SPLadd1ct Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Dumb question.... But is the alternator grounded? I see that there are two spots on my mechman alternator to run wires to and they are both for 0 gauge. It's strange because I never saw anything in the big 3 upgrade for the alternator ground, lol. Quote 2011 Ford Ranger Sport 4.0 v6 2 sundown audio prototype nsv4 15s crossfire 4k wired to 0.4 ohm 15 banks of maxwell 3.0 caps @ 18v triple alts (x2 us alt 250's, x1 singer 320) 153 at 23hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphisBred Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Yes to the engine block. I'd run a ground from the alt ground to your front battery ground. Quote SMD Super Seller/Buyer Audison----Hertz----Rainbow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPLadd1ct Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Yes to the engine block. I'd run a ground from the alt ground to your front battery ground. Thanks! It's kinda strange though how nobody really mentioned it before.... Quote 2011 Ford Ranger Sport 4.0 v6 2 sundown audio prototype nsv4 15s crossfire 4k wired to 0.4 ohm 15 banks of maxwell 3.0 caps @ 18v triple alts (x2 us alt 250's, x1 singer 320) 153 at 23hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobieblu Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hahaha good point Quote RF love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uhoh_45 Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 the alternator is the best thing to ground to being that is where the power is originally coming from Quote R.I.P! (Nov-29-2009) 92 explorer - 4 Atomic Apxx 15s duel .7s - 4rth order bandpass wall -4 powerbass XA-3000D's - 16 8volt batts wired to 16 volts - (9+/9-) runs 0gauge - 152.3 Db @ 29hz BUILD LOG current build 97 chevy lumina4 - 1 Atomic Apx 18 - 6 cube slot port trunk sealed off - 1 powerbass XA-3000D - 2 optima G31s in spare tire18 1 run 1/0 lumina build log Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPLadd1ct Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 the alternator is the best thing to ground to being that is where the power is originally coming from Hmmm, I wonder why there is such a lack of emphasis on this? Do I need to ground to the engine block too or can I just ground straight from the alternator negative to battery negative? Quote 2011 Ford Ranger Sport 4.0 v6 2 sundown audio prototype nsv4 15s crossfire 4k wired to 0.4 ohm 15 banks of maxwell 3.0 caps @ 18v triple alts (x2 us alt 250's, x1 singer 320) 153 at 23hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphisBred Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Either. I'd do both if you have the wire/time. Quote SMD Super Seller/Buyer Audison----Hertz----Rainbow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08tahoe Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 the alternator is the best thing to ground to being that is where the power is originally coming from Hmmm, I wonder why there is such a lack of emphasis on this? Do I need to ground to the engine block too or can I just ground straight from the alternator negative to battery negative? I'm wondering the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickass audio Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Honestly you can be perfect just grounding from your alts ground to the negative of your battery(s). The engine is grounded through the alternator as it is and stock from the factory they have a dedicated ground to your frame/fender, and another ground dedicated to your starter motor. And in all honesty your engine is already grounded to the alternator since the bolts for your alternator go straight through the engine block. What i did with my truck was to unscrew a long as hell bolt on the engine block and ground to that and grind the block a little bit until it had a smooth finish on it then i put the ground wire for the engine on that bolt and took it to the negative of my battery. I find it was a lot easier than to use the bolt that goes into the side of my engine to hold my alt in since my air compressor line is right on top of those bolts and its a pain in the ass to get to. What id do if you have one is when you do your grounds, grab a digital multi meter and check your resistance with the grounds. To do this, take one of the probes and put it on the area where you are about to mount the ground on your engine and take the other probe and put it on the negative of your battery. It should read a value of 0 ohms to .1 ohms. Nothing more. If it is higher then you have a lot of resistance in your grounds and should trace some major ground points to see if they are rusted/corroded and clean them up as needed. But either way it doesnt really matter too much what bolt you take to ground the engine block off to, it is highly recommended to use the ground off your alternator since it is a lot easier to get to and connect to but if you choose to then its not a problem. As long as you either ground to your alternators ground post or to the engine block itself then you will be all set. Quote 2004 GMC Envoy1 XS power S3400 batt under the hood and 4 XS Power D3100's battery installed in the rear by the amps0 gauge power wire from front to backAlpine iva-w205 touchscreen dvd/cd/mp3/ipod/am/fm/gps headunitSundown Audio SAX-200.4 amp for my mids and highs8 gauge speaker wire from amp to woofer270 amp Mechman AltRockford Fosgate T1652-s component speakersRockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2 sound processorRca's from Rockford Fosgate and Monster Cable14 gauge speaker wire for the mids and highs1 18" Ascendant Audio SMD Dual 1 ohm with custom Black & Blue carbon fiber and hand signed dustcapBox: 5.66 cubic feet net volume box tuned to 30.13Hz with 1.5" wide wooden dowels and 1.5" thick baffle1 DC Audio 5.0k amp wired to .5 ohms nominal with an imp rise of 1.35 ohms for the single AA SMD 18"Future Vision 8000k 50w bi-xenon projector HID's with 4300k 35w fog lightsLink to my build: Buildupdates/progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickass audio Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 and edit: Your ground to go from your alternators ground post to the engine block is totally useless to do. Just go from either your engines alternator ground point to the negative of your battery or take a grounding point from your engine to the negative of your battery. Either way it will be a good grounding point. Quote 2004 GMC Envoy1 XS power S3400 batt under the hood and 4 XS Power D3100's battery installed in the rear by the amps0 gauge power wire from front to backAlpine iva-w205 touchscreen dvd/cd/mp3/ipod/am/fm/gps headunitSundown Audio SAX-200.4 amp for my mids and highs8 gauge speaker wire from amp to woofer270 amp Mechman AltRockford Fosgate T1652-s component speakersRockford Fosgate 3Sixty.2 sound processorRca's from Rockford Fosgate and Monster Cable14 gauge speaker wire for the mids and highs1 18" Ascendant Audio SMD Dual 1 ohm with custom Black & Blue carbon fiber and hand signed dustcapBox: 5.66 cubic feet net volume box tuned to 30.13Hz with 1.5" wide wooden dowels and 1.5" thick baffle1 DC Audio 5.0k amp wired to .5 ohms nominal with an imp rise of 1.35 ohms for the single AA SMD 18"Future Vision 8000k 50w bi-xenon projector HID's with 4300k 35w fog lightsLink to my build: Buildupdates/progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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