I was looking at getting another xj and found this one, only guy went to get it running and said it burnt a battery cable up after he connected the battery. I haven't seen it as it's a good little haul for me but didn't know if some of you tech guys might have an idea on it.

It's a 01 xj.

Here's what he said
Ok, put a new battery in the Jeep today (8-15-15) and a wire connected to the battery cables burned in two, so it is not driveable. So now, it does not have a battery. I've added a picture of the burned wire for reference. It's right next to the fuse box that sits behind the battery on the passenger side fender.

 

The problem is not the burned wire. The problem is whatever caused the wire to burn.

You don't know? Neither does anybody else. It could be minor, it could be major.

 

Yeah, I asked in hopes something similar had happened to someone else, I haven't seen anything like that in all my years around vehicles and realize it will take some chasing wires down to figure it out. Again, just hoped someone had seen or had an issue like that.

Thanks

 

Pass, it's FUBAR.

 

I have never seen that either.
I hope someone chimes in.
If not contact member 5-90. He is the man for battery cables.

 

That is what happens when you wire the battery up the wrong way one of my friends did this to his YJ when he was first learning about cars.

 

Thanks for that, might be some bargaining power... No real way I suppose to be 100% sure that's the issue without fixing the wire and reinstalling the battery. Jeeps an 01 with 230k+ miles for 850, deployed air bags, bumper and both fenders pushed in. I don't really care about the bumper as I'll make one for it anyways, fenders I can repair or replace cheap enough just have to see if any damage was done to the uni body. Only other concern is the fact it's an 01, suppose at those miles head gaskets been replaced already.

 

The burned wire you showed us is a fusible link. It's a wire that acts as a fuse. It's made to burn exactly like that to protect the power distribution center and other electrical components from current overload. It's replaceable. If you buy this Jeep, make sure it gets replaced with the correct fusible link wire and not just whatever wire is available, or else you'll burn up your system when it surges again.

Before you replace it, you need to figure out (or at least formulate an educated guess) what caused it to blow. It could be that the battery was somehow installed incorrectly as was noted above. Did it blow immediately when the guy installed the battery? Or did he install the battery without incident until he tried to crank it, and then it blew?

It's not the head gasket that you have to worry about with an '01. It's the 0331 head itself. Those heads had a casting flaw that causes some of them to crack between the #3 and #4 cylinders for no reason, even when the Jeep has been properly maintained.

 

That is the wire that is connected to the alternator. Replace the wire, alternator and the battery cables and should be good to go. don't forget to redo all of the grounds in the engine bay wile you are in there.

 

x2 b4 replacing follow that wire and see if its pinched somewhere causing short to ground.

 

Without finding what caused it to blow in the first place? Fusible links don't blow just because they get in a bad mood one day.

Rotsa ruck with that.