Battery Box Grommets

1950 - 1968, M38, M38A1, M170, modifications, sugestions, and ideas, official MWO's and unofficial field mods.
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w30bob
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Battery Box Grommets

Post by w30bob » Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:58 am

Hi Guys,

Decided to take a closer look at the electrical system on my newly acquired A1.......so I started at the battery box. I found that both battery cables had chaffed thru their insulation jacket, thru the grommet and were in contact with the firewall. Well, the ground cable was in contact....the positive cable was within a few rubber molecules of making contact and burning my jeep to the ground. The cables are still in good shape, so I filled in the missing insulation with liquid rubber and put a shrink tube over those areas. Good enough for now. Put new grommets in as well. But the cables are both making 90 degree turns coming out of the battery box to run down the firewall.......so the chaffing will continue. Have you guys found this to be a common problem......or is maybe from a previous owner not keeping the batteries clamped down tight? I could find some harder durometer grommets I guess, but just want to know what I'm up against. And I'll make sure to keep checking this area routinely.

thanks,
bob


Joe Gopan
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Re: Battery Box Grommets

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Apr 09, 2017 8:28 am

This is why there were Motor Sergeants around to ride herd on drivers and mechanics.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

w30bob
G-First Sergeant
G-First Sergeant
Posts: 129
Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2017 4:19 pm
Location:

Re: Battery Box Grommets

Post by w30bob » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:24 am

Now that it's all back together, with the proper grommets and a little heat-shrink over the chaffed areas of the cables (after filling in the missing rubber with liquid rubber) the area seems pretty stout. Not much room for the wires to wiggle, but I will keep an eye on it. I forgot to mention the owner before me didn't use the battery hold downs......the batts were loose in the compartment. Yeah, I know........not real smart. I'm finding lots of things on this jeep that weren't done very smartly.

thanks,
bob


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