Simple question is the battery hold down really needed? I ran without it the whole time i owned it but came to mind when poking around under the hood. I noticed alot of junkyard jeeps dont have them either.

 

You should always use a battery hold down. Without one the battery flops around like a fish out of water. You can stress the cables if they dont have any slack in them (G100, for example), and the battery could jump up and hit the hood if the road (or trail) gets rough. Most are missing from the salvage yards as they get tossed aside when the batteries are pulled and fluids drained. Sometimes theyll toss them back into the engine bay or inside the vehicle. All the ones i have come across were pretty trashed anyway from rust and corrosion.

 

Good point. When i replace my battery cables ill get a new tiedown kit online if there is any. Trying to somewhat make my jeep nice lol its a work in progress.

 

I've never ran without a hold down. You won't either after you hit a hole when you're wheeling, and your battery ends up welded to the underside of your hood. (Not me, seen it happen at a mud drag race though..)
Then again, short cables could keep that from happening....

 

I would consider it in other vehicles for a temporary measure, but as close as the posts are to the underside of the hood in an XJ, no way I'd drive without a hold down.

 

I can relate to the "work in progress". I would say, definitely put a hold down on it. It's a good safety precaution.

 

Batteries left loose inside the engine bay can vibrate and cause the battery to fail. An unsecured battery can also fall into the moving parts of the engine and cause damage. Acid can also leak from the battery damaging the engine, components and paintwork. Unsecured batteries can also ‘short out’ on metal parts under the bonnet and cause a fire or explosion.

So yup, it is important to secure all batteries using appropriate hold down brackets and clamps

 

I was missing mine and couldn't find one in the junk yard because they usually toss them when they remove the battery. I finally found one that they had tossed aside in the engine bay and immediately grabbed it. You could always just make one out of a metal strap until you can get a real one.

 

I've never had one in my 97, but now I need to get one to pass inspection.


It really isn't a good idea to run without one.

 

Required for safety inspection up here. Made one myself out of flat steel and long thread rod.

 

If you can't find one, another option is to take one from another vehicle with the same size battery and adapt it.

 

This ^

And this ^

I wouldn't leave home with any of my vehicles without a secure OEM type battery hold down.
Having said that, i hold my 'ol Farmall tractor's battery down with bungee cords! But it never leaves home! lol

 

Good morning everyone... I hope everyone is doing good. I have been coming and reading once in awhile. But this post made me want to come add my 2 cents about how important battery hold downs truly are. Anyone who has worked in the towing and recovery business like I have has witnessed what can happen if your car rolls or lands upside down in an accident with no hold downs.

Far too many times I have witnessed whole families, vans or buses full of victims burn alive because there was no hold down. They don't send a fire truck out to every accident because there is a fire... they send it out to prevent a fire. The first thing they do is cut the battery cables to prevent shorting and arcing at the battery because electrolyte is highly flammable. 99% of flaming accidents are caused by the battery arcing.

Your battery hold down is your most important fire prevention device if you are involved in an accident!

 

Yeah i was just curious. Sounds like its very important..... The old owner actually hammered the ever living P*** out of that metal part thats very close to the battery so he could fit a marine battery in its place. So im not sure if that would make any difference but youre right im gonna get a new hold down, I want my jeep to be safe and actually its coming along from what it was before lol just a bit of money and itll be like new again thats why i ask these questions. Thanks all for the knowledge.