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RE: Starter Ground

To: Dan Neff <neffster189@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Starter Ground
From: "Patrick J. Horne" <horne@cs.utexas.edu>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 18:53:24 -0600 (CST)
Assuming that your battery ground cable (the fat one) is connected to the
engine block an additional ground strap from the starter bolt to the frame
will not help. If, however, the battery ground wire is connected to the
frame, it will help. Just be sure that you have at least one #8 or larger
ground wire from the engine to the frame or your choke cables and
accenerator cable will be the ground wires!

Having your alternator grounded to the frame and body is probably ok, but
would possibly be better if it were connected to the block. If the
mounting of the alternator to the engine gets corroded the charging
current will flow through the wire to the body/frame, then back through
the engine ground strap to the block. This gives you more connections in
the circuit where a voltage drop could occure. Run a wire from the
alternator case to the block just to be safer(er).

As for the ground strap extending the life of the starter, it could allow
the starter to get higher current (battery cable to the frame), which will
allow the starter to turn over faster and thus not have to grind as long
or as slowly as it would without the ground strap.

Peace,
Pat

- Support Habitat for Humanity, A "hand up", not a "hand out" -

Pat Horne, Network Manager, Shop Supervisor, Future planner
CS Dept, University of Texas, Austin, Tx. 78712 USA
voice (512)471-9730, fax (512)471-8885, horne@cs.utexas.edu

On Fri, 29 Mar 2002, Dan Neff wrote:

> Tue, 26 Mar 2002 07:57 "Laury, Victor" wrote:
> >Mark Wrote -
> >>Hmm, my car didn't have a ground strap on the starter when I
> >>did this operation.  Don't want to be short a ground strap, where
> >>on the starter do you connect your wire to ground?
> >
> >Mark, if you don't have one, you need it. It really extends starter life. It
> >runs from the bottom bolt of the starter to the frame. Turn your wheel al
> >the way to the right and reach in. You find a 1/4 X NFT hole on the top of
> >the frame.
>
>   Same thing here (no ground strap on the starter). Could somebody
> clarify the importance - especially how it extends starter life?
>   If the battery neg cable is bolted to the block, and the starter is
> bolted to the block, what's the frame got to do with the starter? Path
> of least resistance would be thru the block (I DO have a ground strap
> from block to frame where the smog pump used to be, and the alt is
> grounded to frame and body. Volt and ohmmeter readings on frame/ground
> points (like under the dash and in the trunk) don't suggest a problem
> with it as is).
>
> thanks,
> dan neff     '69 2000
> colorado springs,  co
> http://www.wycroc.org
>
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