Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

[jphake]

Greetings all,

Anyone out there towing with a Jeep Liberty?

I got a small fishing boat i am trying to fix up and get on the water.
You can see it and the trailer here:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=484156&p=3273506&posted=1#post3273506

This is my trailer connector:

Its your standard connector i have seen for years. I have a wiring harness that plugs right into it....had it on my S10 and my Ranger.

Now, I own two Jeep Liberty's (long story).

One is a 2002 sport...bare bones, nothing fancy, the other is a 2007 Limited with all the bells and whistles, including the little travel/setting "computer" in the top of the front roof.....i mention this because, apparently, it comes into play here.

From what I can find on the web, I cant use my wiring harness on either of them because the lights are computer controlled??? Apparently, in the rear panel of the cargo area, there is a factory harness that you have to plug a $100 converter into. Does any of this sound right?

So, one of these jeeps is getting a hitch and light wiring...which one is the question, and whats the best, cheapest route to go?

Im also taking into consideration the the 2002, from what i have read, has a more heavy duty transmission than the 2007.

I cant make decisions.....someone point me in the right direction.

Which Liberty do i tow with, and what is the cheapest way to wire it for trailer lights?

Thanks in advance,

J

 

[Trooper583]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

I recently installed a class 3, 2 inch receiver hitch and trailer wiring harness on my Jeep Commander. After a lot of research this is the solution I went with. I went to ebay and bought a combo package that had the hitch itself and it also came with a "T" style wiring harness. The wiring harness basically will plug inline of both sides of your tail light. The wiring then goes into a converter and outputs a standard trailer connector. It was very easy to install and works very well.

I almost went with the factory, Mopar trailer wiring harness kit from Jeep. This kit is very expensive, $120, and I would have also had to go to a Jeep dealership and had them activate the trailer wiring harness in the Electronic Control Module.

Hope this helps.

 

[jphake]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

That helps quite a bit.....i do have a few question for ya if i may.

1. I have looked at the T connector you mention, heard quite a few burn up, how long have you used it?
2. From my understanding, the dealer only has to activate the trailer wiring if you have that little travel computer i mentioned. Do you have that in your Commander? If so, is it working ok with the harness you installed?
and
3. When the hell did trailer wiring become so damn difficlut that computers and the dealer have to get involved????

thanks man

 

[Bondo]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

3. When the hell did trailer wiring become so damn difficlut that computers and the dealer have to get involved????

Ayuh,... About the time they put Separate blinkers, 'n brake lights on 'em,....

Brake lights, 'n blinkers are in-common on trailers...

 

[Trooper583]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

1) I've only been using mine for about 3 months. However, I've installed several over the years for friends and such and I've never heard of them being prone to burning up.

2) I believe that the Commander factory trailer kit simply came with a large harness. I think the computer is installed you just have to buy the wire to hook it up if you don't have it already from the factory. Finally, the nice thing about the "T" harness I installed is it bypasses all the factory computer harness wiring crap. It is literally an inline plug that matches your vehicle's tail light harness connectors. The "T" harness has one of these on both sides. Essentially, it allows you to hard wire your light outputs from your vehicle without cutting / splicing wires. No need to go see the dealer.

3) Bondo is right. If you notice, your tow vehicle probably has a a separate lamp for turn and stop on either side. Your trailer has only one lamp to do both. That's where the complication comes in.


Here's a link to an ebay auction that should work, although check it before you buy it. Also, gives a good pic. Look at the second pic in the auction, its the actual item. First pic is just a stock photo.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

[jphake]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

thanks for the link

 

[pmillar]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

Unrelated to wiring or transmissions, I'll toss wheelbase into the equation if they are different generation Liberty's. The longer the wheelbase, the better for towing, all else equal (which it rarely is)

 

[johnson89]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

http://www.etrailer.com/t1-2007_Jeep_Liberty.htm...they have the wiring set you need,,its 56.00 and some change...they even have a video of the install.....I put one on my 2007, works great took 10 min.s to install

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

Ayuh,... About the time they put Separate blinkers, 'n brake lights on 'em,....

Brake lights, 'n blinkers are in-common on trailers...

3) Bondo is right. If you notice, your tow vehicle probably has a a separate lamp for turn and stop on either side. Your trailer has only one lamp to do both. That's where the complication comes in.

If that is the issue, you can get a converter at u-haul or walmart for about $20 that does all the magic needed... (Most foreign vehicles use that system of lighting, as well as most newer domestics. I've got 3 of those converters in vehicles.) I've got a feeling the jeep's issue is much deeper than that though, or the dealership is just marking things up 5x normal pricing.

 

[M9.9]

Re: Jeep Liberty Trailer Lighting

I trailer-wired a Cherokee once, and found out it uses an extra amber light for signaling, it required a five terminal plug. Personally, I have always wired the lines at the lights, soldered all connections and sealed with silicone. It was and is the only way I know-off to be sure not to intercept signals that are going to go into any control devices before the lights.