wiring up in dash ignition switch

[ABGCherokee]

Hi fellas- I've got a 1980 Cherokee that I bought with an in-dash ignition switch and some funky wiring issues. I acquired a 79 waggy to use the in-dash wiring harness, but it is still wired for the column. switch. What do I need to do to wire the switch correctly? I neglected to take pictures of the switch before I yanked it out to swap the harness... It seems that the P/O wired several of the wires that go into the plug for the stock ignition switch together, but I'm having trouble figure out which is which. Thanks in advance, all.

[tgreese]

Hi - Welcome from Boston.

I can tell you how to do this, but not what to do. You need to read the schematics for both vehicles. An '80 should not be much different from a '79 in this area. There is both an '80 and a '79 wiring diagram here https://oljeep.com/gw/elec/GW_wiring.html and this site also has a complete TSM for 1979.

If you need to, you can copy the diagrams to paper and use a copy machine to enlarge them, then paste them together into a big continuous diagram. Use your colored pencils and trace out the wires.

An ignition switch typically has an acc (accessory), off, on and start position. Acc powers up everything except the ignition. Off is off, on is for running and start is for starting. There will be an S terminal on the starter solenoid that energizes the starter. Trace back from there to determine the connections. The coil has power when the key is on and at the start position. Trace back from there to determine the connections. Note that you need the resistance wire in the coil lead, or else the engine will not shut off.

Better that you do this work ... it's what I would have to do to give you stepwise instructions. Plus you pretty much need the Jeep in front of you to figure out what's been changed.