John365

Hello everyone. I’m new to this forum but I have been viewing it for the last couple of years after I bought my XJ.

My question is this. I have a 2001 XJ and am in the process of replacing my battery cables. I’m not sure if one of the previous owners moved the battery ground cable or if it is in its stock location, it’s bolted to the back or the upper alternator mounting bolt.

I have ave looked at several pictures which show either a ground block on the passenger side of the block just in front of the cam position sensor or a threaded boss just behind the alternator bracket. My block is completely smooth in these areas, no boss of any kind I can bolt to.

So so my question is will the alternator bracket work sufficiently for a battery ground? Or do I need to fab something up?

cruiser54

Contact Neal at www.meanlemons.com.


He'll have an answer for you.

fb97xj1

This is the factory battery/chassis ground setup.






I dont know if the 2001 alternator is setup the exact same, but this is the factory setup for my 97.



As long as there is a clear path to ground you should have no problems. You can always doublecheck using a multimeter. Havent driven my 97 for quite a while but the last time i did, all grounds read 0.03 ohms IIRC, and voltages were within spec with the engine off and engine running.

John365

Thanks for the help. For some reason my block has no where for any kind of a bolt in those areas you would normally find the ground. I’ll take the multimeter to it this evening and check the resistance where it is. Here’s a picture of my block where the ground should be.

fb97xj1

Never seen that before. I think even the Grand and TJ had something there.

jordan96xj

Based on other readings, I think that might have been a swapped WJ 4.0

In the following post, the author mentions either having to drill the block for the ground locations (because nothing is there), but opted to simply extend the ground wires to an existing bolt somewhere.

http://www.greatlakes4x4.com/showthread.php?t=168732

(this is not an area of expertise for me, I just saw a connection between this post and another post happening in the main OEM section right now, and a link that was shared in that one).

fb97xj1

That link sound like the bosses were there, they just werent tapped. Didnt see any pics. The OP doesnt have any bosses to begin with. I wouldnt even consider drilling. As long as there are no electrical issues, i say leave it. Run it as is and dont look back.

John365

Thanks for the input. Since the XJ starts and runs fine the way it’s setup I’m just going to upgrade my cables and leave it be, I’m not drilling anything since the boss obviously isn’t there. I was just hoping a bracket had been removed which I could replace. I’m not happy with where the ground is since I’m sure it isn’t “right”, but it works. If I start to have problems I might revisit the idea.

Thanks for the help.

Tbone289

Ground is ground. There is really is no "right" or "wrong" as long as it has a good, clean connection.

John365

I know ground is ground. I just have some OCD issues, lol. I like that factory stock look under the hood.

Tbone289

Close the hood and drive. Stop looking at it!

I get it. I have a minor issue with that as well, but logic eventually prevails in the long term.