Awesome write up way better than a light always on. Thanks!

 

I have a 07 and just recently had my PCM updated so I can do the steering wheel dance. Got that to work but light obviously on. Doesn't bother me to much but curious if the kill switch does or does not make light on dash appear? Some say there's is on and other's say it's not?

 

I didn't see it mentioned. Does anybody know what gauge the wire is?

 

I just performed this on a 2012 JKU. I suspect things might be slightly different on 2012s. I took pictures along the way in an effort to help people better identify the wire. Please be advised that this is how I did it. There are plenty of other ways to tap into the wire. Also be advised that this modification is frowned upon by the dealers and I take zero liability or responsibility if you choose to do what I have outlined here.

WARNING: Because of the difference in dashboard lights compared to others who have done this, I cannot confirm that this wire is or is not the correct one for 2012s. I am leaving the switch on(abs and esp activated) until I can find out for sure. Anybody that can help shed some light on why I am not receiving all three warning lights, please chime in.



Here are the tools I used:
-Soldering iron
-Solder
-Wire crimper
-16 gauge wire(I'm guessing smaller wire would also work)
-Switch
-Heat shrink
-Electrical tape(not pictured)
-Crimp connectors with integrated heat shrink(I didn't know which size I would need. I used the smaller red ones)
-Lighter(though a heat gun might work better)
-Knife(not pictured)
-Leatherman(not pictured)


First, I cut off two lengths of wire. Cut off however much you think you might need in order to put your switch where you want it. Then I stripped about 1.5" of insulation off the ends. Pass these ends through the holes in the switch's connections and then twist them back onto themselves. Make sure they're twisted nice and tightly. Get your soldering iron nice and hot, and clean. Once it's hot, use it to apply heat to your wires. Get the wires hot enough so the solder melts when you touch the wire(not the iron). Make sure the solder melts down into the wire strands fully. Don't just have clobs of it re-harden on top of the wire. If anybody knows of things I did poorly here, please speak up because I'm a novice solderer.


Now slide your heat shrink down over your newly soldered connections. I prefer to do them one at a time.


Tada. I also ended up putting heatshrink over that bare ground connection.


If you need to remove the panel below the steering wheel, be advised that it just pops off. Pull it initially from the top and work your way down before lifting it up and out. You can see, here, the white tabs that pop in and out as well as the hooks at the bottom that slide into the dash. I personally did not end up needing the dash panel to be removed.


Here you can see with the panel gone. There is a metal plate in the way. That is easily taken out by removing the two bolts that are visible here.


To get to the wire, I pulled back the carpet, starting on the right side of the footwell.


Next, there are two pieces that hold the carpet up behind the pedals. Here is one, and the other is on the left side. Just twist and pull them off.


Meanwhile, the door kept hitting me and was really annoying so I unplugged it and had it rest forward with my wallet between the mirror and the fender.


Here is the bundle of wires. I had to reach up in there slightly and cut away at a lot of tape to expose it. Be careful cutting away at the tape, as you don't want to slice any of the insulation for the wires. This was a pain in the butt to pull down enough.


A closer view at the bundle of wires. They are really tightly packed. Be advised that(at least in the 2012) there are 3 purple wires with blue stripes.


The first purple one that was visible is this one with a DARK blue stripe. This is not the right one.


Here, you can see that there are TWO purple wires with light blue stripes. One of them is paired with a white/light blue wire and the two are twisted together. THIS IS NOT THE CORRECT ONE. Look for the purple/light blue wire that is by itself.


After cutting it and starting the Jeep, these are the lights I got. The green hill decent light flashed several times and then went away. In addition to the ABS and squiggly tire marks, I was also expecting to see the ESP OFF light. It is located to the lower left of the squiggly tiremarks light. Does anybody know why I don't have all three illuminated? I'm guessing this is a 2012 centric thing and perhaps there's more than one wire to cut with the 2012s. The ESP OFF light that is not lit is the one that normally comes on when you hold the ESP OFF button for 7 seconds when in 4hi.


Anyway, I might as well hook up the switch. So I cut back some insulation from the burple/light blue wire and crimp on the connectors. Be careful, even the small red connectors seemed a tad on the large side for the burple/light blue wire.


I then crimped the wires leading to the switch. If you know where you're going to mount your switch, do so before crimping the wires to the connectors. Then, if your connectors have the heat shrink on them(these connectors are usually labeled waterproof or something), then melt the heat shrink down. A heat gun will be safer than a lighter considering the proximity to other things.


Wa-la! I don't know where I want the switch yet, so it is merely going to hide behind the dashboard panel for now. I also still need to use some electrical tape and wrap up the wiring again so it looks discreet. WARNING: because of the difference in dashboard lights compared to others who have done this, I cannot confirm that this wire is or is not the correct one for 2012s. I am leaving the switch on(abs and esp activated) until I can find out for sure. Anybody that can help shed some light on why I am not receiving all three warning lights, please chime in.

 

Still curious? Does doing this mod prevent the light on the dashfom coming on?

 

Dashfom? When you disable the ESP/ABS/BAS, you WILL get lights illuminated on your dash. When you re-enable them and turn the Jeep off/back on, they will not be there anymore.

For the LED on the switch itself, it never illuminates.

 

The reason I ask is this. I just took my 07 to the dealer and had the PCM updated so I could do the steering wheel dance. My ESP is now off. Why would I want to do this mod. Just for the ease and speed of going from off to on? I need mine off all the time cause the dang ESP comes on everytime I take a right hand turn over 25MPH

 

If you have no intent of turning them on, then you don't really have a need for this mod.

 

Here are some more pictures for the lights:


Here you can see the hill decent light on the left that flashes several times upon startup after the ABS/ESP/BAS have been disabled.


This image shows the dashboard when you shift into 4hi and hold the ESP/OFF button for 7 seconds. That yellow ESP OFF light in the bottom left is the one that does not come on from the switch.


When I turn the switch after holding the ESP/OFF button, the green "ESCOFF" message goes away, but the yellow ESP OFF light stays on. However, that yellow ESP OFF light WILL NOT come on if I press the factory ESP/OFF button after flipping the switch. The yellow ESP OFF light normally comes on when you just press the factory ESP/OFF button. If you hold the ESP/OFF button, the green "ESCOFF" message comes up after an audible "ding".

I hope that everything is turned off with the switch and it not showing the yellow ESP OFF light is just a fluke.

 

I want to turn mine off for good also. What is the steering wheel dance and how much does it cost to have the PCM updated?