The Importance of Grounding in Car Repair

When it comes to diagnosing electrical problems in cars, many people overlook one crucial aspect: grounding. A proper ground is essential for preventing electrical shocks and ensuring that the car's computer system functions correctly. In this article, we'll discuss the importance of grounding in car repair and provide tips on how to identify and fix common grounding issues.

Locating Grounding Issues

The first step in identifying a grounding issue is to locate the problem area. This can be challenging, especially for those who are new to car repair. However, with the help of companies like AutoZone, which offer wiring diagrams and printouts of ground wires, it's possible to identify the source of the problem. These resources provide detailed information on where all the grounds are located on a particular vehicle, including the ground wires that run along the back of the head.

Testing Grounding

To test the grounding system, you'll need a multimeter or a similar device. The multimeter can detect even the slightest changes in electrical resistance and voltage. This makes it an essential tool for any car repair technician. When using a multimeter to test a ground wire, you'll typically apply the probes to both ends of the wire and measure the resistance. A good ground should show zero resistance on the display.

The Importance of Grounding in Preventing Electrical Problems

Poor workmanship is one of the most common causes of electrical problems in cars. When a mechanic or technician works on a vehicle, they often overlook small details that can lead to big issues down the line. For example, if a valve cover gasket is not properly replaced or reinstalled, it can cause corrosion and damage to the surrounding wiring. Similarly, if a transmission is worked on without proper attention to grounding, it can lead to electrical problems and even engine failure.

Signs of Poor Workmanship

If you've had your car recently serviced or repaired, there are several signs that may indicate poor workmanship:

* Loose or corroded connectors

* Corrosion on wiring or components

* Electrical issues, such as flickering lights or faulty gauges

* Engine problems, such as rough idling or stalling

When inspecting a vehicle with suspected poor workmanship, it's essential to look for signs of damage or neglect in areas that have been recently worked on. This can include the transmission, engine compartment, and wiring harness.

Using a Multimeter to Identify Ground Issues

A multimeter is an excellent tool for identifying grounding issues in cars. By using the device to test the ground wires and connectors, you can determine if there are any problems with the electrical system. A multimeter can detect even small changes in resistance and voltage, making it an essential tool for any car repair technician.

Common Grounding Issues

There are several common grounding issues that can cause electrical problems in cars. Some of these include:

* Loose or corroded ground wires

* Corrosion on wiring or components

* Electrical shorts or open circuits

* Poorly installed or maintained computer systems

To fix these issues, it's essential to identify the source of the problem and take corrective action. This may involve tightening loose connections, replacing damaged wiring or components, or reconfiguring the electrical system.

Tips for Avoiding Grounding Issues

To avoid grounding issues in cars, follow these tips:

* Always purchase a wiring diagram or printout from a reputable company like AutoZone

* Use a multimeter to test ground wires and connectors

* Inspect the vehicle's wiring harness and components regularly

* Replace damaged or corroded wiring or components promptly

* Have any work done on your car inspected by a qualified mechanic or technician

Conclusion

Grounding is a crucial aspect of car repair that can make all the difference in preventing electrical problems and ensuring the proper functioning of the vehicle's computer system. By following these tips and using the right tools, you can identify and fix common grounding issues with ease. Remember to always purchase a wiring diagram or printout from a reputable company like AutoZone, use a multimeter to test ground wires and connectors, and inspect your car's wiring harness and components regularly. With the right knowledge and equipment, you can avoid electrical problems and keep your car running smoothly for years to come.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines today i'm going to talk about the number one cause of strange electrical problems in your car bad grounds now cars have positive electricity that runs in the wires and negative electricity the ground that run through the ground system well anybody can figure out all the wires send electricity to devices right but it's 12 volt electricity and it's dc direct current you have to have power and ground if you got power and there's no way for it going back it won't connect the circuit and it won't work so you have to have a complete circuit with power and ground if you get a ground fault weird stuff your radio can lose stations your headlights can dim systems might not work or they might come down at the wrong time you might step on your brake pedal but your headlights come out those are all ground related problems so you get all kinds of weird symptoms it can be hard to find bad grounds and here's the reason why here's your negative terminal that grounds this bolts to the metal on the frame so the engine there are many ground spots on a car where the power is grounded i'll show you on my computer am i all data repair we're gonna go to ground locations i'll show you where they all are and you can see there's grounds ignition system power radiator splices they're all over the place you can see here this is the location of where the ground connectors are where the wiring harness connect the upside down triangles are the location of grounding points these are all grounding points for the engine and as we go down the right fender has one as another the left fender also has two the connectors some of them are behind the headlights they're all over the place the engine wiring sensor wires the left bank of the cylinder head people often leave that off if they do any kind of engine work then you have all the stuff in the dash look at all the ground points there there they all are and then we go to the entire body of the car there there's all the ground points the triangles they are all over the place look at these under the driver's seat under the passenger seat front side rear quarter wheel house right hand the left center pillar behind the rear passenger seat they are all over the place bad enough that you can't see electricity you got to use machines to gauge them if you don't know where these ground points are you're not even going to see them behind a pillar under the seat you have to have wiring diagrams if you're going to mess around with any of this stuff it's just too complex and all i have to say here is thank goodness this is a lexus it never breaks down you get an iraqi course that can destroy electronic stuff you go through flood water they can destroy electronic stuff since this thing's never been wrecked or flooded everything is pretty much intact and the only electrical things i've ever had to change was the battery and the alternator which wore out now many cars like fiats and a lot of chevys have ground problem as they age they have historically and they continue to have them because of cheaper manufacturing the grounds get corroded or they're not put on tight or the anti-corrosion material was never put on the ground or the bolt and they just flat start to rust and then they don't connect anymore now you can use a simple device like this anova tester it'll do positive volts as you can see there's red 11.7 but it also does ground there's green and zero so you can see when you test the positive 12.3 volts then we'll check the negative and you can see it's different it has zero volts but the green light is on that shows that it's grounding now of course it's going to ground that's a negative terminal of the battery so we get the test meter we'll stick it on the engine and as you can see it's showing the same zero volts and the green lights on so it's grounded so you can use simple testers like this with giant 20-foot cords to reach just about anything on your car it's a good way to check for bad grounds that are really bad also look if they're all corroded and rusted take them off get emery paper make them shiny then bolt them on tight but of course there are sometimes intermittent crown shorts that can be absolute stinkers then out scotty has to get out as really expensive stuff like this fluke meter that can do graphic analysis of intermittent shorts and as you're driving you can graph it and see gee every once a while it glitches down you know it's got an intermittent ground short yes it's electricity it can be a gigantic pain in the rear end but normally you're going to get a corroded ground or a wire when you take it apart you can see it's green inside clean it up put it back together if you have a really crazy one that shows only once in a blue moon only maybe once out of every 500 miles you're gonna need something like this fluke meter that can do graphic analysis of intermittent shorts it gets really complicated that's the reason you need a good honest mechanic even an honest mechanic if you have an electrical short can't tell you what's going to cost until he finds it and then he's found it so you need an honest guy who can show you equipment like this he can show you how it works and he'll say okay i'm going to charge you so much per hour how long do you want me to look and if he's honest and he finds it in an hour so maybe he'll charge 140 bucks right you really want to go out you can buy one of these things you know you're going to spend many many many hundreds of dollars and you have to learn how to operate the thing to find it yourself but you've been an honest guy it's one of these he's going to have to tell you i don't know what the problem is we have to locate it and he's got to start searching you can find the obvious ones yourself and there are some companies out there that are really nice like autozone and you say i would like a printout of the ground wiring for my car like i just showed you on my all data autozone owns all data they can print you out the picture of where all the grounds are you'll know where they all are and you can test them with this to make sure it isn't an obvious shorted wire where you can see it's broken or corroded or a loose connector this can test an awful lot of stuff if you know where the grounds are on this lexus a lot of times guys forget the ground wires that go on the back of the head they're hidden way down there but when you have the information you know there it is and as you can see with the test it's green zero that ground works perfectly fine if you're gonna attempt to find the source of weird electrical problems in your car take advantage of companies like autozone that'll print you out the pages that have all the grounds and you'll know what you have to check yeah there's an awful lot of them now aside from normal corrosion if a car's been wrecked or flooded and you get weird electrical problems after the wreck area check the wreck area odds are a ground wire was broken another wire has been broken in that area check that if it's been flooded and you know what parts have been flooded let's say it flooded inside the dash you're gonna have to check all the computers there for bad grounds and bad wiring but aside from that here's the number one ground problem poor workmanship i've had more people bring me cars with squarely electrical problems and the first thing i say is well if you had any work done lately and i'll say yeah we had the valve cover gasket change we just had a clutch put in or we had the transmission worked on then you go to that area and look valve cover gaskets under here you got to take the intake manifold off the grounds are down there they could have easily disturbed the wires or they didn't put the ground wires back on or even worse the absolute worst case scenario is they put it on finger tight but not wrench type so sometimes it connects sometimes it doesn't then you're gonna need one of these fancy fluke type meters they can do a digital analysis and do graphing so you can find out that oh there's an intermittent short on that ground so if you've had work done recently check them physically is this tight yes this bolt is tight the wires aren't loose here's the connectors they're on tight and when we take the connectors apart we see shiny copper inside not green coated copper here's the example of one that's starting to turn green you can see there's a reasonable amount of corrosion on top of this connector and as i said earlier look in areas that have recently either been wrecked flooded or worked on guys will say oh i didn't work on that you take your car in somebody works on it you get it back you got a problem you didn't have before odds are they did something wrong that's just a fact realize some of the ground straps are on the bottom of the car on the transmission you gotta crawl under you gotta take all that plastic crap out of the way that's why you need the wiring diagram so you know where they all are you might say why does it get squirrely with no ground you have a bad large ground like say ground from the battery to the engine it's got to ground somehow so then a lot of times it'll start using power wires that are still connected as the path to ground and it can destroy your computer it can wipe out fuel injection systems it can do all kinds of damage just because you have a ground that's gone bad and really you wouldn't believe how many cars i fixed by just tightening or replacing a bad ground terminal or where it bolts onto the engine or like here where it bolts onto the body my advice here is let's say you're looking to buy a car and you see it historically they've had computer problems don't buy that car i just talked to a guy with a four year old f-150 he's now on his fourth main computer three of them had burned out and it wasn't like he was changing himself either he was having him replaced at the dealer but for all other problems hey find a 12 volt shorts isn't that bad if you got a simple tool like this and know where the grounds are hiding a lot of times you can easily fix them yourself so if you never want to miss another one of my new car repair videos remember to ring that bell so\n"