[JWFokker]

The braided ground strap going from the engine to the firewall has completely corroded and is now broken and crumbling away in my XJ. From reading lots of threads, it appears that this is a common problem, but I can't find a replacement ground strap anywhere. I've seen some people use regular wire as a replacement, but I'd rather stick with the braided wire to avoid RF interference. Does anyone know where I can find a replacement that would work? Or should I just go to the local dealership and order it up there? I've looked at generic ground straps online, but the XJ uses 11/16" on the block and I think 5/8" at the firewall, which makes finding one that will fit a real problem.

[JeepRide]

Any napa store's in your area they should have them may have to take old one in for them to match up don't think they list them by applaction.

[xjpro]

If u cannot get the stock one, go to an auto store buy yourself some of the battery cable that they sell by the foot (the one with lots of strands) and choose two terminals with the desired measurements, check if they can crimp them at the store for you. To isolate them and give it a good look before you crimp the terminals use some heat shrink. That will work perfect for the ground needs of your Jeep.

[HeepToJeep]

The factory straps sucked when they were new, bad layout and too small of gauge........use battery cable to make new ones.

Wm

[ManimaL89]

I have bought from this place before,http://www.waytekwire.com/.

They carry the rocker switches that ARB uses for their lockers.

They have ground straps available in varying lengths.

http://order.waytekwire.com/IMAGES/M37/catalog/220_044.PDF

[bushytails]

A piece of #4 ricer cable (the ultra-fine-stranded stuff), two lugs, and some shrink tubing will give you a cable much better than the stock one.

--Bushytails

[mtnxj]

Best aftermarket ground straps and battery cables can be found here:

http://www.geocities.com/JeepI6Power/

Best part is that this guy owns several XJ's and builds these parts way beyond factory specs. He also goes by 5-90 on NAXJA if you want to PM him there.

[JWFokker]

All the suggestions for battery cable obviously didn't read what I wrote, but thankfully JeepRide and ManimaL89 did. I checked Napa Online, but as mentioned, they don't list them. I'll give the local Napa a shot before I order one from Waytek (which didn't come up with Google).

[bushytails]

Or, all of them knew that the braided wire doesn't make one bit of difference, and would cost you a lot more for thinner, less effective wires.

--Bushytails

[1995sport]

advance auto and autozone have them in the HELP! section.

[CharBroiled]

Originally Posted by bushytails

Or, all of them knew that the braided wire doesn't make one bit of difference, and would cost you a lot more for thinner, less effective wires.

x2

there is no real RF difference between a flat braided cable or multistrand wire when used in this application. the frequencies arent that high for the surface area effect to make a difference.

main reason its a braided strap vs a round multistrand wire is better resistance to vibration and high current capacity for its size. in the case of engine ground straps its mainly the engine movement vs the short length of run that is the reason its a braided strap - its much more forgiving than wire would be.

if youre really worried about RF you should be putting .01 caps between all power/speaker leads and ground. heck, even grounding your exhaust if you have really nasty RF problems.

[bushytails]

I've never had vibration problems using finely stranded copper wire for the ground - and if you consider that the factory wires that connect anything between the body and the engine are generic thick-strand wire (battery ground, starter power, every single cable in the harness, etc.) and work just fine...

Even if there were some frequencies high enough for the skin effect to be significant, the circumference of an upgraded body ground wire, using round wire, is more than the width of the factory flat braid, and would still be an improvement.

Hell, if you really want a good ground, I'll make you one with 2ft of 2/0 tinned marine wire with 3/8" sealed lugs (installed with a 12-ton crimper) and adhesive shrink tubing for $20+shipping - I gaurantee that even at high frequencies where surface effects dominate, this grounds better than the factory ground bond.

If you're really worried about RF, as the last poster suggests, you'll want to bond your exhaust, roof rack, doors, and every other part that's only questionably connected to the body, with lots of 1.5" wide flat braid... unless you're planning on a high-powered ham antenna in the middle of your roof, chances are none of that will matter, though.

--Bushytails

[mtnxj]

Originally Posted by JWFokker

All the suggestions for battery cable obviously didn't read what I wrote, but thankfully JeepRide and ManimaL89 did. I checked Napa Online, but as mentioned, they don't list them. I'll give the local Napa a shot before I order one from Waytek (which didn't come up with Google).

Originally Posted by CharBroiled

x2

there is no real RF difference between a flat braided cable or multistrand wire when used in this application. the frequencies arent that high for the surface area effect to make a difference.

main reason its a braided strap vs a round multistrand wire is better resistance to vibration and high current capacity for its size. in the case of engine ground straps its mainly the engine movement vs the short length of run that is the reason its a braided strap - its much more forgiving than wire would be.

if youre really worried about RF you should be putting .01 caps between all power/speaker leads and ground. heck, even grounding your exhaust if you have really nasty RF problems.

I've run 5-90s replacement cables for 4 years now. The CABLE that replaced the silly little ground strap has never caused any RF noise or issues. The old "Renix" six to eight second crank to start is still to this day down to two seconds of cranking before starting. What do I know though? Use a silly little flat braided wire. If you keep your Jeep for more than a year or two, you'll be doing it again.

If you would like to get better performance out of your electronics in your Jeep, then go with 5-90s products. My

[Crystalship1]

Originally Posted by JWFokker

All the suggestions for battery cable obviously didn't read what I wrote, but thankfully JeepRide and ManimaL89 did. I checked Napa Online, but as mentioned, they don't list them. I'll give the local Napa a shot before I order one from Waytek (which didn't come up with Google).

Hmmm.....Nice attitude for people who gave you great and INFORMED advice.

As the others have pointed-out battery cable would have worked wonderfully.

[Matt Gertsch]

pssst...


5/8" ground strap+11/16" drill bit=the part you need.