Engine bay cleanup and wire management

[knuckledragger666]

Hey, Just got my hands on an 87 2.5L MJ. The previous owner mentioned a vacuum leak which was causing it to stall and since then I've noticed hoses all over are cracked and leaking. Along with the the wiring looks like a total mess and some of the insulation has cracked leaving bare copper. I was thinking about redoing the electrical but was wondering if anyone ever used an XJ style fuse box or similarly fabricated means of making the electrical system more appealing to the eye. Additionally I would love to be able to eliminate as many vacuum lines as possible as well as any other unnecessary components. Would love any feedback at all.

[pizzaman09]

I'm personally a fan of just replacing all vacuum lines, that way everything works as intended.  Vacuum lines are cheap and easy to replace as they only go from one point to another.

 

I recently replaced half of my vacuum system as part of the cruise control install, as a result of replacing those lines my HVAC now works perfectly.  Previously it would change blower vent levels every time I accelerated due to loss of vacuum.  Also it has made the vacuum disconnect front axle perfectly reliable.

[Pete M]

there's not really anything in the engine bay that's "extra" and can go away.   certainly not anything that you'll notice missing afterwards.  it's a ridiculously designed system, but it's also pretty bare minimum.  I guess you could get some split wireloom and gather loose things together so it looks nicer.   

[Ωhm]

C101 Elimination

@cruiser54

[knuckledragger666]

39 minutes ago, Ωhm said:

C101 Elimination

@cruiser54

Planning to do this.

 

Also, planning to re-loom the wiring harnesses and enclose that fuse section in some sort of box to make it look nicer. Would also love to consolidate the grounds if possible to a single ground bar.

[Pete M]

rewiring (and rerouting) would go a long way towards cleaning it up.  same with vacuum lines.  if you're going to replace them, may as well route them better.  

[schardein]

I'll offer some friendly advice.  The first thing I would do if that was my truck, would be to replace those garbage clamp type battery terminals.  Get some "military style" "heavy duty" battery terminals.  Then inspect the battery cables.  You might be able to get away with crimping new eyelets on them, and then sealing them with adhesive lined heat shrink tubing.  But replacing them would probably be the best route.  Making new cables is within the ability of an experienced do-it-yourselfer, but if you don't have the experience or tools, then buying new cables is the other option.  You can pretty up the wires under the hood all you want, but if your main battery cable connections are questionable, which they absolutely are with those clamp on terminals, it won't matter.

 

Last photo shows how corrosion can creep under the insulation when the connection at the terminals isn't sealed.

[knuckledragger666]

On 2/3/2023 at 11:55 PM, schardein said:

I'll offer some friendly advice.  The first thing I would do if that was my truck, would be to replace those garbage clamp type battery terminals.  Get some "military style" "heavy duty" battery terminals.  Then inspect the battery cables.  You might be able to get away with crimping new eyelets on them, and then sealing them with adhesive lined heat shrink tubing.  But replacing them would probably be the best route.  Making new cables is within the ability of an experienced do-it-yourselfer, but if you don't have the experience or tools, then buying new cables is the other option.  You can pretty up the wires under the hood all you want, but if your main battery cable connections are questionable, which they absolutely are with those clamp on terminals, it won't matter.

 

Last photo shows how corrosion can creep under the insulation when the connection at the terminals isn't sealed.

 

I'm definitely replacing all of the battery wiring. I moved them slightly and the insulation cracked right off. Thanks for the recommendation on the clamps.

[Elwiscon]

I ordered a new set of battery cables, I will be replacing the corroded OEM cables and other electrical fixes soon. I highly recommend https://www.custombatterycables.com/ I ordered and installed a custom higher-gauge set on my LJ from them, the cables are made to OEM lengths but with a much nicer wire and crimped terminals, haven’t had any issues and it looks like factory. I will be doing the Comanche once i get it from the shop, the battery cables terminals are corroded and worn out, I decided to replace the whole set rather than the terminals for long term reliability, considering these MJs/XJs have several electric issues.