Grounding Points

[SWEET GT]

Was talking to my buddy Bighonkey and we got on the subject of better grounds can make the car run better, a tad better response, etc (and overall better for the electrical system).

What should be grounded/redone on the 4.6? I have seen some kits on the web, but they seem very expensive for what one would get, when one could do it themselves for a fraction of the cost.

[Mr.Moontang]

Subscribing

[01cobra]

Huh? Never heard of such a thing. You got a link to one of said kits?

[IWRBB]

Huh? Never heard of such a thing. You got a link to one of said kits?

It's a ricer thing mainly, there are ground kits all over Ebay.

It won't hurt to upgrade the factory grounds, go with a larger gauge wire and make a cleaner connection to the body. I moved the factory grounds that go into the core support. They depend on the "star" part of the ring terminal to cut through the paint down to metal. I moved them to the underside of where they normally go, and sanded the area down to bare metal before I attached them.

The best ground to add, if you are going to do it, is an additional ground from the engine to the chassis.

[SWEET GT]

It's a ricer thing mainly, there are ground kits all over Ebay.

It won't hurt to upgrade the factory grounds, go with a larger gauge wire and make a cleaner connection to the body. I moved the factory grounds that go into the core support. They depend on the "star" part of the ring terminal to cut through the paint down to metal. I moved them to the underside of where they normally go, and sanded the area down to bare metal before I attached them.

The best ground to add, if you are going to do it, is an additional ground from the engine to the chassis.

Where on the engine do you recommend attaching the ground to?

[IWRBB]

Anyplace is fine, it's all one big lump of metal. Use a stud off the front cover, bolts on the motor side of the motor mount, whatever is accessible.

[bobtsgt]

yeah mainly a rice type thing. If you want take some left over 4ga from an old amp install and attach the block to the frame with larger terminals. If you were to move the battery to the back some recommend running a ground all the way to the front. But if your body is properly grounded then it shouldn't be needed.

[SWEET GT]

Thenks fellers...

[BIGHONKEY]

It may be a "ricer thing", but my factory radio made my headlights dim. So I upgraded my grounds more for looks and not only did the light dimming stop my engine "smoothed" out.

IMO grounds on a car are more important than the +

[IWRBB]

"Ricer" because they believe it adds HP. I agree the factory Ford wiring is weak, and it gets worse the older the car is. I added a separate dedicated 9007 headlight harness to my F150 and the Cobra. I picked up about 0.4V at the socket over the factory wiring, which is a huge difference in terms of lamp output. I can also run the low beams, high beams, and fogs all at the same time.

[quik lx]

The best way to ground a vehicle is with bus bars. Run a single 0 or 1 gauge ground to this style block and tie ALL the cars grounds to it. Doesnt get any better, plus easy to find problems. Works for power distribution also when each circuit is protected correctly. Marine grade stuff is the best. I've seen bad grounds keep a car out of the 10's before (car went 11.20's before a rewire, 10.80's after, with nothing else changed, except correctly wiring up the ignition box.) , so indirectly it could add power.


http://bluesea.com/category/9/35/productline/184

[mustangboy]

To take what Joe said just a littler further, that bus bar needs to be grounded to the battery. It is best to have every ground run to the battery. You could do this a couple ways. You can do bus bars like Joe suggested or you can do big studs. I believe both work very well however going back and doing an entire stock car this way would be extremely time consuming. You could redo the major chassis grounds which would certainly help. Here is a pic of mine as I first started wiring my car. Obviously the big red and black are coming from the battery in the trunk to the studs. Anything that needed power and ground in the middle of the car went there. They run forward to the firewall where I did thru the firewall studs where things under the dash and in the engine bay could pick up power or ground. Very simple when wiring a carb car from scratch.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/1448495367_47482828d9.jpg

[bobtsgt]

very nice Kenny. That looks like a pretty good idea.

[mustangboy]

Here is a pic on the Spaghetti Menders site that I got my ideas from.

http://www.spaghettimenders.com/expanded/cable_images1.php

[Timido]

Floating Ground. Its a good idea on the stock stuff to keep you grounds clean and have good contacts. Peoples with Nitrous Solinoids and Hot MSD ignitions should wire the grounds to the battery also.

[Rabnud]

IMO grounds on a car are more important than the +

The electrical system is just as important as the fuel system, cooling system, etc... and should be maintained/upgraded properly.

they are equally important. Your power wiring needs to be the same gauge as the ground for the system to work efficiently.

It's basic electronic theory... If your power wire is 10 gauge, and your ground is 8 gauge... boom, you just added resistance to a circuit that doesn't need to be there. :)

Just beware of creating ground loops if you decide to go to a common grounding stud for your electronic components... that can cause issues too. (nioise in the stereo, odd quirks in a given system, etc)

[Yknot]

Grounding is one of the most OVER-LOOKED items in the electrical system. Yes Ricers use those cute little kits, but you can do the same thing, maybe better and not have the corny looks.
In this sport, there are way to many shade tree mechanics...and as such many times basic items like ground straps don't get re-installed after engine swap or header installs. These are there for a reason, to compete the electrical circuit, and while not as important in older, carb'd engines....Grounds are VERY important in the EFI cars and the even new versions like the 2003-up Fords that use the Bus system to transmit data. Grounds are usually the switched end of a circuit, like the fuel injectors. Because modern cars use computers, and they operate at extreme frequencies, grounds and proper grounding has become a very important issue.
The ordinary changes anyone can do is to go over there car/Engine and make sure the factory ground straps are there, and that the connections are valid. If missing or degraded, re-place with a quality new ground strap. I like to run a heavy (-) #8 or 6 ground cable over to a 6-8 position bus. You can buy a copper bus or make one from a small section of copper (Aluminum will do in a pinch). Then run a good ground cable to the major sports on the engine. I like to run a cable to the intake manifold, one to the alternator bracket, one to the engine block, and one to the car body. It's also a good ideal to make a ground jumper and place it on the intake to engine block, and one from the engine block to car body. Make sure you sand the area well where the cables will laid, and use a good bolt to make the connection. When you make the ground loop kit, make sure you use a good automotive grade cable, with good terminals and some quality heat shrink to seal them. Also, I like to make a ground jumper that jumps over the engine isolator or engine mount. Just make a cable lone enough to tie the block to the other side of the engine mount.
While you may or may not notice an improvement in performance, your electrical system will notice the change, Your ignition system will fire better, and maintain it's stability thought the RPM range and the charging system will run smoother, with fewer spikes. The computer will also function better, and the many signals it gets will be cleaner.