Auxiliary Switches - Adding A Common Underhood Ground

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Mounted lights awaiting connections:

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Aux switch wire bundle tucked next to the battery:

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Finally found the orange wire for AUX 3. It was shorter than the rest and was buried under the wrap:

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I wanted to use a common underhood ground for the switches without running directly to the battery. I picked up some mechanical lugs from Home Depot as shown below:

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The lug fit nicely on an unused standoff next to the battery:

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Testing the lug:

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Tinning the ground:

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Connecting AUX 3:

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Tinned ground in mechanical lug:

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Testing AUX 3:

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Covered and time to clean up :

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Please note that I have recently moved the lug to a different grounding area per advice of Rhinebeck01 ( see the post directly below). The lug was easy to move and works well for now.

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Rhinebeck01

New member
Nice write up, nice work.. Real nice JL...

Personally, I would not have grounded where you did. In essence you did ground directly to the battery.

I would have used here.... see finger pointing to ground point.

groundpoint by battery.jpg
 

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Nice write up, nice work.. Real nice JL...

Personally, I would not have grounded where you did. In essence you did ground directly to the battery.

I would have used here.... see finger pointing to ground point.

View attachment 4571
That is the spot I originally wanted to use but I wasn't sure if I should because it already had a connection there. Can you elaborate on why the spot that you recommend is better than the spot that I used? Thanks in advance.
 

Rhinebeck01

New member
Well, the pic I gave you shows you a known grounding point on the JL/JLU. It is a ground point and no more. It is not linked to the batteries (JL has 2) in any way.

In regard to where you grounded..

To kill 12v power coming from the JL/JLU's Main and ESS batteries you need to disconnect as per the picture below. One nut is a 10mm nut and the other two, are 13mm nuts.
lll.jpg
 

Rhinebeck01

New member
Here is a pic pulled from the Aux install instructions. Instructions call for complete 12v power disconnect to JL and the pic illustrates the two points and you also disconnect main battery negative.
oooo.JPG
 

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Well, the pic I gave you shows you a known grounding point on the JL/JLU. It is a ground point and no more. It is not linked to the batteries (JL has 2) in any way.

In regard to where you grounded..

To kill 12v power coming from the JL/JLU's Main and ESS batteries you need to disconnect as per the picture below. One nut is a 10mm nut and the other two, are 13mm nuts.
View attachment 4572

Thanks for the advice. Originally I was just going to solder a spade on to the end of the ground, however the wire was so small that though that I could not find a spade large enough to appropriately fit the grounding points in the area. Thankfully, the lug was easy enough to move, and I have updated the post above.

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Any further constructive criticism from members would be welcomed.
 

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Rhinebeck01

New member
Can tell you that you do real clean work. I would not hesitate letting you do 12v wiring on a vehicle of mine. Very apparent that you have a desire, to lets say, do it clean and do it right.

I like your use of the grounding lug you got from Home Depot. Real solid and clean ground.

By the way, I did not criticize your work. Just pointed out a little something that will make for a better set-up....
 

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Here is a pic pulled from the Aux install instructions. Instructions call for complete 12v power disconnect to JL and the pic illustrates the two points and you also disconnect main battery negative.
View attachment 4573

I knew about the disconnect points for the battery, but looked everywhere for recommendations for grounding locations when using the auxiliary switches.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Awesome write-up and great following info regarding grounds. Thanks for posting this up :thumb:
 

Shots

New member
Kinda off topic, but not completely.

So I've found the Aux switch wire bundle under the dash (passenger side foot well). Is the bundle you pointed out the same thing, but mounted in the engine compartment for exterior installs? Or is the bundle you pointed out for grounding? It looks like you used the bundle to feed the lights, and the black wire as the ground (from lights to lug), but wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing it wrong.

Also, thanks for the tip on the lug. I've always hated using spades, they just seem cheap to me. Guess I'll be using lugs from now on, I had no idea H.D. carried those.
 

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Kinda off topic, but not completely.

So I've found the Aux switch wire bundle under the dash (passenger side foot well). Is the bundle you pointed out the same thing, but mounted in the engine compartment for exterior installs? Or is the bundle you pointed out for grounding? It looks like you used the bundle to feed the lights, and the black wire as the ground (from lights to lug), but wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing it wrong.

Yes there is a bundle in the passenger footwell for interior accessories and a bundle next to the battery for exterior accessories. I used the orange wire next to the battery for switch 3, and used the lug for the ground coming from the lights.

Also, thanks for the tip on the lug. I've always hated using spades, they just seem cheap to me. Guess I'll be using lugs from now on, I had no idea H.D. carried those.

I had no idea about the lugs either. I found it when I was shopping for electrical spades. Lol.
 

NFRs2000NYC

Member
The easiest way to add common grounds (so that you don't have 1001 wires going to your battery is to use car stereo terminals. You can buy a section of say 8 or 4 gauge wire, and with that to a good solid clean ground somewhere on the chassis, and run the other end to a terminal that you position where you need it....then all your accessories can be ground at the new terminal. When I get my JL, there are certain things I want on switches but in the rear, so I will run a power wire from the battery to the rear, which will have a distribution block, so I can safely power all my accessories, like a fridge, cooking lights, etc, without having to run them all all the way to the battery.
 

Shots

New member
Yes there is a bundle in the passenger footwell for interior accessories and a bundle next to the battery for exterior accessories. I used the orange wire next to the battery for switch 3, and used the lug for the ground coming from the lights...
Outstanding, thanks for the response/clarification.
 

mer43

New member
Thank you to all involved. Makes my work very easy. I hope to contribute like this some day.
 

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