plate (except for the passenger front door, which I did have to connect to at the BCM because it's the only one that isn't coming from the other direction.) Those connections extend to the door position interface (pictured) also located underneath the passenger seat.
Conveniently, there is another plug/grommet located directly behind where I installed the controller. I used a 1/2" punch to create a hole just smaller than the harness loom, and routed the driver and passenger motor control/LED bundles through there and it worked perfectly.
I should point out that to do any of this, I had to completely disassemble the AMP harnesses that came with the steps, which was a little time consuming, but worth it in my opinion.
That said, I am not a fan at all of installing electronics in the engine compartment. I don't care how many hours of testing, or how much salt you spray at something, at the end of the day, electronics last longer when they aren't subjected the elements and high temps.
On a previous project, I installed a Whelen Carbide lighting controller and integrated it heavily into the vehicle electronics, so I've been over every square inch of the JL and have become intimately familiar with the electronic topology. As such, when I decided on the Power Steps, my very first thought was to install the controller under the passenger seat, which is what I did. It's dry, and obviously much cooler than an engine compartment. I also didn't like the fact that AMP suggests you install the wiring by simply removing the passenger floor drain plug, and haphazardly routing the wires through it. Negative.
In addition to those two points, I'm also not a fan of any mechanical splice that relies on tension to connect to wiring, especially the little posi-tap screw connectors AMP provides to tie into the door position wiring. While they're better than most, they're relatively huge and bulky, and I still prefer to solder and shrink which is what I did here. Instead of removing 3 connectors at the BCM and splicing there (it's incredible tight), I soldered inline at the main harness that runs under the passenger sill plate (except for the passenger front door, which I did have to connect to at the BCM because it's the only one that isn't coming from the other direction.) Those connections extend to the door position interface (pictured) also located underneath the passenger seat.
Conveniently, there is another plug/grommet located directly behind where I installed the controller. I used a 1/2" punch to create a hole just smaller than the harness loom, and routed the driver and passenger motor control/LED bundles through there and it worked perfectly.
I should point out that to do any of this, I had to completely disassemble the AMP harnesses that came with the steps, which was a little time consuming, but worth it in my opinion.
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