Truck ground
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=83711
Printed Date: May 04, 2024 at 7:12 AM
Topic: Truck ground
Posted By: ro,boy,to
Subject: Truck ground
Date Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:26 PM
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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With Age, Comes Wisdom, I HOPE
Replies:
Posted By: silverado42000
Date Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:40 PM
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 ------------- 
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:48 PM
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.
Posted By: ro,boy,to
Date Posted: October 04, 2006 at 9:51 PM
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 ------------- With Age, Comes Wisdom, I HOPE
Posted By: stevdart
Date Posted: October 04, 2006 at 10:11 PM
...pretty much anywhere could work, just like I said.
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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.
Posted By: ro,boy,to
Date Posted: October 06, 2006 at 10:13 PM
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
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With Age, Comes Wisdom, I HOPE
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: October 07, 2006 at 10:45 AM
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. :) ------------- Support the12volt.com
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