aftermarket battery cables and connectors

I freshened up all of my ground contact points yesterday. I took the dremel with a wire brush head and went to town on EVERY contact point I know of, even the screws. Got everything down to fresh bare metal. I then cleaned with electrical cleaner, coated everything with dielectric grease and reassembled. I feel like everything runs a little better now. Lights are a little brighter. Voltage doesn't plummet as far with all of the accessories on.

Question 1 Are there any other grounds other than the following....
B- to alternator
B- to fender well
Engine strap to firewall
after market stereo amp to metal crossmember that the rear seat rests on
two wires that come out of the loom on the drivers side and screw into the fender well almost exactly opposite of the B- to fenderwell.

Question 2 Will doing the same to all of my positive terminal connections provide the same benefit?

I know upgrading the wires will help but, I'm really tight and trying to make the most of every FREE option I have.
 
bugout said:
I freshened up all of my ground contact points yesterday. I took the dremel with a wire brush head and went to town on EVERY contact point I know of, even the screws. Got everything down to fresh bare metal. I then cleaned with electrical cleaner, coated everything with dielectric grease and reassembled. I feel like everything runs a little better now. Lights are a little brighter. Voltage doesn't plummet as far with all of the accessories on.

Question 1 Are there any other grounds other than the following....
B- to alternator
B- to fender well
Engine strap to firewall
after market stereo amp to metal crossmember that the rear seat rests on
two wires that come out of the loom on the drivers side and screw into the fender well almost exactly opposite of the B- to fenderwell.

Question 2 Will doing the same to all of my positive terminal connections provide the same benefit?

I know upgrading the wires will help but, I'm really tight and trying to make the most of every FREE option I have.
Click to expand...

Good idea - but you shouldn't have used dielectric grease. Electrical corrosion inhibitor is readily available at most hardware stores for just a few bucks, does a better job of preventing corrosion, and is not insulative (a "dielectric" is an insulator, and you've made ground contact simply by squishing it out from between mating threads. Get some corrosion inhibitor, disassemble the connection, clean all parts, apply corrosion inhibitor, and reassemble.)
 
If you pack a multi pin connector with corrosion inhibitor you are liable to create a bunch of shorts, if what you say is accurate and it doesn't insulate. I'm not sure I'd do that, especially seeing as the factory packed the bulkhead connector with dielectric grease from the factory.
 
The dielectric grease is used to seal the connector housing, not for the connection itself.

I would not use it on ground connections.

Like he said, electric grease is for the actual connection.
 
There are 2 ground points at the rear fender, behind the panel where the spare tire
is mounted.

I recently cleaned up the grounds there and - just to be sure - I also fabricated wire extension "pigtails" that connected those grounds to nearby machine threaded screws.
The tail lights and brake lights are all a bit brighter.
 
So tell me if I'm getting this right.
1. Dielectric grease IS acceptable for the ground locations but, not ideal?
2. Dielectric is accecptable for light use on the inside and outside of all connections electric fan, autotrans connection, theromostat probe connection etc????
3. Dielectric grease is acceptable for the sparkplug wires, but does it not make more sense to use and electric grease since I'm trying to make the wires as conductive as possible????

5-90 & kastein What is your opinion on corrosion inhipitor vs electric grease in some of these situations???
 
Corrosion inhibitors are dependent on what the metal they are protecting is. AKA you need different chemicals to protect different metals. In my experience it's typically only used on aluminum connections, and I've never seen anyone recommend putting it in connectors before aside from 5-90 just now. I don't see the problem with dielectric grease for everything. Don't go completely nuts with it (packing connectors that are already well sealed with it is counterproductive) though.
 
kastein said:
Corrosion inhibitors are dependent on what the metal they are protecting is. AKA you need different chemicals to protect different metals. In my experience it's typically only used on aluminum connections, and I've never seen anyone recommend putting it in connectors before aside from 5-90 just now. I don't see the problem with dielectric grease for everything. Don't go completely nuts with it (packing connectors that are already well sealed with it is counterproductive) though.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I think you have a circuit board in your head that takes what you read and turns it I to what you thought you read. :P

Jon said he should have used a corrosion inhibitor in the ground contact points that he cleaned down to bare metal. Didn't say anything about connectors.
 
Damnit, I need to read more carefully, you're right. Whoops :doh:
 
So tell me if I'm getting this right.
1. Dielectric grease IS acceptable for the ground locations but, not ideal?
2. Dielectric is accecptable for light use on the inside and outside of all connections electric fan, autotrans connection, theromostat probe connection etc????
3. Dielectric grease is acceptable for the sparkplug wires, but does it not make more sense to use and electric grease since I'm trying to make the wires as conductive as possible????

5-90 & kastein What is your opinion on corrosion inhipitor vs electric grease in some of these situations???

I'm new to wheelin' and trying to learn, this forum has been a huge help. The only thing keeping me is what appears to be a lack of following in SW Fla.
 
We use CPC on everything bare metal or hardware on the aircraft. Black goopy mess that's a real pain when you have to take stuff apart, but no corrosion worries, even in a blue water environment.

I'll get the NSN at work on Monday and pass it on. That's the stuff you want to use on a body/ground connection like that.
 
I have absolutely no problem with using corrosion inhibitor on grounds, go for it. Just make sure you use the right one - my info says the chemical compounds used depend somewhat on the metals being protected, could be wrong there.

Just don't pack connectors with it.

If you pull a connector apart and the inside is spotless, nice and clean, and you can see proper rubber seals in place that will keep gunk out, just put it back together. If there's dirt and/or corrosion inside, clearly it needs some sort of protection - I personally would go with dielectric grease on those. Not a giant amount, just "enough".
 
Thanks. Somebody recommended electric grease. When would I use that or do they mean dielectric grease. Someone else even recommended copperbased loctite. When and where should I use somthing like that. I'm just trying to tread carefully. I live in really wet environment and my heep is NOT garage kept. For instance, it rained all day and night for the last three days but stopped late yesterday afternoon. There is STILL water standing on the road for the entire twelve mile ride to work. These are all paved public roads. The blacktops and dirt roads STAY underwater from May to September. Plus, were so close to the coast that salt water corrosion is almost always and issue. Especially if your live near the flood zone canals.
 
Digging this thread up again to ask 5-90 if you make these cables to order or if you have stock in hand? I fired my battery cable on my 88XJ yesterday when the cable (apparently) rested against the oil filter, melted the sheathing, shorted on (and blew out) the filter. I will probably get a parts store cable to get the Jeep home, but looking for a quality and correct sized fitment for the long run. I'm looking for the cables running from the battery (+) to starter and to the distro connection. Do your cables come with the brass battery post connectors? Thanks.
 
desertred said:
Digging this thread up again to ask 5-90 if you make these cables to order or if you have stock in hand? I fired my battery cable on my 88XJ yesterday when the cable (apparently) rested against the oil filter, melted the sheathing, shorted on (and blew out) the filter. I will probably get a parts store cable to get the Jeep home, but looking for a quality and correct sized fitment for the long run. I'm looking for the cables running from the battery (+) to starter and to the distro connection. Do your cables come with the brass battery post connectors? Thanks.
Click to expand...


I've contacted him before and he seems to have the majority of the cables in stock and ready to order.

http://www.kelleyswip.com/
 
Yea, I sent him a pm months ago and never heard back. Ill sent an email if I can find one. I need cables STAT, Im having all sorts of weird electrical problems.
 
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