Technical Using stainless bolts for grounds

For some unknown reason the meter does not like the car,I am going to replace the battery and see if it works better on the car.

 

There's a 'well informed' rumpkin that told me I wouldn't get a ground connection from a CHROME GENERATOR CASE! I asked him to get a pail of water and I'd show him something.
"Nooooo....I don't need none of yer parlor games..." Typical. Double negative, yet.

 

I am now thinking the lights in the garage might have been doing something to the meter,the 55 is in the garage and the truck outside.

 

On the other hand - if the manufacturers can save a couple of cents, without having the parts fail within the warranty time (or have an unacceptable performance drop) they will go for the cheap alternative.

 

Mystery is deepening,took off fan belt and still getting the crazy readings with the digital meter. New battery and checked other vehicles so this one is getting stranger.

 

Do you have solid core,non resistor plug wires? It messes with the digital multimeters.


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I think I do have the solid core wires since I wanted it to look like it still had points ignition,I never liked the big cap that Ford used for the electronic ignitions but this problem with the meter just showed up and the only part other then the cables replaced was the pick up coil and it was a cheap made in China part from Autozone.

 

Stainless and Stainless steel are two different alloys...... Stainless steel will rust

 

That is something I've wondered about, does the amount electricity flow differ with the star washer VS no star washer? Does electricity jump the gap between the teeth?

Bob

 

No. The idea of a star washer is that the teeth will bite into the metal and make for good electron transfer. Remember these connections will likely never see any attention or maintenance in a modern "consumer" environment, they don't want any returns or warranty service. The link I provided earlier claims that while copper is a better conductor, it reacts in contact with steel. Consequently a plated or stainless connection is a better choice, even though it has a higher resistivity overall. It will "last" longer before corrosion ruins the connection.

 

You must put the lug tight against the block, the washer goes outside.

 

I had a ground attached to my header and got stuck a lot....

I have one starter to body, another bell housing to frame and battery to body.

I polished the paint off, dielectric grease-d start washer, ground cable, washer then bolt.

Someone suggested a silicone bronze bolt but I am getting away with Home Depot bolts at the moment.



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Funny, I got the same advice - but from a really young guy, - my son.

 

Stainless steel has carbon in it which is what they use in resistors . Stainless steel safety wire has 1 ( one )ohm resistance per foot.

 

Maybe, but it doesn't corrode or react with the other side of the connection over time. Consequently while the initial resistivity is higher it won't degrade over time. Wish I had a nickle for every time pulling apart some electrical connector cleared some weird fault.

 

a couple of stainless bolts and washers don't break the bank.i use stainless no issues

 

I don't believe expense is a factor, it's the fact copper on steel makes for an inferior connection over time.

 

IMHO, stainless is soft. As a carpenter, I use to deal with maintenance in potato sheds for a local farmer. A very high humidity situation. They had wooden cat walks and wood frame building.
We did yearly inspections and used stainless bolts and screws.
The heads of the screws would easily strip out when driving them in. Come back 2 years later and to replace a piece of wood the heads would strip out and sawzall them off.
I needed some screws to hold my sawzall blades in, boss picked up stainless because that is the store he was at. They sucked, try to tighten the allen heads down and would strip out. The screws would last awhile but wore out 3 times faster then steel screws.
I love shiny SS, but screws and bolts would need to be for decoration on my ride.
And they would work for what you say, just would not be my choice.

 

I will tell you that the 2200 Amp hour DC battery plants in my telecommunications huts are connected together using stainless hardware....when the batteries are replaced every 5 to 10 years, I get a big friggen bucket of stainless hardware to use around the shop. Oh, and No-Ox is great, If you know someone on the hands on side of telecom, ask them for No-Ox...engineers like to spec a ten year supply with every little job, so they're sure to have some extra around.

 

As to "soft" stainless, there are many-many alloys of stainless and I'll assure you, they aren't created equal. Most hardware stainless bolts and screws are made from inferior grades and are made in China of dubious metals.
At the other end of the spectrum is the metals used in quality fasteners such as ARP. I never use hardware stainless on things that are stressed or need frquent removal.

 

arp stainless bolts are high tensile steel.i use them in suspension and brake situations.high quality stuff but pricy.totally stainless also supply high tensile stainless nuts and bolts. look up their websites.

 

You can buy it, too. NO-OX-ID "special", they make different kinds but that's the stuff. I use it on everything electrical but it's suitable anywhere anti-sieze compound would be good. I bought a half pint can years ago, a little goes a long way.

 

Here's what you need for a good connection. Gold plated hardware doesn't corrode.
http://n.stuccu.com/s/Gold Battery Terminals

 

Sheeit, there's more gold on my toothbrush than those things.

Easy way to win a bar bet - best electrical conductor is silver, not gold.

During WWII when the secret manhattan project was spooling up they needed huge amounts of electrical wiring to make calutrons, for separating fissionable material from uranium. Copper being in short supply, somebody got the bright idea to use silver instead. But where to get the huge amounts needed? Answer - the US Mint. So some spook sets up a meeting with the Treasury. "Certainly. How much do you think you'll need?"

"Oh, about 6000 tons." The guy about shit his pants.
"Sir! We here at Treasury when referring to silver speak of fine ounces, not tons." Well they got what they needed.

 

Yes it is, but it corrodes over time, gold does not.

 

Did you ever get that sorted out? Did you mean a new internal battery for the digital meter, they start getting goofy when the battery gets weak. Can cause some headscratching.

 

After checking with a different meter and no crazy readings I did nothing and took the car on the trip to Florida,I think the electronic ignition is what set off the one meter. A couple months before I started going over it for the trip I had to put a new pick up coil in the distributor and it was on a sunday and could only get one from Autozone,been wanting to replace it with a better quality part but its still working.