So im not sure if it is me causing this due to static but i been using my car for a week and not once has it shocked me. My jeep on the other hand everytime i touch the metal after a few minutes itll shock me. Is it just me or is there a grounding issue with my jeep? i think it could be static because if it were to shock me wouldnt it be a bigger zap as opposed to a static shock?

 

Back in the day, cars had grounding straps under them to prevent static shock from filling them with gas. Nowadays, the pumps are grounded. But if you have lifted your XJ so it is farther from the ground etc you could have an issue. But beware you are causing it from dragging your feet on the carpet etc and transferring it to the Jeep

 

What year is your vehicle? In my 1992 and 1988 there is a grounding strap from the fuel tank's filling tube to the body and another from a bold on the head to the firewall. You can always add more grounds or uprade your cables. O'Reilly's sells double ought cables by the 25' and some on here recommend pre-made Mean Lemons cables by a forum member.

 

Cruiser54 has a website that has a write up on reinforcing and cleaning the grounds in the back of the jeep and recommends putting an extra on the pump. The write up has pictures.

 

Has anyone else been getting shocked touching your ride? If you are getting shocked, everyone else should be to. If they arent, then it sounds like static discharge.

Static discharge varies from person to person. Some feel it, some dont feel anything. Sometimes it can be heard, by you, or those next to you. This happens at work from time to time touching anything metal, even plastic, and varies from person to person. It happens mostly in Winter when the air is really dry. Some dont get zapped at all. I found that if i touch using my fingertips, i feel it, but not always. If i use my palm, its much less, if anything at all. More surface area for it to discharge, i guess. It even happens touching others. Whatever the path of least resistance may be. Rubber soles are an insulator and the static charge builds until we touch something, so there is that also. it doesnt have to be skin contact. Clothing does it to.

When it comes to vehicles, i have gotten zapped getting out of my moms 2018 Grand a couple times, but never in. I found that if i put both feet on the ground and dont touch the body of the vehicle, i dont feel anything. But if i am touching the body of the vehicle as i get out, with my feet on the ground, sometimes ill feel a faint tingle in my fingertips (engine running or not), but never happens to my mom, or my stepdad. Never happens with my XJ, or any other vehicle. So far.

Like said, see if anyone else gets zapped touching your ride.

 

its a 99 and i just found it odd that i dont get shocked by my miata but my jeep 9/10 i get shocked just like now i got back from work i stomped to my jeep and touched the hood and got zapped lol.

 

Is it just an instant zap, or does it last longer than a normal static shock? Sometimes years ago, some heavy vehicles (ambulances, etc.) used to have a chain that hung down from the body/frame that made contact with the ground to lessen the risk of static, since they were carrying oxygen. Maybe try putting something like that on temporarily to see if that helps.

 

It is just static. It is not the vehicle's electrical system. Why one car is doing it, and another is not, could depend on many factors. For example, how and when you touch the cars, what you were doing, and/or wearing right before touching the cars, as well as the materials used in the cars various coatings (paint, metal e-coating, etc.). If it happens a lot when getting out of the Jeep, try spraying some Static Guard on the seats, particularly where you slide in and out of the vehicle. (Sold at drug stores and big box retailers where fabric softeners are found for use on clothes, and some people like to use it in their hair).

 

There is absolutely ZERO reason to use double ought cables unless you are adding a battery in the back or adding a winch, and then only to those specific items. There is ZERO benefit to it otherwise, except for "mine is bigger than yours" bragging rights. Anything bigger than 4 gauge is a pointless waste of copper, and is only done based on ignorance of basic principles of electricity.

Other than that, what fb97xj1 and jordan96xj said. That's the whole enchilada.

 

It can be cheaper than the often recommended cables that I see on here and cheaper than buying the pre-cut 4 gauge cables from the parts stores. At about $10 per cable and needing one for the head to firewall, one for the negative to the body, one for the negative block, one for the positive to the starter, and one from the positive to the power distribution center add quickly. I view that as a big reason. Also, if there is enough excess, then you could buy clamps to make a set of jumper cables.

 

It's only static electricity created when you slide across the seat because of the nylon fabric. Static electricity can also build up in the vehicle's body as you drive, especially at high speeds. If you've ever noticed at toll booths or service stations on highways, there's usually an antenna sticking out of the ground to ground the vehicles so the toll booth attendants don't get shocked or a spark created when you fuel up your car. Aircraft always have a grounding plug on the fuel nozzle to ground the plane before you open the tank. Jet aircraft fuel fillers are grounded normally before the nozzle is connected by turning the nozzle to open the fuel valve.