Organising Under Bonnet Electrical

[BLAKLISTED]

Hi Guys,

I want to address the organisation (or lack there of) of the wiring in my XJ. I've been having a look around for ideas, just looking for a bit of a direction of how to go about it.

At the moment most accessories are attached to the battery posts and it is getting very crowded. I'd like to get away with only a couple of wires on the main battery, with most accessories going through a power distribution block that will make wiring accessories in later a much easier and painless affair.

At the moment accessories connected to the battery include:

- Winch
- 2 x 27W LED worklamps/ driving lights (on separate loom and relay)
- 180W LED lightbar (attached to JJ upgraded headlight wiring loom)
- Bull bar mounted anderson plug (running through a circuit breaker, would like to have this running through a switch also)
- Amplifier for stereo

Is acquiring a second hand fuse/relay block from an XJ the best and most cost effective way to go about this? Or are there other products around others have used with success? Any suggestions welcome.

I wouldn't mind replacing the battery terminals while I'm at it as the current ones are original and tired. Any recommendations for replacement items?

Thanks in advance guys.

[Redemptioner]

Lots of ways to go about it, Jaycar will have most of what you need.

I would suggest a waterproof box, a set of double terminal blocks and a bunch of relays with the fuse in them, then upgrade the battery terminals to 3 post ones. Run a 100amp relay (not a solid state one) on the anderson plug but mount it outside of the waterproof box as it will tend to produce a little more heat.

[rainman]

I use these as you put the main conductors between the clamps and then add accessories with 6mm eye terminals on them. under the 1/4" retaining bolts either under the head or the nut. top and bottom.
you can also add eye terminals to where the main +ve cable attaches to the PDC from the battery.






for all my projects I use relays from jay car with integrated fuses now days. That way you just need a bar to attach all the relays to in one location. (i have 5).
I like the idea of using a PDC from a wreck.......but where to put it? and with the fuse integrated relays its not the problem it used to be.
I also have a 20A self reseting breaker that has presents as a +ve 6mm threaded bolt you can put eye terminals on.
Good luck with it.

[Gildo]

There are spaces to add fuses in the stock fuse box but to do this you need to add input links and output lugs and wiring.
Crack open the base of your donor fuse box and you will see what could be called the + busbar.
Pry this off and you will see it has lugs to every fuse slot, including the empty ones.
You will need to pull out the links and the output lugs/wires- be prepared to destroy the plastic moulding unless you have some very specialised tools.

In your "good" fuse box you can install these as simply as pressing them into place until they click.
Solder and heatshrink the new wiring to your existing accessories, loom it up with split sheathing and it all looks factory.

[BLAKLISTED]

Excellent. Was unaware you could get fused relays.

The above gives me lots of options, thanks very much.

[junglejuice]

I used an OBD2 PDC for all of my fusing and most of my switching....

I even used one in the rear too...