PSA Engine ground strap

[99mhz]

Hi all, I searched all over about JL ground strap issues, and did not find a lot relating to my symptoms. Maybe this is a bazar one off for me, but if anyone is experiencing weird electrical issues check the ground strap from the back of the engine/head over to the body above the CAT. Right hand side. Mine was very corroded and almost broke in half. Looks like the CAT was cooking it. I'll attach an image.

I was having the following symptoms that a replacement of this ground strap fixed! Took the dealer a month to find it ? But I'm glad they stuck to finding the root cause!

• Start/stop warning and loss of power steering while driving!
• Start/stop warning with battery warning.
• engine hesitation while lightly holding throttle cruising more pronounced up hill. Felt like air or fuel issues.
• I have a lot of locker warnings too but time will tell if it helped with that. Likely not. I do have the Z locker modules, but it didn't cure the weirdness I have

Anyway hope this might help someone! I can't believe after only 5 years a braided metal ground strap failed!

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[Chocolate Thunder]

That’s a pretty pathetic main engine ground. Consider replacing it with something more robust, like a 4 AWG cable with proper heat protective shielding. It would only cost a few dollars to fabricate yourself.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Jeeps can and do suffer from ground connections. Had it happen going back to '85.

There are a lot of ground points on a Jeep.

That said If you have any issues at all. If you have a replacement battery with dual contacts, usually 4 on top of the battery.

Check you Negative main cable connection, if it goes to the frame replace it with a Copper cable, I SUGGEST welding grade, 6 or 8 gage, you can bigger if you want. Copper carries better than steel or what they use. Also welding cable is more flexible than auto-grade, which SHIT!

Ground is a CRITICAL connection in your jeep!

Here are some cables I made for a custom RV application

This is a set of Jeep cables I made for a dual battery setup. NOTE the fine wire welding grade...electricty travels on the OUTSIDE of the wire so finer wire carries more amps/volts and is more flexible. The end connectors are solid copper Zinc plated. I use what is called a solder bullit. Note the open end of the connector, drop a soldier bullet down the throat and then insert you wire and solder away. If you look closely at the connectors you will see 3 pinkesh stripes. This is a size of solder bullit. That way ou always have the correct amount of solder

 

[IanNubbit]

Hi all, I searched all over about JL ground strap issues, and did not find a lot relating to my symptoms. Maybe this is a bazar one off for me, but if anyone is experiencing weird electrical issues check the ground strap from the back of the engine/head over to the body above the CAT. Right hand side. Mine was very corroded and almost broke in half. Looks like the CAT was cooking it. I'll attach an image.

I was having the following symptoms that a replacement of this ground strap fixed! Took the dealer a month to find it ? But I'm glad they stuck to finding the root cause!

• Start/stop warning and loss of power steering while driving!
• Start/stop warning with battery warning.
• engine hesitation while lightly holding throttle cruising more pronounced up hill. Felt like air or fuel issues.
• I have a lot of locker warnings too but time will tell if it helped with that. Likely not. I do have the Z locker modules, but it didn't cure the weirdness I have

Anyway hope this might help someone! I can't believe after only 5 years a braided metal ground strap failed!

Its personally the biggest POS main Engine Ground, ive had to make my own heavier duty ground for many JLs after no starts and things alike

 

[mwilk012]

2.0 or 3.6?

 

[OSCAR II]

I'm sure someone will correct me, without looking at one or seeing the wiring diagram, but thats normally the body ground.
Usually the heavy gauge neg wire from the battery goes to the block, head or engine bracket. That cable is for anything thats grounded to the body looking for a path to the battery.
Important on a frame on body vehicle because the body is on insulators.
I knew many guys doing engine swaps that would eliminate it. If they had a floor shifted auto they would keep breaking shifter cables. It would use use the shifter cable for ground and they would burn up.

 

[OSCAR II]

Jeeps can and do suffer from ground connections. Had it happen going back to '85.

There are a lot of ground points on a Jeep.

That said If you have any issues at all. If you have a replacement battery with dual contacts, usually 4 on top of the battery.

Check you Negative main cable connection, if it goes to the frame replace it with a Copper cable, I SUGGEST welding grade, 6 or 8 gage, you can bigger if you want. Copper carries better than steel or what they use. Also welding cable is more flexible than auto-grade, which SHIT!

Ground is a CRITICAL connection in your jeep!

Here are some cables I made for a custom RV application

This is a set of Jeep cables I made for a dual battery setup. NOTE the fine wire welding grade...electricty travels on the OUTSIDE of the wire so finer wire carries more amps/volts and is more flexible. The end connectors are solid copper Zinc plated. I use what is called a solder bullit. Note the open end of the connector, drop a soldier bullet down the throat and then insert you wire and solder away. If you look closely at the connectors you will see 3 pinkesh stripes. This is a size of solder bullit. That way ou always have the correct amount of solder

Want to go one better, look into marine grade cable. Very high strand count tined (silver plated even better conductor) for corrosion resistance.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Want to go one better, look into marine grade cable. Very high strand count tined (silver plated even better conductor) for corrosion resistance.

YES! But that more than nosebleed $$$.

ALL of my connections are solid copper and then Zinc, lead or silver plated, not cheap either.

 

[OSCAR II]

YES! But that more than nosebleed $$$.

ALL of my connections are solid copper and then Zinc, lead or silver plated, not cheap either.

If you go to a marine/boat shop, its a luxury and they have you by the short hairs. I've gotten fair prices on Ebay and bought it by the foot.
I've received plenty of free welding cable but its usually 2/0 or 4/0, not easy to connect to everything.
Everybody will spend money on a winch, lights, trailer/inverter rig but wire cheaper is better.

 

[IanNubbit]

2.0 or 3.6?

3.6, 2.0 is identical though

 

[Old Jeeper]

If you go to a marine/boat shop, its a luxury and they have you by the short hairs. I've gotten fair prices on Ebay and bought it by the foot.
I've received plenty of free welding cable but its usually 2/0 or 4/0, not easy to connect to everything.
Everybody will spend money on a winch, lights, trailer/inverter rig but wire cheaper is better.

I use the 4/0 in the battery connections and when I built Jumper cables. and the snap connections like the Yellow ones in my pic, those are good for 500 amps I think, I its the highest amperage you can get in those connections.

 

[99mhz]

That’s a pretty pathetic main engine ground. Consider replacing it with something more robust, like a 4 AWG cable with proper heat protective shielding. It would only cost a few dollars to fabricate yourself.

I'm going to keep an eye on the replacement for sure, and shore it up if its starts to degrade!
Thanks for the advice.

 

[99mhz]

2.0 or 3.6?

3.6

 

[99mhz]

Jeeps can and do suffer from ground connections. Had it happen going back to '85.

There are a lot of ground points on a Jeep.

That said If you have any issues at all. If you have a replacement battery with dual contacts, usually 4 on top of the battery.

Check you Negative main cable connection, if it goes to the frame replace it with a Copper cable, I SUGGEST welding grade, 6 or 8 gage, you can bigger if you want. Copper carries better than steel or what they use. Also welding cable is more flexible than auto-grade, which SHIT!

Ground is a CRITICAL connection in your jeep!

Here are some cables I made for a custom RV application

This is a set of Jeep cables I made for a dual battery setup. NOTE the fine wire welding grade...electricty travels on the OUTSIDE of the wire so finer wire carries more amps/volts and is more flexible. The end connectors are solid copper Zinc plated. I use what is called a solder bullit. Note the open end of the connector, drop a soldier bullet down the throat and then insert you wire and solder away. If you look closely at the connectors you will see 3 pinkesh stripes. This is a size of solder bullit. That way ou always have the correct amount of solder

This is my first Jeep, so I don't have a lot of history on what goes bad when I'm learning as I go haha
Nice set up on the battery you got there. Looks great, and yes the welding wire seems way better. Maybe a bit of rerouting away from the CAT as well!

 

[OSCAR II]

I'm going to keep an eye on the replacement for sure, and shore it up if its starts to degrade!
Thanks for the advice.

They dont usually burn up. Is the battery leaking on it? Rubbing on the cat, do you have a large inverter thats grounded to the body?

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