TnBob

New to this forum but sure not to repairs.

This 1997 jeep grand cherokee 8 cyl starter connections has me a bit stumped. I added a relay to a friends jeep to stop the huge battery drain thru the 50amp fuse circuit. Due to our schedules, getting parts ect its been about 3 wks since I pulled the electrics apart.

I put a relay in series with the 50amp circuit to turn that circuit totally off when the jeep isnt running. The alarm circuit has already been cut out by a PO.

I cant find where the stubby, I think, starter lead from the battery goes.

Its about 10" long and was connected to the old battery connector that is also being replaced.

Ive looked as has another buddy who does alot more mechanical work and neither of us can spot where the power lead goes. The other one that appears to go directly to the alternator thru the harness is good and intact.

When I get this running again Im gonna post a how to for anyone else with the seemingly common battery drain issue. Ive already got alot of pics.

Thanks for any leads on where it is that Im overlooking this connection that is hiding.

ol"blue

Okay, looking at the diagram in the manual, the one wire goes to the battery and the other goes to a black connector that is described as "rear of generator". I assume that's the alternator, then to the starter relay in the PDC. Sorry I'm not good with things electrical.
If my scanner/printer was working I'd send you this page. Sorry.
And Welcome to CF!
Dan

ET JEEP

If you are referring to the 2 red battery positive leads, one goes to the starter motor and the other is battery feed to the PDC.

TnBob

Ive got 2 red leads from the + of the battery. Did some more chasing and the long one in fact seems to go to the starter. I still cant find any place to connect the stubby (10") red lead. It has bare wire to connect to the battery and a factory type lug at the end that I cant seem to find a hookup location for.... grrrrrr.

Im not familar with ... PDC. Is it located within ~10" of the + of the battery ?

TnBob

Thanks for the welcome Dan.

ol"blue

The Power Distribution Center is the black relay box to the rear of the battery.
Dan

ol"blue

We're glad to have you here.
Dan

TnBob

Ahh ok... so thats the name for that black box.

In the pic ... maybe the wire there is the issue, the green one.

The red will go to the PDC but with the green attached .. its almost
a direct short.


So to rephrase my question....
Where does the 2nd Red from the battery go?
Where does the green in that pic go ?

ET JEEP

A picture will help.

ET JEEP

That green wire should be the alternator feed wire. I looked at mine and the green wire goes toward the alternator. According to the wiring diagram, the alternator wire changes color from Red/Blk to drkGrn and connects to the PDC via fuse 1 which is 175A. Although the diagram shows the red/blk going to the PDC. Looking at mine the red/blk goes to the alternator.

There should be a 175A fuse somewhere there if it is the alternator wire. You can open up the loom some and see if it goes to the alternator.

This would not create a short. That would be how the PDC gets fed with the engine running and also the battery gets charged.

TnBob

So your saying the Red and the Green should both be tied to the same connection point on the outer edge of the PDC ?

ET JEEP

Yes, I just looked at mine since I have never looked that far into the PDC. Bend the red factory lug into a right angle and attach it from the side.


That connection is the PDC power feed. With the engine stopped, the battery feeds the PDC for start up. Once running, the alternator feeds both the PDC and the battery. That is how the battery gets charged.