hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
Should star washers go between the boxes and the sheet metal, or between the bolt and the boxes?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Grounding VR and ECU
- Thread starter hotrod swinger
- Start date
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The bolt head does the grounding so put the washer there.
And please don’t sand off the paint behind these boxes. The auto factories never did it and they built millions of cars that made it through the warranty period, so we don’t need to do it either. It just makes rust trails, and that never helps grounding.
Now I’m ready for all the dummies to hit the red X, and when you do tell us why.
And please don’t sand off the paint behind these boxes. The auto factories never did it and they built millions of cars that made it through the warranty period, so we don’t need to do it either. It just makes rust trails, and that never helps grounding.
Now I’m ready for all the dummies to hit the red X, and when you do tell us why.
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
Cool, that’s how I have it now. I did sand behind the boxes already, but I also greased up those areas to prevent rust.
Ironracer
Gearhead
I take a Lil (1/8") off around the holes.. no need to attack the hell outta it
I don't let bolts do the grounding. If they do all the better, but I run separate ground wires.
Ironracer
Gearhead
That'll eliminate ANY possible grounding gremlins!
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
Where do you attach the ground wires? Body bolt to sheet metal?
I grounded my ignition module from one of its mounting bolts to the factory ground location on the firewall. There's a factory ground wire already there from a bellhousing bolt.
If you look at an OEM VR there is a clip that has points on the back, those points pierce the paint added to that, the bolt head and the contact of the threads do a fine job of grounding under 99% of all conditions.
If you wanted to put a star washer between the VR and the body you could get some additional bight but i doubt it will do much more that the oem mountings
If you wanted to put a star washer between the VR and the body you could get some additional bight but i doubt it will do much more that the oem mountings
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
The thing is "most of that is usually missing over the years, replacement VR and all that. I disagree with "letting the bolt" do the grounding because all these cars are old and all of them have a certain amount of rust--and in the bolt threads. If you don't like paint off the firewall, use a little such as anti ox grease. You can put a star behind the VR and one in front of it for good measure. Nobody will ever know "but us."
If you use a pigtail like Rusty, put a star between the VR and the eyelet. But what are you gonna do with the other end? I guess you can run it clear to the battery or the block...........
If you use a pigtail like Rusty, put a star between the VR and the eyelet. But what are you gonna do with the other end? I guess you can run it clear to the battery or the block...........
Somewhat related... Ford would put a big external toothed washer between engine block and eyelet lug on negative battery cable. Once in a while we would have a new car come back with intermittent slow starter, etc... We would find resistance in the ground wire. Apparently some blocks got more black paint than others. rough cast iron didn't help matters. Only contact was small spots where washer teeth broke through paint.
Remove bolt, scrub some paint off the block put the wire lug against block, toothed washer under bolt head. Only difference is the washer would drag/turn the lug around as the bolt tightened. That might be why they put the washer under the lug.
Remove bolt, scrub some paint off the block put the wire lug against block, toothed washer under bolt head. Only difference is the washer would drag/turn the lug around as the bolt tightened. That might be why they put the washer under the lug.
I weld mine on!
If an electrician's kids mis-behave, do they get grounded???? 
Stolie.....or stolenIf an electrician's kids mis-behave, do they get grounded????
moparlee
64 Valiant
I've been reading a lot here lately that they should be between the bolt and the ICM, same with voltage regulator.....but have ya ever looked under the hood of a newer model Volvo car....man they have grounding lugs EVERWHERE. In my own opinion the more grounds the better.
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hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
I improved the grounding of my ECU and VR. Both are now attached with BOLTS rather than body screws, and with star washers between the bolt and the boxes, as well as between the boxes and the body, all metal to metal contact with grease.
View attachment 1715818769
View attachment 1715818769
The above post is a classic example of things mounted in the wrong place. They are where the water flows over the body panels and run under the hood. the factory never mounted electrical boxes here.
Nothing should be above the red line. Look at where the factory mounted things. It is all under the lip on the cowl so water will not drip on the bolted mounting points which are grounds, or on the rubber grommets where cables pass through. Prevents the bolts from rusting and the grommets from potential leaking.
THINK before mounting or drilling
And what is the service interval to inspect for rust and replace this grease behind electrical components? The factory never mounted things this way for a reason.
Nothing should be above the red line. Look at where the factory mounted things. It is all under the lip on the cowl so water will not drip on the bolted mounting points which are grounds, or on the rubber grommets where cables pass through. Prevents the bolts from rusting and the grommets from potential leaking.
THINK before mounting or drilling
And what is the service interval to inspect for rust and replace this grease behind electrical components? The factory never mounted things this way for a reason.
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
Factory cars also had working windshield wipers lol.
There's always a critic.
There's always a critic.
Ironracer
Gearhead
Hmm. Maybe I've been doing mine wrong? Rear of head on Psgr side to firewall...
Naw, that's fine as long as the connections are good and clean. Mine just happens to still have the factory ground wire in place.
Ironracer
Gearhead
Cool. When i.took the original 273 outta the 66 satellite, I seem to remember that's where it was, and cleaned it all up, replaced the woven G strap, and duplicated on the Duster
Please don’t take it as criticism, take it as helping you and anyone else who might want to copy your installation.
If this is a sunny day only car that’s great.
hotrod swinger
Well-Known Member
I drive it in the rain all the time, I regularly Rain-X my windshield.
Yup. Lots of people leave grounds off for whatever reason. You need negative cable to engine block or head. "I" run an extra battery size cable with eyelets on each end from block to radiator support. Then I have the factory ground on the bellhousing bolt to the firewall. It probably wouldn't hurt to run one from the block to the frame rail just for the hell of it. What you DON'T want is things like shift linkage, kickdown linkage, exhaust and whatnot acting as grounds. That's how you burns things up in a hurry. A guy brought me a Dart years ago for "electrical problems". He left every single ground off after an engine swap. That thing ground with the column shift linkage through the column and anything it could to get the dash and rest of the circuits "going". Melted the piss outta the entire dash and column harness. He didn't make that mistake again.
Ironracer
Gearhead
Damn it ! Wow! That's a cool story, except for its a Nightmare! That's another reason I love this place, other than the killer info, Mopar stuff, ect, is the old Mechanical/ racing, stories. Just good ol " tales from the toolbox" hey wait, is that copyrighted 
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