Frame Ground Location (dragging start after warm)
10-23-2014, 03:14 PM
#1
Frame Ground Location (dragging start after warm)
Hello,
I have been on here a few hours now trying to figure out if anyone has had the same issue. I had some severely corroded cables that were probably the original wires. It looked chalky / green inside the wire after you pull off insulation.
1990 F150, XLT Lariat 2 gas tanks, 351W, 8 foot bed single cab.
The truck starts fine at first, but then once it gets hot I cant cut it off without it sounding like the battery is not strong enough to crank the truck over. Almost like something is holding back really hard.
I have replaced the battery (and also just replaced the hold down because it was missing). Its brand new battery with 950+ CCA. New rebuilt distributor, new ignition coil.
So far I have replaced the following wires:
-Positive terminal and wire (0 gauge copper)going to starter solenoid on the firewall
-Negative terminal and I added a wire(0 gauge copper) going to engine ground point on the left side around intake.
-Cleaned the strap going from hood to firewall, and cleaned the other wire going from firewall to the engine ground point mentioned above
-Added a wire(0 gauge copper) from the above mentioned ground point to the bolt used to hold the jack in place (Left side of engine bay by firewall). I used scraped a little paint off for the connection sure its in there tight.
I had a problem before which left me on the side of the road. This problem was fixed once I cleaned up the relays because they had corrosion or oxidation. I used some electrical contact cleaner, and a wire brush.
The only one I couldn't figure out how to replace was the wire going from the negative battery terminal down to the frame. I could not follow the wire after a certain point. Does anyone have a picture or can tell me where this connection is? I may have to jack the truck up to get under there to actually see. I could just leave the wire intact thats there and run a new one but i prefer to not drill through the frame or anything like that. Whats the best place to ground the frame?
Could a bad ground over the course of years cause the truck to corrode all these wires??? Why would relays be corroded?
I have been on here a few hours now trying to figure out if anyone has had the same issue. I had some severely corroded cables that were probably the original wires. It looked chalky / green inside the wire after you pull off insulation.
1990 F150, XLT Lariat 2 gas tanks, 351W, 8 foot bed single cab.
The truck starts fine at first, but then once it gets hot I cant cut it off without it sounding like the battery is not strong enough to crank the truck over. Almost like something is holding back really hard.
I have replaced the battery (and also just replaced the hold down because it was missing). Its brand new battery with 950+ CCA. New rebuilt distributor, new ignition coil.
So far I have replaced the following wires:
-Positive terminal and wire (0 gauge copper)going to starter solenoid on the firewall
-Negative terminal and I added a wire(0 gauge copper) going to engine ground point on the left side around intake.
-Cleaned the strap going from hood to firewall, and cleaned the other wire going from firewall to the engine ground point mentioned above
-Added a wire(0 gauge copper) from the above mentioned ground point to the bolt used to hold the jack in place (Left side of engine bay by firewall). I used scraped a little paint off for the connection sure its in there tight.
I had a problem before which left me on the side of the road. This problem was fixed once I cleaned up the relays because they had corrosion or oxidation. I used some electrical contact cleaner, and a wire brush.
The only one I couldn't figure out how to replace was the wire going from the negative battery terminal down to the frame. I could not follow the wire after a certain point. Does anyone have a picture or can tell me where this connection is? I may have to jack the truck up to get under there to actually see. I could just leave the wire intact thats there and run a new one but i prefer to not drill through the frame or anything like that. Whats the best place to ground the frame?
Could a bad ground over the course of years cause the truck to corrode all these wires??? Why would relays be corroded?
Last edited by mach1threat; 10-23-2014 at 03:23 PM.
10-23-2014, 04:27 PM
#2
Senior Member
I had the same issue of slow cranking once hot. All cables were good. For the hell of it I ran a wire from the negative battery terminal. Put a large round connector on the other end and put it on one of the alternator bolts, essentially grounding the alternator case directly to the battery. No more problems after that and the charging volts went up a little.
10-24-2014, 09:56 AM
#4
That ground wire should bolt to the frame near the front of the motor mount, then continue on down to the lower starter bolt.
Repairing the grounds is a real good idea - they're just as important as the positive connections.
What you're describing though sounds a bit like a weak starter that doesn't have as much oomph when it gets warm. Might be worth pulling it off and just carefully pull the end plate to have a look inside - condition of the carbon brushes, caked in oil etc
Repairing the grounds is a real good idea - they're just as important as the positive connections.
What you're describing though sounds a bit like a weak starter that doesn't have as much oomph when it gets warm. Might be worth pulling it off and just carefully pull the end plate to have a look inside - condition of the carbon brushes, caked in oil etc
11-01-2014, 01:24 PM
#6
Senior Member
