Notices
JK Electrical, Lighting & Sound Systems Bulletin board forum regarding topics such as stereo head units, CD players, MP3 players, speaker systems, amplifiers, hardmounted GPS devices, computers, headlight upgrades, fog lights, off-road lights, general wiring and anti-theft devices.

Alternate use of sway bay disconnect electrical

Thread Tools
 
Old 02-07-2019, 08:08 AM
  #1  
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
 
auradeus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Default Alternate use of sway bay disconnect electrical

Have a 2008 JK, got the sway bar disconnect. Like many, it failed pretty quickly on. I got the Evo part that will allow me to change the disconnect to a manual system, and will get an AEV ProCal to deactivate the sway bar light. I will hardly ever use this disconnect and would rather put the money into things I really in the vehicle, so I'm not interested in replacing with an aftermarket electric disconnect.

My question is, now I have electrical to the sway bar area and a button with no purpose. I have the option to tie it up and forget about it. But maybe there is a way I can salvage that electrical to install something cool and relatively cheap, even if it's a novelty kind of device. Has anyone had success with this? Have a thread or site to point me to the right direction?
Old 02-07-2019, 01:09 PM
  #2  
Super Moderator
FJOTM Winner
 
icrashbikes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,006
Received 120 Likes on 106 Posts
Default

This is something that's on my list to eventually think about. I ditched the smart bar because it didn't stretch far enough. Now I have that massive connector taped up in a nitrile glove and ziptied to something. It would be nice to use the sway bar button for something, though I'm not optimistic that it will work as an on/off switch for anything. It likely runs through nine computers on the way to I-don't-know-how-many pins on the connector. Which is why I haven't put much thought into it. I'm interested to see if anyone has ideas.
Old 02-07-2019, 01:22 PM
  #3  
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
 
auradeus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by icrashbikes
This is something that's on my list to eventually think about. I ditched the smart bar because it didn't stretch far enough. Now I have that massive connector taped up in a nitrile glove and ziptied to something. It would be nice to use the sway bar button for something, though I'm not optimistic that it will work as an on/off switch for anything. It likely runs through nine computers on the way to I-don't-know-how-many pins on the connector. Which is why I haven't put much thought into it. I'm interested to see if anyone has ideas.
I suppose we could hook up the cable to a voltage meter and see what happens when we push the button on and off, also taking a measure of current? If that current is compatible with something such as a light, or an LED fixture (kind of ugly, but an option), then the pin connector could be cut off and spliced to the fixture. Even if the voltage runs through computers, at the end of the day it's an on/off switch? Unless using the AEV ProCal tells the computer to stop pushing current down that line, in which case we have a dead useless button...
Old 02-07-2019, 01:35 PM
  #4  
JK Jedi
FJOTM Winner
 
resharp001's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Willow Park, TX
Posts: 10,562
Received 1,825 Likes on 1,595 Posts
Default

I don't have a rubi myself. Does the e-disco disconnect at will, or do you have to be in 4Lo? If you had to be in 4Lo, that would be the big drawback in my eye as the wiring could only be used to trigger something while in 4Lo if at all.
Old 02-14-2019, 11:50 AM
  #5  
JK Newbie
Thread Starter
 
auradeus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Default

Good call, you are right it does have to be in 4Lo to disconnect, I never thought of that. Guess I'll have a useless button, no biggie.
Old 02-14-2019, 04:36 PM
  #6  
Super Moderator
FJOTM Winner
 
icrashbikes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NJ
Posts: 1,006
Received 120 Likes on 106 Posts
Default

I'm actually pretty close to wiring the lockers up independently which would make the whole off-road panel obsolete. When that comes around I'll probably try to pull the whole thing and use the space for something else.
Old 02-17-2019, 11:51 PM
  #7  
JK Newbie
 
vijadhav321's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Pune
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Great Information



Quick Reply: Alternate use of sway bay disconnect electrical



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:42 AM.