- Location
- In a strange land
Step one in fixing my flickering headlights (Lucas?) is to have a decent place to pull power for the relays. Neither the years, nor the previous owners have been kind to the original wiring. Here is what I started with:
It may not look quite so bad on the surface, but as soon as you scratch the surface you start to get a sense of what is lurking beneath. The fact that I could hand tighten the clamp nuts on top of the positive terminal told me things weren't up to snuff there. And the negative terminal was tightened down as far as it could go, and yet it still could be taken off the battery post with ease. Not visible is the battery box which is cut open at each end as if to take a longer battery, and of course you can see that glorious strap across the top. It is time to clean house.
In the process of looking for a new battery tray I found that Dirtbound Offroad makes a steel tray designed for an Optima 34/78 battery: http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/optima-34-78-bolt-in-battery-tray-jeep-cherokee-xj.html
I'm not sold on the 34/78 format, but I do like and use the Group 34 batteries. I ordered a tray and yes, it will work with a Group 34 with the addition of the clamps which come as part of the 34/78 package. So that's what my new system will be designed around. I used an old, dead 34 for the mock-up. No smoke to let out this way.
Finally knowing where I was going it was time to take apart the mess I had on my hands. Here's what was lurking on the positive side:
That is the factory starter cable intertwined with what appears to be some sort of Monster Cable primary wire. There are quite a few strands doing next to nothing in this scenario.
Then on the negative side:
That's more of that Monster Cable or whatever it is. Notice the corrosion in the pocket formed by the grub screw. Whatever material they are using there, it does not appear to be the right choice for use with copper.
A substantial part of the problem here is that there is always a need to tie in something new, and there never seems to be the right provision for doing so. All too often folks just look for the quickest solution that will get things working today, but not much thought is given to ten years down the line. There is a better way.
The first thing I did was add in a junction block for the positive cables:
That is a 3/8-16 stud on an insulated mount. I have it screwed to the PDC mount. A short cable now goes between it and the PDC. Additionally one cable runs between that stud and the battery post, plus the factory starter cable now is routed to that stud. There is still room for a couple more cables.
Then we have how things now are managed at the battery itself:
Those are a military style terminal. They accept cable lugs. Multiples if need be. More options for expansion when needed.
They also offer flexibility. Not having sprung for the $300 Optima yet, I still need to be able to use the battery the Jeep came with. I have to shuffle a wire, but it works:
Just thought I would share.
It may not look quite so bad on the surface, but as soon as you scratch the surface you start to get a sense of what is lurking beneath. The fact that I could hand tighten the clamp nuts on top of the positive terminal told me things weren't up to snuff there. And the negative terminal was tightened down as far as it could go, and yet it still could be taken off the battery post with ease. Not visible is the battery box which is cut open at each end as if to take a longer battery, and of course you can see that glorious strap across the top. It is time to clean house.
In the process of looking for a new battery tray I found that Dirtbound Offroad makes a steel tray designed for an Optima 34/78 battery: http://www.dirtboundoffroad.com/optima-34-78-bolt-in-battery-tray-jeep-cherokee-xj.html
I'm not sold on the 34/78 format, but I do like and use the Group 34 batteries. I ordered a tray and yes, it will work with a Group 34 with the addition of the clamps which come as part of the 34/78 package. So that's what my new system will be designed around. I used an old, dead 34 for the mock-up. No smoke to let out this way.
Finally knowing where I was going it was time to take apart the mess I had on my hands. Here's what was lurking on the positive side:
That is the factory starter cable intertwined with what appears to be some sort of Monster Cable primary wire. There are quite a few strands doing next to nothing in this scenario.
Then on the negative side:
That's more of that Monster Cable or whatever it is. Notice the corrosion in the pocket formed by the grub screw. Whatever material they are using there, it does not appear to be the right choice for use with copper.
A substantial part of the problem here is that there is always a need to tie in something new, and there never seems to be the right provision for doing so. All too often folks just look for the quickest solution that will get things working today, but not much thought is given to ten years down the line. There is a better way.
The first thing I did was add in a junction block for the positive cables:
That is a 3/8-16 stud on an insulated mount. I have it screwed to the PDC mount. A short cable now goes between it and the PDC. Additionally one cable runs between that stud and the battery post, plus the factory starter cable now is routed to that stud. There is still room for a couple more cables.
Then we have how things now are managed at the battery itself:
Those are a military style terminal. They accept cable lugs. Multiples if need be. More options for expansion when needed.
They also offer flexibility. Not having sprung for the $300 Optima yet, I still need to be able to use the battery the Jeep came with. I have to shuffle a wire, but it works:
Just thought I would share.
