PSA: Needs Moar Grounds
PSA: Needs Moar Grounds My battery is in the trunk on my swap car. While attempting to diagnose a starter consumption (2 in 6 months) issue I found that my one lonely engine-to-strut tower ground was glowing when a friend would crank the engine over (it went to normal after the starter stopped). Adding a second strap corrected this issue as well as an ongoing charging issue and my radio cutting out over 1/2 volume. The glowing ground was about an inch from my fuel filter, so the car could have easily caught fire in the event of a leak. I've put over 15k on this car in the last 3 years.
Always make sure you have sufficient grounds. I had always assumed that my charging issue and slow cranking were due to insufficient positive cable size.
Always make sure you have sufficient grounds. I had always assumed that my charging issue and slow cranking were due to insufficient positive cable size.
I once had a metal oil pressure line act as a ground, it would get hot during cranking, I'm suprised it didn't burn through it. Putting a correct ground strap fixed it. You can never have too many grounds.
I'm suspecting that the grounding issue is also why my heater hoses don't last but a year before leaking. They seep in a uniform pattern every few inches like the steel webbing is deteriorating. Maybe the cooling system has been acting as a partial ground as well.
