Hey there

​​​​​​I've recently acquired a 1987 Ford f150 XLT Lariat. It's got an 11 year old battery that's getting ready to die so I decided I'd pull it and replace it, along with some other parts that seem like they're getting tired. I pulled the negative and positive cables, and tucked underneath the battery was another cable, either 2 or 4 gauge, with no terminal on it. The negative cable from the battery leads down to the starter, this one looks like it goes to a bracket on the frame and then another wire from that bracket goes to the starter. Planning on replacing the cable as well and just wanting to know how to route it properly, and whether or not I can remove both of these, or re-route them where they're supposed to go.
​​​go.

Thanks,

Michael

 

Sounds like maybe someone replaced the original ground cable (battery to frame to block) with another ground cable.
Anyway, you only need the one - whichever you decide to go with.

 

I don't know if it's the same way on your '87, but on my '90, the ground wire went from the battery to the frame in the front. The other part of the ground wire was grounded on the chassis and went to the starter from there. That one wire had two ground points on it.

Now, for the extra stuff you didn't ask for.

These trucks love extra ground connections. Run some extra ground wires to the engine and frame. You'll notice a difference in how the electronics on the truck respond afterwards. I bought a ton of 4 gauge wire and ran grounds everywhere and it certainly made a positive difference.