#My full-size '61 Ford has a #4 ground wire from the battery to the frame; and a second ground of braided copper strap from the radiator crossmember to the same anchor point on the frame. Adequate grounding? Should I add a third ground wire from the body to the frame? Somewhere else? It is a simple car: no stereo, a/c, high intensity headlights, etc. Pretty straighforward. I have added a 3 speed with overdrive 4th, and the car is acting like the overdrive unit is not sufficiently grounded. Just wanted to eliminate this possibility before searching for other causes. Thank you for your guidance here.
You have the battery grounded to the frame and the radiator support grounded to the frame. I don't read where you have the engine grounded back to the frame or battery. You need to have a 4 gauge cable between the engine block and the frame or battery negative terminal as well. The engine and trans are rubber mounted and won't get a good ground otherwise. I am surprised the starter works reliably without a good engine ground. Also wouldn't hurt to have another ground strap to the main body at the firewall or floor pan from the frame at least 8 gauge.
Ground, = Batt to Engine Block, and to Body. Then run a braided cable from the engine to firewall., and engine to frame as well. I find it is very important to have a good ground to the body, but to depend on 1 is atleast in my climate not enough. <aybe in dryer climates it would be fine.
Run the ground battery cable directly to the engine or trans case if it is closer and then run a ground strap to the body. I like the flat braided style that the factory used to use. Remember that the ground battery cable has to carry the amperage of the starter when it is 102 in the shade. The jumper ground only carries the amperage of the accessories....much less. I fought a warm start problem until I moved the ground battery cable from a welded stud on the frame to a bolt on the tail shaft. Same cable same length but the problem disappeared.
The electrical problem I am having is in the gauge panel. So if I ground the body cabin to the frame that should help address the grounding issue. It seems that the oil pressure idiot light is now searching for ground, and at low pressure, flickers on and off, but the oil pressure gauge reads 37#s + oil pressure. Could the oil pressure gauge be "competing" for grounding? Is that possible??? From what is posted above, a factory style ground strap from say the floor kickpanel/firewall to the frame near the transmission hump ought to help out. Correct? And a strap from the engine to the frame. Again, thanks for the guidance here.
Tommy, I fight that warm start problem every summer. What you posted makes sense. There is NOT a ground from the motor to the frame. The battery ground is connected to the motor; then there is a very flimsy braided wire strap from that attachment point on the motor over to the radiator crossmember. Here's what I propose (and tell me if this makes sense): Run the ground from the battery to the motor; and from the motor to the frame. Run a second ground from one of the bolts that connects the starter to the bellhousing to the frame Run a braided strap from the firewall to the frame. OK? Anything else? I think the lack of ground and/or inadequate ground explains some of the glitches I'm having.
"Ground the motor" "ground strap to the body" "Could the oil pressure gauge be "competing" for grounding? Is that possible???" Grounding the system is surprisingly cheap and doing so solves more issues than you can imagine. Grounding can be both a delicate and simple process. Simple is easily achieved for your car and most cars on this site. Try one thing at a time. In your situation, you really need to start with the motor ground. Plan on adding a body to frame ground. I suspect you will be doing that too. All the best, Dale Cleveland OH
I was planning on adding the ground from where the starter bolts into the bellhousing to the frame. Good place to start? Next replace the flimsy braided strap from the front of the engine block to the radiator crossmember. Then see if I need to ground the body/cabin to the frame. Do that on the driver side, on the floorpan where it goes up into the firewall in order to get as near the gauges as possible. Good plan? I will use #4 gauge wire for the first two; and a factory-style braided line for the cabin to the frame ground. Grind off the paint on the frame for metal-to-metal contact.
Grounds? Seriously now, that sounds like a good plan the way you're routing it sounds fine just watch out for the fan up front. Is #4 cable large enough? For all battery/ground leads I use 0# or 00#. I despise using the braided straps, they look crappy after they fill up with dirt and grime and it can't be any good for operation either.
When that car was built, the engine was grounded to the firewall with a #4 insulated strap from the intake manifold, usually under the throttle belcrank. The battery was grounded to the frame and also the engine at the generator bracket. There were no braded straps from the factory. BTW insuficiant grounding will cause erratic operation of the instruments.
YES you can. A few good ground of adequate size, in the right places are what you want. Too many intersecting ground wires will cause what is called a ground loop, it can reek havoc with charging, gauges and audio systems. Most cars had, like has been said, battery to engine then battery to chassis or engine to chassis and one or two 4ga copper straps from the rear of the engine ( usually the heads or bellhousing bolts) to the firewall. Personally I use 2ga or 0ga for battery to engine then from the same bolt on the engine a strap to the chassis and 2 copper 4ga straps to the firewall. I also run a 4ga strap from frame horn to radiator support and one in the trunk, frame to tailpan(usually where taillight are all ready grounded).
Fixed! Easy, easy. Went to the parts store and bought a couple #ground strap and rerouted the wiring. Battery to engine; bellhousing to chassis; firewall to engine. Just ran a test drive up the road. Dash gauge and headlights burn much brighter at idle. Overdrive solenoid engages properly. No more flickering oil pressure idiot light. Tomorrow I'll add another ground- frame to body- at the rear of the car. Thanks, fellas. Good advice. Don't you love it when a solution works out exactly as described?
I'm having starter troubles as well. I've been told to try grounding my engine. Can't hurt, evidently.
I ran a ground from my battery to my frame, engine block to frame, cab to frame, bed to frame. Basically, my frame is a ground buss.
I do the following on all my chassis cars - never had a ground related electrical issue. Ground the body to chassis/frame Ground the engine/trans to chassis/frame Ground the battery to the chassis/frame (most of my batts are in the trunk so grounding the batt to the frame is the same as grounding it to the engine) I use big diameter welding cable for all my cables inc ground and fab them myself with HD crimped fittings (have used soldered fitting as well with no difference is efficiency) I make sure there is no paint or zinc plating on my fasteners or b/w the connection and the cable/straps. So far, so good.
The only thing that I worry about is all those mechanical connections for the electricity to navigate. Each one can create a problem over the years. I want the least amount of connections in the starting system that I can get. Corrosion never sleeps and if you do get a problem, you will have to wire brush every connection in the system. I welded a dedicated stud to my frame for the battery ground cable and until it was connected to they trans case, I had a hot start problem. Almost every factory ground cable goes directly to the block. You can try to figure out the path of the electricity but you can never really be sure unless you eliminate the possibilities.
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