ZINGGG

I'll start off saying I'm electrically retarded.

Just did the ANL Fuseblock on my rig. Plugged it all in, sparks fly and blown fuse. My dumb self decided to use the second fuse that came with the kit from Kelley's WiP and same thing, blown. Now I'm a sitting duck until I can find a new fuse and figure out whats goin on.

I have the positive cable running from the battery to the fuseblock and cable running from fuseblock to the alternator. The alternator is 120A and the fuses are 150A (maybe that's the problem?)

What am I doing wrong? Praying that Jon will be on tonight

kstopp

Is it possible that is the ground location on the alternator and not the power spot?

ZINGGG

Negative. The ground is where that black block looking thing is (if you look at the pic of the back of the alternator). Underneath the red wire

kstopp

This alternator is new along with the upgraded wiring? It's never been on your XJ before?

It's possible the power stud on the alternator is shorting out on the casing. Also check the fuse block, make sure the studs at the back have no way of touching the body work. Not a bad idea to follow your power wire and make sure it hasn't accidentally gotten cut by some sharp piece of metal.

You could take a multimeter and see if there is a connection between the positive lead at your ANL fuse block positive terminal and chassis ground. Which is most likely why it is blowing. It is blowing with the vehicle off right? Just as soon as you put the fuse in?

kennzz05

shouldnt take long to figure out with a meter, set to ohm scale un hook everything and check for continuity. if you need help on figureing out how to use a multimeter go to youtube and try "using a multimeter to check for continuity"

you will have one wire from the meter going to a good body ground ant the other going to all youre wiring and terminal on the back of the alt. wires have to be disconnected or you wont be able to narrow down where the problem is.
in the picture where it shows youre battery is that where the fuse goes? im guessing thats where the prob is, those bolts that the red wire is bolted can in no way come in contact with the metal portion of the vehicle., hard to tell tho, cuz im really not sure what im looking at.

WAIT,WHAT are those screws actually bolted to the fender???? thats the prob, dead azz short! um yea you cant do that, the positive wire cant touch any metal on the jeep, its the same as putting a screwdriver across the battery terminals(dont do that)

oh and until you can get another fuse just bolt the two ends of the wire togeather with a bolt and nut and tape the shizz out of it so they dont ground out to metal

look at this link see how the block is plastic and gets sccrewed to the body thats what you need
http://www.donrowe.com/accessories/fuse_anl.html

5-90

You're in luck - this is one of the boards I check a couple of times a day (seriously - if you need a quick answer, please do email me! I'm relatively active on at least eight Jeep boards, several other boards, run a handful of mailing lists, and doing research for books and other writings. You can figure on a response taking upwards of 24 hours on a board - but you can often get a response via email within a couple of hours, depending on what I'm doing. My email windows are always open, unless I'm travelling.)

Using a 150A fuse with a 120A alternator is fine - it's going the other way around that can cause a problem (only if you go to full output at the alternator - which you often do not.)

If you've attached your output cable to the post with the single BLK or BRN plastic surround (the colour varies,) you've got the right one.

HOWEVER - and I have run into this sort of thing before - if you've removed the plastic surround from that post, you're probably grounding out on the case! In which case, the fuse is doing its job.

(Yes, ran across this once before. It just took five fuses to get the picture that told me what was going on - you've posted it straight away.)

If the cable doesn't fit in the surround, it's just plastic - and it can be easily modified. A hand saw (a hacksaw works best) will easily cut the resin plastic that makes the guard - dress the cuts with a fine file or fine sandpaper when you're done. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should that guard be omitted in the final installation!

If you threw it away, let me know and I'll see if I can't dig up a replacement. If the guard has been omitted, I'll have to charge for fuses - since it's an installer error (which is preventable - if you get stuck, email me! I'm not going to drop you just because I've got your money and shipped your box, I don't work that way...)

5-90

Oh - that moulded black rubber block is just that - a moulded black rubber block. There are either three or four wires that run through it (no electronics - it's merely there to locate the ring lugs):
- Two for the field coil feed from the regulator (the "paired" M4 studs, with the GRY surround)
- One for the B+ output (single M6 - rarely M8 - stud with BLK or BRN surround)
- One for the alternator case "local" ground (may or may not be present, would probably go to that nice, shiny screw about 3:00 in your pic.)

Adding a dedicated ground for the alternator case isn't necessarily a bad thing - but it's also not always needed, and I doubt it's what's causing your problem (and adding it wouldn't fix things.)

kennzz05

ok so obviously i didnt know it was a kit from 5-90 (my bad) so i guess what looks like something bolted to the fender is actually a clear plastic mounting plate? cuz in the pic it looks like its just bolted to the side of the fender

5-90

That's the base for the ANL fuse block - the cover is on the battery (sitting astraddle the holddown bar.)

The fuse blocks I use currently are cast from clear polycarbonate, and they're the same thing I use (until I find something better - I'm always looking! However, it's always trying to strike a balance between price & quality: I want to put out the best parts I can, but I want to try to save you a few bucks doing it...)

5-90

A valid thought - may I comment?
- The studs for the electrical connection are pressed through the poly base
- They are pulled solid once the nuts are installed
- There are poly caps over the stud heads, for added protection (but, I think the only way they can make contact without the caps is if they're loose...)
- The screws I supply sit below the level of the surface of the base block
- The mating mounting hardware is a pair of brass/rubber "well nuts" - a threaded brass insert in an elastomer (probably not rubber - I think they're EPDM) shell, which gets pulled tight and "pinches" the sheetmetal. No metal-to-metal contact with the mounting surface.

I do pick my parts and hardware carefully, and I try to think of all of these things before the first part/kit/whatever goes out the door.

I do appreciate this sort of thinking - and this is the sort of thing that allows me to improve my offerings for everyone! - so I'm not trying to disparage your thinking. Do please keep it up! Just don't be surprised if I comment on those thoughts as they come up, and it's entirely possible I'll say "Thanks for that - I'll make a change!"

Keep it up!

ZINGGG

You guys are awesome. Thank you for the responses. After reading your responses, I believe I have found my issue. I did remove the black guard (shown in the picture). I believe I am currently grounding on the alternator case. I will be reinstalling this plastic guard and finding a new fuse to reinstall (Best Buy carries them after looking at their website).

It is a brand new alternator and yes, the fuse was blowing as soon as I reattached the negative cables (with the car off). But yeah, as Jon mentioned, it is not bolted directly to the fender. There is a plastic plate underneath it. I took the picture with the fuse already taken out and the negative battery cables disconnected.

Best Buy opens at 11 AM Pacific Time tomorrow morning. I will report back once I reinstall that plastic guard and put in a new fuse. Once again, really appreciate the responses. Electrical work is all kinds of confusing to me

5-90

That would be it, then.

4AWG usually fits into the guard without any trouble, even the double-jacketed stuff I like to use. 1AWG is a bit dicey - take a hacksaw and cut those straight "fence" bit you see off, dress the cuts, you're good. You could even cut it flat if you wanted to - just so the base of the insulator/guard stays in place to prevent grounding out against the case.

What was happening is that, when you hooked up the circuit, the battery current shunted through into the alternator case (that lead is always hot, unless the fuse pops!)

Probably simpler solution than you thought, hm? Glad we got it sorted quickly!

kstopp

Nice to see someone who uses good quality parts rather than trying to make a few extra $$! My comment stemmed from some cheap looking amplifier kits I have seen on people's vehicles before. Some of them I have seen with open backing plates and the studs are only sitting off the back a few mm. If mounted to a uneven metal surface there was the chance of it shorting out.

ZINGGG

So yeah, this is how it was sitting. Like I said, I'm electrically retarded. But I put back on the plastic guard and all is well! Running beautifully. Thanks again guys

5-90

I have a simple rule: If I'm not going to run it on my own vehicles, you're not going to buy it from me. And I'm a picky bastid...

And no, I'm not offended. Not in the least!

OP - Glad we got you sorted. One thing you have to bear in mind - especially with automotive electrical - is that OEMs are notoriously cheap. If it's there, there's going to be a good reason for it. Else, that ten-cent part would be gone...