The BIG 3 Upgrade Install - Improve your Car's Electrical and Charging System

[@daveg4963]

Isn't there a reason why the cable from the head bolt to the firewall braided?

[@bleepinjeep]

It's very close to the header and my guess would be that the factory used a braided wire just because of its proximity to it. Insulation could melt or catch fire. The replacement cables are longer in this kit and it was easy to route the cable so that it's plenty far enough away from the header. No issue.

[@joshuablackwell7566]

not sure but, I believe it is to help with grounding out RF noise. Supposedly RF prefers the braided strap to cable. probably won't be an issue unless you are putting in sensitive comm radios, and in my experience, the RF from the fuel pump was more of an issue than RF from the ignition.

[@rockymtnredneck4888]

Braided cable that's open like that is always a fuseable link, I thought.

[@chrisdesertdog2162]

The braided cable is specifically used in that location to reduce RF interference.

[@luisavilaavilaavila6343]

no entiendo

[@magicmikeinc]

I did the same thing pretty much but made my own cables , and used one of the old cables to whip the leaf blower guys .

[@thomassmith2239]

I did a Jeepcables kit on my XJ about a year ago with great results! On my 95 the PDC is a bit different and you end up pulling the two main fuses out of the PDC as they get replaced by the ANL fuse. When I emailed the owner of Jeepcables with some questions he responded very quickly. Awesome product!

[@rogerballard3587]

Hello. Just got the kit. I also have a 95. What question did you have? I got the addendum sheet that explains the extra steps.

[@ericduncan7266]

I wish you had a video of that and the starter wiring. Cause my 94 has a bracket that goes over the starter. So it pulled both wiring off the starter instead of just the one that runs to the battery and im stuck on what to do

[@Nothingtoya]

I made my own out of 1/0 welding cable and soldered the ends on. Got everything for well under $100. Not everyone wants to make their own, so it's good that someone is making a kit.

[@SeymourButts7817]

Josh B yea for about the same price

[@plrx760]

1/0 is way overkill, but yes, it's better when we DIY. This way we can route the cables they way we prefer.

[@Chrisw678]

Installed these back in September, didn’t notice a huge difference but the jeep def seems smoother and it’s a huge piece of mind.

[@lyfandeth]

The green alternator wire is called a fusible link wire. Except the link often caught fire instead of blowing. Then the auto industry ran fiberglass cloth tubing over them, but they still caught fire. Starting in the 80's, they went to real battery fuses, like the ANL fuse, located on or at the battery. Battery fuses are a special design to blow safely but quickly.

[@flyingplantsinspace]

i ended up getting this kit for a WJ.. super happy with it. i left the braided cable from the head to the firewall and used the cable from the kit to connect the alternator case direct to battery instead.

[@InfamousDogPound]

Out of all the videos this one was the best at showing what went where.

[@joerobertson7047]

The alternator power cable has a fusible link. It's a slightly smaller wire soldered in and it's designed to melt at whatever voltage. Personally I love what you did and got it a real fuse.

[@josephc1148]

I did this to mine after a long period of those crappy aftermarket exposed wire lead terminals from Walmart. WOW. that was my first reaction. its been a long while now since i did the swap and i haven't had any electrical issues of any kind. Really great product. I would put it as one of my first mods to any older car.

[@curtisrockwell6783]

I personally would have cleaned up all my connections... Solid clean connections are critical to electrical system life and duty cycles.

[@padrescout]

I'm thinking a well maintained and clean stock charging system will work every bit as well. The heavy duty everything is cool and all - but you don't need to upgrade your 4 lane to a 8 lane highway when the same single car is going to drive on it.

[@curtisrockwell6783]

@@padrescout yes, it absolutely can, if your not adding to the electric stuff. What I was talking about in my comments is where the cables go to old spots. The fender, firewall, TDC, and starter. I would have hit them all with at least a wire wheel. Clean bare metal to metal does the best for electricity.

[@padrescout]

@Curtis Rockwell Ah, my apologies, I misread that. Yeah , I completely agree - hitting those ground points with something to clean them up would have been a good idea, especially as a "while you are at it" sort of thing.

[@highspeed9518]

soldering connections is a 100% guarantee,that wire wont fail/break b4 that end fails,i do every power/ground that way its very easy and a lot of the time faster than junk crimp connections

[@lane4574]

@Sean Patrick I totally agree with the metal to metal connection cleaning , but you gotta watch out for precious metal conductive plating that people not knowing that they are sanding off the best part.Chassis anything goes. Since you were talking about marine conditions , I like to brush on some Star Brite Liquid electrical insulation/dielectric tape. Airtight , waterproof....What more can you do to improve on that? For the cherry on top.

[@jkmccollum3]

I put 2/0 cables on my diesel swap and more than doubled the cranking speed.

[@bleepinjeep]

Awesome!!

[@danhambrick6331]

Nice job Tim.I made my own cables out of #2 welding cable and crimped on my own lugs.Not quite as fancy as yours but for 30 bucks in wire and lugs they work damn good...

[@ewingfox6459]

This is what I did, but my rig is mongrel so Kit's aren't an option to

[@Madams95]

careful with welding cable as its not rated for oils and detergents (dont forget heat) of the engine bay of a vehivle

[@beardedforlife3740]

@@Madams95 how do you figure?

[@Gunnl]

He is arcing because, as you can see from the color, there is an layer of oxidation (I assume) that prevents or reduces conductivity between the cable and the terminal. This causes the arc to form. You should clean your terminals well until the metal is exposed and perhaps lube it with some conducting lube to prevent corrosion.

[@gregblaszczak5443]

Don't run the alternator to fuse cable under the battery tray!!!! My stock wiring got pinched like that after I had the battery tray out doing some unrelated work. Well, the pinch weld beneath the battery tray cut through the shielding on the cable after a few days from the weight of the battery! It shorted so bad it melted the plastic coating off the entire parking brake line under the Jeep. I have a nice scorch mark under the hood too. Very lucky my XJ didn't catch fire.

[@slybunda]

i sand back the paint where the bolt goes that way you dont just rely on the threads of the bolt to conduct electricity.

[@kofabandadventures8900]

I built my own wire kit when I installed a winch. I did it for about $50 I went and bought wire from a marine dealer.

[@ProjectXJ]

I just replaced the terminals/ends of the cables when mine broke but now there is a bunch of corrosion and the wires are shorter because of how much I had to cut off. This looks like a good solution when they break again. :)

[@bradcampbell7253]

i moved the ground on the firewall/head to the front stud on the head and to the rad support. i can see it and make sure it stays clean and can easily access it for cleaning.you confirm the ground with an Ohm meter.

[@Bamamike223]

This was a very good representation of exact placement points. However, I will say that I have always been told never take the stock wires away. Just add to them.

[@markespinoza7090]

I made a set of these wit 2ga marine cable, blue seas ANL fuse, and marine grade connections . Including tools for about $100. The cable is cheap on eBay and have made many other cables for other vehicles as well.

[@SeymourButts7817]

Mark Espinoza yea the wiring kit is 100$ so .... yea.... I bought the kit

[@jstans01]

I just installed this a few days ago! This kit is awesome and Paul is very responsive. I ran into the same issue with the plastic shroud on the alternator. I ended up removing it, cutting it flat then reinstalling.

[@jstans01]

I also went with a marine breaker instead of the anl fuse.

[@bleepinjeep]

That's what I should have done... Thought I'd be all trick by stretching that thing out. Nope.

[@zacharywhitlock3130]

@@jstans01 what marine fuse did you end up going with?

[@jstans01]

@@zacharywhitlock3130 It was on the shelf at my parts store (Autozone). I think it was something like 100 amp.

[@kevinuznanski5327]

Did this mod last week. TJ is much happier

[@mcclain4691]

It’s a few years late but cleaning connecting points and dielectric grease, also mount the fuse where you can see it and replace it without having to pull the battery out

[@ahmadkamali8547]

Yess after years of driving it is wise to clean corrosions n upgrade such automotive electronical wires n cables

[@dalejohnson9342]

The flat braided cable from the engine to the bulkhead is flat to reduce radio interference and should be replaced by the same type of wire. The green wire has a "Fusable Link" which burns out to protect the alternator and what it connects to.

[@robpedrow9293]

Now I want that headlight harness eval! :) Put the upgrade cables on mine a while ago. Nice piece of mind.

[@ebalmes]

Those cables look awesome. Looks to be an amazing upgrade

[@zoexj4872]

Shockingly good video. Right on, Tim.

They got you with that plastic piece on the alternator. If you had tried the other end of the cable to inside the plastic piece at the alternator, it probably would have fit without stretching the plastic.

[@hayden4686]

Always good to put a bit of grease on the battery posts, stops any arcing and corrosion between battery posts and terminals

[@billsutherland2128]

I’m surprised you didn’t install some heat shielding on your cables, but I’m a weekend tinkerer. Great video! You did exclude the narrative when you retrieved that nut that fell between the bell housing and the firewall.

[@BlackRifleBear]

You should really clean those connection points before you tighten the wires down for the final install. Just replacing the wires is half of it. Also please quit calling it a negative, it’s a ground!! Keep up the good work though 💪🏻😎👍🏻🇺🇸

[@UncleFjester]

Don't be so negative...haha

[@beardedforlife3740]

Negative....ground....same thing

[@BigHeinen]

HA! I just noticed the Bi-Mart brand battery which tells me you're located in the PNW. I'm just north of Tacoma, but grew up in Yakima and once worked at the Bi-Mart there when I was a kid. Thanks for a great video!

[@Ajme-kb4os]

Been thinking of going welding wire route. They have a ton more strands than automotive and you get get really large cable for cheaper. But hey I’m an electrician and have seen guys at work save money by taking large scraps from work as battery cables lol.

[@lawrencekirwin2514]

Very happy You upgraded. I did mine about year ago with the addition to the rampage headlight and Putco harness upgrade. Headlights are super bright.

[@TOMAS-lh4er]

JUST CAME ACROSS THIS WOW!!! great stuff, I just happen to be redoing all the motor wiers on my 1986 RV!! great timming

[@jameswalker3490]

This looks similar to the amount of ground wires and connections in my 3.0ltr Ford Ranger. Mine even has that braided ground. This gives me ideas as there's no Ranger video of this quality. Thank you!

[@lyfandeth]

For long term corrosion protection, you want no metal to metal connections. Always use antiseize (metal dust in a carrier) or Telgel, silicone grease, many choices guarantee the cables you bolt down will never corrode. FWIW.

[@patrickbuick5459]

Nice kit for the most part. No crimping etc.

[@johnpadilla480]

Haha I installed those exact same ones about 4 months ago. I watched Nick on nick in time films channel! I still have a killer spark when i hook up the + of the battery. it looks really good tool. He does quality work. Thanks for sharing.

[@jaxturner7288]

John Padilla if you get large sparks when you hook up your battery with the key off, you have something drawing power and that draw with the key off will kill your battery if left unattended for awhile. Thats known as parasitic draw, to avoid potentially dangerous and always terminal damaging sparks in the future, hook up your ground cable last, not your positive.

[@Leapdog01]

The green wire is the fuse. It's called a fusible link. It's designed to melt away in case of a short.

[@highspeed9518]

Go to your local welding supply and buy wire from them,its 50% cheaper and just as good if not better than 90% of wire on the market,you can even make your own end connections out of copper pipe,its very easy and saves you a ton of money, every time you make a upgrade to ANY power connection in your vehicle it needs a equal size ground as well it works in pairs, after you get your ground wires done spray the area with clear coat or color matching paint so your ground surface is gtg for years to come

[@davidvannorsdall899]

Thank you I especially like the part about having the accessories on the outside of the terminal and the necessary on the inside. I learned something today thank you. I am a student out of college automotive electrical I've learned a lot of time with parasitic draw the first thing we go after is the accessories good idea

[@jimmyd6819]

looks good mate the only think I recommend is grind a bit off the flat bar that's near the positive terminal, I don't like how close it is. I know the leads have heat shrink on them but long drives on rough tracks everything moves around and shakes around if it rubbed through a little bit it will short out. go to 15 minutes 20 seconds and you will see what I mean

[@bleepinjeep]

Several people have pointed this out and although you guys are correct, what you can't see is that the hold down bolts connect to the plastic battery tray so even if it did some how rub through the cable insulation it wouldn't arch out. Thank you though!

[@jaxturner7288]

BleepinJeep so if that plastic tray cracked in an accident or over rough terrain, it can let go of one end of that steel bar, and then it can touch both terminals, and it wouldn’t matter if your whole Jeep was plastic, that bar touches both terminals it’s game over, or you just gonna pull it off while its glowing red? Doubt it, keep relying on plastic to save the day and you might earn a Darwin Award. Cover that positive terminal at least or I’d say you deserve one. Your Jeep on fire in a traffic accident won’t help anyone and if it hurts someone, your feel like a dick. Positive terminals are protected on just about everything in 2018, even mowers, get a clue accidents/rollovers happen, don’t be the asshole modding his vehicle in ways that make accidents worse than they need to be. That stupidity can turn a fender bender into a vehicle fire. People like you make insurance more expensive for the rest of us. Keep telling us “what we can’t see tho” its not us with the narrow selfish outlook missing the point.

[@keeper1855]

Before installing new cable's clean to shiny metal then instsl new cable's and use grease to protect new terminals against corosion!

[@killerklown6905]

These videos motivate me to stay working on my vehicles bc sometimes I can get so unorganized or drop stuff all the time and lose things and I give up and eventually sell stuff it...but then I see u work on ur jeep and u drop stuff and lose it or something goes wrong but u keep going with it and u finish it.

[@bleepinjeep]

Start a KZbin channel. Makes you accountable to follow through on projects and keeps you motivated. 😁

[@markandes4143]

I just did this last weekend...totally worth it!!

[@clowninartzvp]

Awesome video, was able to follow along. Please do an over view or a recap of your cowl induct air intake. Thinking of doing this mod instead of a snorkel

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

That looks awesome I need to upgrade my cables in the Cherokee. Veteran owned and made in the USA say no more.

[@ramzaanrajad99]

T

[@dawabbitt3079]

Thanks for sharing this - I've been thinking about replacing the cables in my ZJ as an upgrade - and now I know where to look for them. - It's a 4.0 with the stock alternator, which I've been thinking also about upgrading, as well.

[@ProjectXJ]

My alternator is giving me problems so I am getting an 120 amp replacement. I figured this would be a good time to do it right. I ordered mine last night.

[@jhobaugh45]

Great video, probably could have mentioned specifically to remove negative battery cable first, but otherwise nice setup and video!

[@blownaway4371]

Yes; I realize it's an old video but I've been looking for a hat like yours. Hope you respond before the temps drop too low.. Thanks.

[@gregj.gotham4402]

Oh hell yeah I think you got a bad clamp. I’m doing mine soon. Got 13’ of # 1 welding cable from a 06 Chrysler 300 for $ 2.80 at u pull u save with a great battery clamp already on it.

[@psementalist]

Sweet action brother I love the big 3 . The big 3 is pretty popular in the car audio community it also is very good for keeping in maintaining your trucks electrical systems. 🇺🇸#Merica

[@williamcordle]

Watched on Patreon last week great video

[@Fee.1]

If only a video like this existed for a gen 1 Camry solara

[@moabwheeling]

Nice install video Tim , I will look into these for my TJ . Believe it or not my TJ still has the factory cables from 2003 and are just fine , however I am going to be rebuilding the 4.0 next spring and will change the cables out at the same time. Thank you for posting this. Take care .

[@LordLancifer]

That black plastic piece on the alternator is an insulator to keep the positive off of the grounded body of the alternator.

[@tankdog03ify]

yup, I was waiting for him to toss it.. lmao lol, FIREWORKS!

[@danielzimbrich9484]

The best mods require a blood sacrifice.

[@incredibleadventures1027]

15:28 You want to put the larger amp draw furthest from the battery so it doesn't sap energy from lower amp draws.

[@munecito]

I would have used some convoluted piping especially on the positive wires to protect them from driving themselves bare and throwing a ground to the chassis and blowing the fuses.

[@drubradley8821]

Well, for $100 for the 4 gauge kit, plus shipping, and $140 for the 2 gauge kit, and is ready to install, and comes with the rise block / D-center.... This is actually a really good deal!!!! Kinda p*sses me off though, as I just thought I saved money on doing my own about 6 months ago, and spent a little over $380 on redoing my charging high side wiring, I also redone the winch wiring as well, but sill, this kit is priced really good. I like the labels too, unknown if the labels will call off in a couple months, not that they are needed, just thought it looks clean. I didn't put a whole lot of time into looking at their web site, but I didn't see anything about it it is high stranded side of not. Which is just a personal preference, beings I come from the car audio industry..... Nice looking kit!

[@Proth1975]

I'm definitely using high strand count cable. It's part of what makes it so easy to work with!

[@beardedforlife3740]

That's a terrible price. I'm doing the big 3 and my whole audio system for less than that. How you spent $380 is beyond me

[@michaelcanto6175]

Nothing beats gettin the Juice where it needs to be!

[@ethanmacheras5967]

Not too bad with that kit!

[@adroc9101]

You guys @ BleepinJeep are terrific! I wish you lived close by (CT). Thanks for all of these informative vids! 👍🏼

[@luie67]

started faster , because Electrons are constantly traveling back and forth to the Battery , the new cables can be likened to a new 6 lane highway , for them to travel on , you should get overall better performance as well.

[@alessandrawilson5571]

Right in time needed this one.

[@ljaysperspective1775]

Good clean install! Nice job. There are many ways to have done this but i guess new clean wires works.

[@Jonathan-pe1jc]

Aye!! I just installed those exact one about a month ago! There great!

[@fhuckyew8583]

what one is it

[@juanaguilar3701]

The chrystler terminals are bad ass you can source then at a junk yard.

[@muznick]

Great timing. This is next on my XJ to-do list.

[@bleepinjeep]

You have a list!? Does it have an end?

[@muznick]

Yes I have a list. Of course there is no end. @@bleepinjeep

[@mwills802]

BleepinJeep Now ‘that’ is funny!!

[@jimwhitman5805]

Might have to slip these into the engine rebuild. Using this time to swap out bushing to. Was really surprised when I showed my wife a used rotisserie, and she asked if it could be used on the XJ. Keep up with the nice video's so I can use them...lol

[@GaJeepr]

Good visual and will help others. Also while companies need to make money and many can't seem to put all the parts list together seems very pricey. Quality cabling is available in many places (as others have mentioned) and those "special military" terminals are like $12.00 a set. That's some kinda markup.

[@rgsrails]

Ah, Yes! Military battery terminals! They had it right and now you do too!

[@butterbean4195]

good info but I would have used star washers on all connections and scrapped the paint on the ground and used copper based anti seize you cant go wrong..

[@patrickschliesing1294]

Tip: Leave the battery cable ends alone and just trim the black plastic "guard" on the alternator stud with a hack saw or Dremel tool.

[@beardedforlife3740]

Either or doesn't make a difference

[@williamjwarren3735]

On my big 3 upgrades I run the pos from alt to Batt pos with fuse then upgrade the wire to fuse box

[@dleighton5741]

Nice video as always Tim

[@j.d.mcginn6946]

You saved my butt with this video thanks very much!

[@DrHavok1]

Sweet! I want one of those for my zj

[@jeffreyplum5259]

It seems the color coding is better in the kit than the factory wiring.

[@staylofordo7111]

Cleaning all the connection areas would seem to be important. The oxides of different metals increase the resistance.

[@StupidEarthlings]

That Battery bracket looks awful close to the Positive cable there (about 15:20 50).. will it rub eventually with some jostling around?..

[@TheRubadub1]

great vid.... did your headlights get any brighter?

[@zanekeuning2438]

I really Need New Battery Transmission cables right Now.

[@derekhansen5817]

Awesome video I just did this to my zj but it totally killed my battery, everything is hooked up right dose that mean my battery is junk

[@JeffDeWitt]

If the kit is put in properly it can only help your battery, so it does sound like your battery is junk.

[@rickybailey7123]

FYI. cam / crank / abs / sensors on your car are A/C volts polts voltage thats what is sent to your computer this is how most of them work and yes Im right so if u didnt know now U do !! If u dont bleave me take a crank or cam sensor and unplug it hook your volt meter up and put it on a/c volts then crank the engine over its very low volts but its a/c volts hope that helped at least 1 person out that didnt know that!!

[@rickybailey7123]

And NO your cant run your house off of it !!! Its very low wont even shock you low !!!! Hope it does not look like i was being a smart ass im not a key board king !!!

[@jameshall4385]

i would round off the corner of the battery bracket by the positive terminal. looks a little close to me

[@TheTr0uble]

I just subscribed to your channel, Any ideas WHAT would be causing the Tach, Speedometer, and Fuel gauge light to go erratic intermittently??? On a 1996 Jeep Cherokee?? I’ve checked grounds in the engine compartment, About to pull the cluster tomorrow morning…🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@TheDanguruss]

Thanks so much for the link. I need this in my hero.

[@QuickSpeedShop]

Nice job Tim! Clean install. Your battery hold down bar, is the corner of it as close to the positive cable as it looks in the video? I'd be worried about the battery moving and rubbing that corner during hard wheeling. Might want to radius the corner of the bar to give it some more clearance and no sharp point to potentially wear into the cable?

[@bleepinjeep]

Well you're right, but it simply has never been an issue. Also the long bolts that hold the bar down connect to the plastic battery tray so even if it did some how rub through it wouldn't arch out anything. Good eye though.

[@jaxturner7288]

BleepinJeep that heavy steel bar that reaches from positive post too negative post can’t be a good idea. You a mall crawler? If you actually off road your Jeep your battery could get slammed around or if the hood got dented, that large piece of steel would carry enough current to burn it to the ground before it liquified and lost contact. It is your jeep so do what you want but you never see heavy bare steel that can reach both battery terminals in factory setups. Not to mention no cover for the positive post, if you roll and the hood touches it or an accident pushed the fender in and up, its not like a fuse would protect ya, like I said its your Jeep.

[@chuckisbusy]

Thanks for this! I didn’t even know about JeepCables.com.

[@mrpsound7754]

Hey did you end up getting it. If so how long did it take to deliver

[@chuckisbusy]

@@mrpsound7754 I did, I bought it last year. It arrived quickly.

[@joe.shad0fx]

On my 1980 Full-Size Cherokee someone had wired a set of jumper cables hard wired in. so you'd connect the jumper cables to the dead battery on another vehicle, flip the switch, and it was live. unfortunately, the vehicle is long gone, so i didn't get a chance to see how it was wired in. I see a lot of overland vehicles with air compressors wired into their rigs. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on those, and how you would tackle those projects.

[@mynameisprivate158]

You can just buy some anderson quick connects and wire one end of the jumper cable to the anderson quick connect and hard wire the other side of the quick connect to your battery and route it out your grill or wherever so you can just connect the clamp end to the battery of the jumped vehicle plug the other end into you quick connect, no switch needed.

[@rudiearendt808]

Dielectric grease is your friend. Use on all, electric connection's. All. It's actually a gift from the God's. It's use would have been a 100% improvement over just a bare, dry connection. Next time you have a battery terminal arcing or even corroding you will understand why you use it. Just an FYI. . .

[@grivera2090]

Watched the video and bought the cables. But I need help. My 96 XJ green pdc cable is part of a bigger wire harness. Temporary fix was cut old alternator tip and install new cable that came from set. Should I open up harness and separate all those connectors. Not sure and all the videos don’t address the 96. Any help would be appreciated

[@kpj54256]

Battery terminals on almost all batteries now are the same size. Have been that way for MANY years.

[@larrymacdonald4241]

Well I dunno who taught you, but those terminals suck... get the brass ones, much stronger, less corrosion.... you also need to plug in a 12v power source to the lighter or fuse box to save the computer memory, when you disconnect the battery....or the computer has to relearn everything again, rotary tool with wire brush to clean those hard to reach places, with the flexi shaft attachment. Military grade no corrode spray works very well. Personally, I use welding cable for this type of application, go big or stay home, 1000 cold cranking amps will flow easier with heavy gauge cable and most are 500 to 1000 amps, ground cable must go to engine as well as frame, braided cable ok for body ground if your cheap. DC power, clean clean clean connections, use dielectric grease after cleaning if you want a cheaper way of stopping corrosion, but it does attract dirt. However using it for all the relay connections under you hood is a good idea, if you ever have to change one, it slides like greased shit through a goose... A dab of anti-seize compound on some of those threads would not hurt either, if you got it apart, may as well so if you ever have to work on it again....a stitch in time, saves nine...

[@peterschott1500]

If I can say-Don't use a torch to heat up plastic for the alternator cover like you did. A Dremel tool with a sanding drum would have done a better job. Also when you hooked up the fuse and connected the cables to it, the cables in the video are upside down. Probably doesn't matter but I think it should be upright.