INstead of a question, I have a tip today.

My Delta was having trouble starting up when cold. It usually only gets driven on the weekends. After sitting for a week, the intial start takes a while for the motor to start. It just turns and turns then starts. I know I am due for a tune up but also chalked it up to a 40 year old car just being grumpy. However, a while back I had noticed the block to firewall groundstrap was broken. I took my time fixing it because it was hard to reach the bolt at the rear of the block and free it after 40 years. Knowing it needed replacing, I finally got around to it. Now the motor turns over immediately! I guess the moral of the story is start with the simple repairs first.

Enjoy.

 

It can weld your shifter cable together also. Please don't ask how I know this.

 

Electric current takes the path of lease resistance to ground. Basic electrical theory. Thats why when you touch a sparkplug wire while standing in a puddle of water it lights you up One of the best ways to counter this issue is to add a seperate ground path. add a 3/8 bolt to the fender well run the negative battery cable to this ground first then use the same size jumper (#6 ) to the engine block creates a redundant ground path. This helps the starter as well as the current flow in more efficent with the larger ground cable. I do this on all on my engine installs.

 

Electricity takes ALL paths to ground.... mostly by way of least resistance, but SOME still goes on EVERY path. Mull this over with household ground - neutral separation,... except at the 1 buss bar.

In automotives, you need to doublechck redundant grounds such as the battery (-) unto itself - see pix:

Note the redundant battery ground terminal grounded To ITSELF!!!
That's serious groundbreaking work there!

http://www.lxforums.com/board/f64/i-...inside-312726/


13314

 

When I worked on police cars, had a officer come in and say when he was driving and turned on lights and siren at speed the car would die. Car had new alt installed, new batteries, belts, etc. When the officer said he noticed sparks at night when this happened from the gas pedal, my boss smiled, told me to check the engine ground. Sure nuff, someone had done a head replacement, and the ground wire was not re-installed.

 

best practice is to use a "star" ground system. battery negative to block, body to block, frame to block, etc. all grounds go to one central point, not back and forth or redundant. redundancy promotes ground loops=not good. appropriate wire gauging with some overkill is good.


bill