Lets say I take the frame of the s10 out of the grounding equation. I attach all grounds to the cab or block (with a jumper between the cab and block, of course)
Would this cause any problems? There would only be a two or three ground wires I would have to relocate.
part 2: what if I extended all grounds and only used the engine as a ground source? (perhaps with a ground distribution block or something on the firewall)
(reasoning: I don’t want to have to grind anything down to get a good ground after the frame and cab is painted up nice. It will happen someday, I promise!)
sounds dumb to me, just use one of those wire wheel drill bits to take the paint off a small area, you can even paint, undercoat over it once you attach the ground if you want
I dunno If I agree with that - pretty sure you should run a ground from battery to block - you don’t want to start through the frame.
So I would say Battery->Block, battery->Frame and then pick where you want to ground the rest of the stuff.
It probably won’t matter since you’ll still get continuity to the frame through mounting bolts, but this just sounds like one of those shortcuts that is just begging to fuck you over. Goofy sensor readings throwing codes, crappy charging system performance, fluctuating voltage, who knows.
[QUOTE=Fry;1505684]It probably won’t matter since you’ll still get continuity to the frame through mounting bolts,
motor and cab both bolt on with rubber mounts. there is no continuity without jumper wires
[QUOTE=Fry;1505684]but this just sounds like one of those shortcuts that is just begging to fuck you over. Goofy sensor readings throwing codes, crappy charging system performance, fluctuating voltage, who knows.
I dunno If I agree with that - pretty sure you should run a ground from battery to block - you don’t want to start through the frame.
So I would say Battery->Block, battery->Frame and then pick where you want to ground the rest of the stuff.
direct wire from engine to battery is not needed. you can connect everything to the frame and it will be fine. frame is the best place to go to when grounding. also the cleanest as you can keep all the ground wires pretty short.
edit: i rewired my entire truck this way a few years ago and i have not had a single electrical issue. everything works flawlessly.
Frame and additional wire connections are not good conductors when you talking about 200+ Amp draw that a truck starter can generate - there’s a reason most cars/trucks are wired like that.
please explain why a frame is not a good conductor. every motorized vehicle i have ever seen is grounded to it’s “frame.”
-as for the starter, you have a direct wire from the battery to the starter, a wire from the ignition to the starter, and the starter itself is grounded through the block, which when block to frame is connected - needing say an 8" long wire to reach, you have a complete circuit. now thats not many connections at all. so wheres the issue of too many connections?
Sometimes in newer vehicles things are not as conductive/metal as they appear - some parts a bonded together using glues etc. Smaller draws like lights, instruments etc. will find their ways, but with a giant draw like this you’re relying on twice as many lugs to be well connected (paint free, flush,well crimped no tiny spot welds on the way) -This is the reason a lot of cars ground the block directly on the battery and most jump-starting instructions recommend putting the ground clamp on the block.
guess i can understand that reasoning. does make sense but i think thats more an issue with unibody cars. these s10’s have a full frame so i think it wil be just fine. however the body on these are spot welded and seam sealed, but not glued.
