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Truck ground


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ro,boy,to 
Member - Posts: 4
Member spacespace
Joined: October 04, 2006
Location: Canada
Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:26 PM / IP Logged  
I have a 1998 Ford Expedition XLT and I recently put a new system in it, with out a sub for now. The only thing im not sure about, is the ground, how do I know if it is a good ground?. I am grounding my 4 channel amp, where should I ground it?
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silverado42000 
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Joined: September 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:40 PM / IP Logged  
personally i use seatbelt studs, but if you cant get to one, find a space where the metal is thick, thats always worked for me
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stevdart 
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Joined: January 24, 2004
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:48 PM / IP Logged  

It's entirely possible not to get a good ground no matter what part of the chassis you connect the wire to, but is seldom the case. 

The ground wire has to be at least as large as the power wire and needs to connect to the source ground.  The source ground in a vehicle is ultimately the battery negative, and it connects directly to the truck's sheet metal chassis.  If you would read the "...upgrade the big three..." sticky subject above, you will see that this battery-to-chassis ground wire may need to be upgraded.

The sticky subjects dealing specifically with "...ground..." should also merit your attention.  Basically, you want to have good, solid, well-connected sheet metal panels between your amplifier's ground location and the battery-to-chassis location.  Look at the sheet metal as if it were a wire itself...if there are breaks in it, it won't transfer current very well.  You can ground directly to the battery-to-chassis bolt just as well as grounding to any other chassis spot, in which case you are substituting an actual wire for the chassis.

Best grounding is done when you drill a hole instead of using a OEM bolt...scraping and grinding all traces of paint and/or corrosion from the area...using a ring terminal on the ground wire that is  well-crimped and well-soldered onto the ground wire...and using a star washer at the grounding point  (digs into the metal).

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
ro,boy,to 
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Member spacespace
Joined: October 04, 2006
Location: Canada
Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:51 PM / IP Logged  

So, pretty much anywhere on the sheet metal will work?, I bought a kit with 2 feet of the ground wire, or else I would just run it to the - terminal on the battery

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stevdart 
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Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Posted: October 04, 2006 at 10:11 PM / IP Logged  
...pretty much anywhere could work, just like I said.
Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
ro,boy,to 
Member - Posts: 4
Member spacespace
Joined: October 04, 2006
Location: Canada
Posted: October 06, 2006 at 10:13 PM / IP Logged  
problem solved...i tried it just on the sheet metal...and i got alternator whine...so i just ran a wire to the - terminal on the battery...thanks for you help
With Age, Comes Wisdom, I HOPE
DYohn 
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Moderator spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: April 22, 2003
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: October 07, 2006 at 10:45 AM / IP Logged  

silverado42000 wrote:
personally i use seatbelt studs, but if you cant get to one, find a space where the metal is thick, thats always worked for me

Seat belt studs are sometimes a very poor grounding location, as they generally use hardened steel bolts and nuts welded into the sub-frame.  Some seat belt studs have 100 or more ohms of ground return path resistance and will provide a nice source for ground loop hum.  It is always best to measure the ground return resistance before using any pre-drilled ground location.  I believe these topics and more are covered in the Ground sticky posts at the top of this forum.  :)

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