Getting Ready to Take the Plunge, but needs a few things....

[jjump]

OK all, thanks in advance.....

I am thinking of purchasing an out of state, well for me being in PA, 1979 CJ7 , AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l , 3 speed, and I know it will need a few things to get passed PA inspection.

Mainly wiring that I know of.....

Doesnt have reverse lights, Ive done my digging here, could be the switch in the gearbox, bad ground, etc, I think I know my way a wiring diagram good enough to figure this one out, is there a chance though it could be internal to the gearbox? The owner tells me the reverse lights come on when the lights are turned on, but not in reverse, so I think I can sort this one out.

License plate light - owner says it doesn't have one, but the wiring diagram say it does, could be that I will have to get new tail lights with a license plate light and figure out this one.

Parking or Emergency Brake, depending on what part of the country you are in....owner says po never re-installed it, but in PA I will need one, could this be a show stopper? I will have to find the components....

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Torxhead]

It might just have bad grounds, which is common for the CJ. Yes, the reverse light switch is on top of the Transmission . You might want to get a wiring diagram. Try running a jumper wire from the battery negative to the taillight housing. On my overly grounded rig, there is a wire from the battery negative to the taillight housing and the gas gauge sending unit through the wire harness that goes from under the dash to the rear of the CJ. Test the bulbs and fuses first. There are aftermarket replacement outfits and junkyards out there and I am sure you will find what you need like these guys:J&W Jeep - J&W Auto Wreckers - New & Used Jeep Parts

 

[jp360cj]

Reverse lights are most likely either wiring or the switch. The switch is on the shifter housing and easily accessible with the tunnel cover removed..FWIW, my reverse lights didn't work on my T-150 . After about 10 years, I swapped to a T-18 , and they worked.

The license plate light should be a part of one taillight, driver's side IIRC. The bottom of that taillight housing has a clear lens on the bottom, but I don't remember is there is a separate bulb for the plate, or if it uses light from the taillight bulb.

I would pop of the taillight lenses and see if there is any creative wiring. with the lens off, 3 bolts will remove the whole taillight. They should be plugged into the harness. Original plug looks like a flat 4 way trailer plug, but with 3 wires (tail light, brake/turn, reverse). Ground is through the mounting bolts.

For the parking brake, it's going to depend on how much has been removed. The pedal assembly can be had new, but runs ~$200 last time I checked. there are 3 cables (pedal to equalizer, driver side, & passenger side), and the equalizer. Then there are a few parts inside the drums (the pivot arm for the cable, a spreader bar between the shoes, and a spring. There are 2 different styles of parking brake cables. Not sure if the difference is 10" vs 11" or a switch over at a certain year. But one style has spring loaded "fingers" the snap into the round hole to retain the cable. The other style has a bolt on retainer plate.

 

[venom]

X2 on the checking the ground. I just went through this on my rig, and my backup lights would come on with the lights, but not in reverse. I fixed the ground, and wallah, all worked. I'm sure it's possible it's the switch, but I like to blame the ground for everything at this point. I've had a ton of ground issues since I started working on the wiring.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

FWIW: All of my back-up light issues over the years, has been the switch on the tranny.
GND connections are major issues on older Jeeps. Even more so in the 'rust-belt'.
LG