8 SYMPTOMS of a Bad Car Negative Battery Cable | Signs Engine Ground Strap is Faulty

[@pbrown6097]

Many years ago I owned a 1963 Diamond-T truck. It started having electrical problems in the dash. I took it to an electrical technician and they told me they would fix it, no problem. The next trip I had trouble getting it started. Took it back to the electrical mechanic shop and they said my 4 battery's were just bad. Needless to say, 4 new batteries and I still had problems starting the engine and still had problems with the dash lights and other cab lights. I called up a guy I knew who was a Cummins engine mechanic and told him my problem. He told me to take the ground off the frame and the battery and throw it away. He said buy a new cable and then he told me to buy another cable to put on the opposite side of the engine to ground it to the engine and then to the frame. He also told me to actually sand or grind the places on the frame and engine. It worked great from then on. It had cost me a couple of thousand dollars to go through the previous so called repairs and lost wages due to the down time the truck was in the shop.

[@fixit3879]

Thank you for sharing.

[@BDCaine]

Had this problem with my 87 cutlass, lights and instrument cluster flickered when driving over humps, or stopping at red lights, looked under hood, and low and behold I discovered the ground strap had came loose, tightened it with a spare bolt from garage and problem solved😎

[@markschissler204]

Great video; had lots of clues I had a grounding problem on my 2006 Silverado. Finally fixed it by replacing the negative battery cable and adding an additionl grounding strap to body ground point on firewall. I had all the clues, but finding the electron disruption took a LONG time??? Thanks!!

[@MrJoelJ1]

Have a '94 F250 460 that I finally figured out had a bad ground. The symptoms included failure to crank on a warm engine and gauge problems. Threw a new coil, alternator, etc..., at the issue until somebody on the 460 forum told me to check. Sure enough the ground strap attached to block was held on with only a few strands of wire and disintegrated when I touched it. Replaced the strap and bolt and problems all solved.

[@olbluetundra881]

Luckily I've never really had electrical issues with my vehicles. 1 of the first things I do when I get a new or new to me used 1 is the big 3 upgrade. I always use pure copper wire and lugs. Minimum size is #2 welding cable and maximum size 4/0 on my dual battery setups in my truck. Even my 08 yaris with the sound system has 3 runs of 1/0 welding cable to handle the 325a singer alt.

[@grominwithrob1339]

I like to install extra ground wires, but I also make jumper grounds so multiple grounds are tied together.

[@r.weaver3769]

Doing a "voltage drop" test confirms condition of ground strap. with engine running and lights, fan on high, radio on, and a multi meter switched to DC volts, put negative on battery negative, the other lead touch metal of engine block, alternator housing, ground wire eyelets to seek faulty connections. 0.056 or less is good, higher say 0.09 or 0.1 indicates fault in ground. The reason everything on when doing test is to "Load" the circuit. Not loading the circuit can give false readings, i.e. corrosion can allow connection, but when a load is applied the corroded connection sees amperage beyond it's current capabilities and temporarily breaks connection.

[@fixit3879]

Very informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@HALDikopter]

Measure Voltage between battery negative and the frame, also between the alternator negative and battery negative. If you get elevated readings, there's a ground fault.

[@fixit3879]

Wow that is great. Thank you for sharing. Cheers!

[@Rick-qf5de]

90% of all electrical problems is a bad ground..... I will usually even add two more field grounds... 1 to the fender and one directly to the alternator mount. And make sure the engine ground is clean....

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

many times positiv terminal to starter is over heat and drain battery super fast

[@10MMsocketfinder]

I ran new ground wires to alternator(fused),both cylinder heads, engine block, chassis and transmission. Noticeable improvement.

[@johndoe4293]

@@10MMsocketfinderu weren’t playing hij

[@TIIRONC5H]

​@@StopTeoriomSpiskowym what to do about that ?

[@TIIRONC5H]

​@@10MMsocketfinder can u help me out how

[@bird289]

I had 12 check engine codes on my 97 4runner, changed the ground strap just for the hell of it because the previous owner used a lamp wire and all check engine codes disappeared

[@nimblenate]

Is it common for mechanics to brush off the idea of a bad ground.. ive had 2 or 3 basically laugh at the idea but im pretty sure thats the problem .. seems so hard to find a decent mechanic

[@dannylinc6247]

Most stories i get that lead me to look at somebodys car, result in finding the cables arent connected clean and tight at the battery posts. After that check of twisting, i go to their alt belt, and inspect visible ground straps. Body/frame, head or block, head to firewall, what have you. Its usually shoddy job by the last person who touched the battery and 1/2 ast it.

[@Antonio-zn4ge]

Question: Is it necessary to have a strap ground, or can a normal heavy gauge copper wire be used as a replacement? thank you!

[@niteshades_promise]

i had a severed ground strap on an 87 vw vanagon. burn up batteries as it was running around 24 volts. replaced the ground with regular wire. never had an issue again. 🍻

[@faizaleijal6984]

Sir,what good point to tap the grounding cable.

[@runningwolf8820]

I had à Citroen Relay. It wouldnt start and there were no lights on the dashboard. All because the earth strap had corroded. A New strap cured it for only £5 from the car accessories shop.

[@flightofthefatman]

Excellent video.

[@martyjoseph9507]

Looking into this today. My brother gave me a car and he said to add fuel treatment because it bucks when you go up an incline... Then I noticed flickering lights and low battery voltage... Don't think fuel additive is a cure all Edit: FYI years ago I had an old jeep, rusty but trusty. When it sat it would drain the battery, but luckily one night I noticed the lights would flicker just a tad every time I pushed in the clutch... So I parked it with just enough pressure on the clutch pedal to barely apply the throw out bearing, and the battery was good. I added some ground wires in various places where they had failed and an additional one from the negative battery post to the fire wall. Problem solved.

[@thundercats475]

Best video on grounding car issue

[@fixit3879]

Glad you found this Video Helpful. Thank you so much for sharing !!!

[@gulzarzeb]

Lov the video, the way you explain simple amd direct

[@KnowOdds]

TLDR: #1 Flickering headlights #2 Problems starting #3 Dimming interior lights #4 Warning lights on dash i.e. battery light #5 Low voltage from battery #6 Stalling or hesitation #7 Multiple electrical problems #8 Battery doesn't charge properly

[@lewis2553]

Don't buy those red and black, painted, battery cable connectors from Putozone. I put one on my tractor and it wouldn't even turn the engine over. I checked all the other connections, cleaned the other terminal, and then discovered there was still high resistance at the new connector. It didn't look painted on the interior surface that contacts the battery post, but, apparently, it was spray painted with a clear top coat that was also on the inside surface. I had to physically scrape that out with a knife. My battery terminal brush wasn't tough enough to remove it.

[@fixit3879]

Thank you for sharing.

[@williamschubert3929]

The thinner the wire the less amperage you have

[@gulzarzeb]

Mine GMC envoy 2008 in saudi arabia has headlight, dash and instrument cluster flickering and battery or charge guage ablittle flickering ..... Plz explain Battery ok Alernatpr ok Sensors clean .. ok Plz explain

[@fixit3879]

If your 2008 GMC Envoy's headlights, dash lights, and gauges are flickering, there could be several underlying issues. First, check for loose or corroded ground connections, as they can lead to electrical problems. Damaged wiring in the harness might also cause intermittent connections and flickering. Additionally, a malfunctioning Body Control Module (BCM) can disrupt various electrical functions in the vehicle. Finally, even if the alternator is working, a faulty voltage regulator could lead to voltage fluctuations that affect your lights and gauges.

[@willglazier9792]

Video top notch

[@windward2818]

The video is incorrect in inconsistent in how terms are used to describe and illustrate problem cause and effect pertaining to the many different types of circuits in modern vehicle electrical design. What follows is a clarification: 1) The head light ground currents do not return through an equipotential ground strap, they return through the harness ground wires back to the battery negative terminal. Usually through a ground splice power point or junction. External lighting loads, like a brake light, that use the body to conduct ground return currents back to the battery, will do so via a body to battery negative return wire (like an 8 AWG stranded copper cable) that will go directly from the body ground bolt, near the battery, to the battery negative, it is considered a ground connection and not an equipotential ground strap. An equipotential ground strap like between the body and the hood, common to see a tinned braided strap, is just to keep the hood and the body at the same electrical potential, and not to return load currents. 2) A bad starter ground, block ground, which here again is a dedicated ground connection to return starting current directly to the battery negative and not an equipotential strap, can have a high resistance which will not disrupt flow of voltage to the starter, as stated in the video, the faulty connection under load will have high electrical resistance will limit the flow of current. 3) A dead battery will not cause the same symptoms of a bad block ground. With a bad block ground you will see electrical loads activate upon key on, with the engine a no start. A dead battery, a completely discharged battery, will not activate any loads at key on, the car will be dead. 4) Interior lights can return currents through the body to battery negative return wire if they use the body as ground. Here again a the body to battery ground wire is usually not the problem. The problem is a bad ground connection between the interior lighting system and the body, usually a bolted or screw connection which is made in close proximity to the lighting loads. 5) A battery instrument cluster alert symbol represents a failure in the battery charging system. 6) A battery that is not being charged is a problem in the charging system and not an equipotential ground strap. The battery is being charged from the alternator output (red wire) and the block ground (black wire) which both terminate directly at the battery. The video shows a strap between the frame and the case of a transaxle which a equipotential strap and has nothing to do with the charging system. 7) Measuring battery voltage with a DMM directly at the battery posts with engine off key off will give you the battery terminal voltage loaded by vehicle sleep current events, it has nothing to do with a equipotential ground strap. Let me know if you think I missed anything.

[@Sig.40]

I’ve completely rewired old trucks and you are right. I have a habit of adding a grounding wire from the frame to the engine.

[@christophethunt8888]

I'm wondering if this is why my alternator gauge flickers when my blicker is on.

[@reliefmango6]

Good vid

[@TIIRONC5H]

I have to ask u so i Have done this to my car negativ wire connect and negative bateri mod With bulb and bulb turn on is that bad ground or not bcz my car after 20 min it goes dad

[@fixit3879]

If the bulb lights up when testing the ground, the ground connection is likely okay. However, if your car dies after 20 minutes, the problem might be with the battery, alternator, or other electrical components. Check the battery and alternator, and ensure all connections are secure and free from corrosion. Good Luck!

[@TIIRONC5H]

@@fixit3879 so when i connect both negatives and light on its mean no draining ? What if Ccm module goes bad can cause that serious draining bcz I have some issue example interior light and doors sometimes work also keyfob stop working now alternator i check its ok

[@flightofthefatman]

​@@TIIRONC5HA bad battery that's in need of replacing can cause problems. Have your battery and alternator tested. If not you need to check the various grounds of your cars electrical circuit by doing a drop voltage test across the connections.

[@TIIRONC5H]

I just Try this method negative remove when i shut off car and when i want to drive i connect and it goes fine but until today It happen something not good i reconnect it but it crank slow 5 times and goes dad 😢

[@awnedrerepz1786]

My battery light comes on when I stop light then goes away when I start driving again or if I'm waiting for the light to change I'll turn the AC on and the light goes away

[@juankarlosrobles241]

I’m having similar trouble I replaced the alternator starter and battery and I have nothing dash lights turn on and also i hear a click under the hood like a dead battery although it has a new one so I really hope it’s just the ground a

[@flightofthefatman]

Search Voltage drop testing starter system. You have to voltage drop test battery terminal connections, positive to s terminal on solenoid,, battery cable to M terminal on starter, starter to engine, and engine to negative terminal. Also make sure no pulleys have seized preventing engine cranking, see if you can rotate engine by cranking by hand to see if it's seized. Majority of the time it's a grounding issue. First though give the starter a few wacks with a hammer. If it starts then it's the starter that's the problem. If no crank connect a jumper cable from battery positive to the s terminal on the solenoid if it starts the starter is OK and the problem lies between the s terminal and the ignition switch. If not it's the starter or above - bad grounds or connections. Hope this helps. Good luck. .. Also do this thirdly as it's easy to do swap out the starter relay with another that is the same and not important as it could be faulty. If no go then it's any of the other reasons connections, ignition, pulleys etc. If the last three steps don't yield result start with the next easiest to do. The channel MotorAge have excellent Voltage Drop tutorial videos then use this knowledge to drop test. Also good to understand the starter system. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jX67doGBqs-MqsUsi=jmKg1UogdihMci2g

[@johndoe4293]

Where’s the engine ground strap on a 2005 Chevy colorado

[@benekaiwi1]

Take a shot every time he says, "ground strap".