did i hook up my back batt wrong?

[MrSkippyJ]

I am sure I am wrong about this, but it is relevant so maybe someone can help clear this up for me. Is ground the best word (technically speaking) to use for the (-) side of a car's electrical system? In a house doesn't the ground refer to an actual wire that runs in the ground, meaning the ground isn't a part of the circuit? In a car the (+) and (-) make a circuit all returning to the battery in the end. So the (-) terminal on the battery is ultimately the common negative (ground) point, not the chassis or frame.

You want the shortest possible path to be between the equipment and the battery. If you use the chassis or frame, you want a very short wire to connect said equipment to the chassis/frame as the electricity has to find it's own path through the chassis/frame, why add lots of extra length between equipment and chassis. If you run a (-) wire from equipment to the battery you select not only the path, but the length the electricity follows. The upside to using the frame is no extra wires to run, down side being it may be more difficult to get a good negative connection (ground). That is my understanding, please help if I am wrong.

Edit: I just noticed that I said the battery is the common negative, but I meant alternator.

Edited April 12, 2010 by shkibbybop

[Ray]

ughhh, ummmm...

"technically"

It all depends on the amount of current you are trying to return back to the "source" (the ALT).

MR.Purdy,

The reason alot of us use multiple ground runs is to insure sufficient current flow on the (-) side.

Path of least resistance.

If the frame is a better ground than it will flow across the frame, but in most cases with alot of current, (low voltage) 12v we see gains with running grounds front to back.

With high voltage (low current) 120-240v, your typical ground path wiring is sufficient.

Really all we need to remember is path of least resistance.

[fr34kout]

Newls I was more asking why you didn't run the same amount of + and - runs front to back. If there is a notable resistance increase running from the back of your chassis to the front compared to the straight runs of wire (which we all know there is more resistance in the chassis), won't the current primarily flow through only the 2 runs front to back? Your electrical system is only as good as your weakest link, so why not either ground them all to the front battery or all to the chassis, instead of doing half and half. That was my question, I wasn't trying to start an argument over how short your grounds should be. Obviously when grounding to chassis or frame as short as possible, but I dunno what the other guy was trying to prove by suggesting grounding to the front wasn't a better method.

[newls1]

Wow now we are getting personal? This from the guy that threatens to ban people for doing the same. Well I will not get personal with you and I am sorry you disliked my avatar, so I changed it just for you!

Really, I threaten to ban people..... I dont recall, but you are going for a little "Stay away" for saying dumb useless info.....

[Team-Atomic-Andrew]

Really, I threaten to ban people..... I dont recall, but you are going for a little "Stay away" for saying dumb useless info.....

lol i was gonna say newls why dont you send purdy on a little "vacation" he is only making the situation worse, when people are stuck in their own ways it sometimes takes a boot up the ass to get them to see the light

[newls1]

lol i was gonna say newls why dont you send purdy on a little "vacation" he is only making the situation worse, when people are stuck in their own ways it sometimes takes a boot up the ass to get them to see the light

Cleaned the thread up for the OP, and PURDY if you come back into this thread after your "STAY" post useful info, and not blabbing on how your correct and no one else is....

[Sanitarium]

This thread is full of fail.

A dedicated run of ground is fine as long as you don't substitute it for a frame ground as well. IE: ground battery to frame, amp to frame, and battery to amp. It's just more runs as your frame can only carry so much before it starts inducing resistance.

Electrons in a DC system flow FROM negative TO positive. Don't believe me? Look it up.

Also, being a professional doesn't make you smart, it only makes you think you're smart. A perfect example here would be Purdy.

When it comes to electrical, it's better to overdo it and do it safely then to under do it.

[MrSkippyJ]

This thread is full of fail.

A dedicated run of ground is fine as long as you don't substitute it for a frame ground as well. IE: ground battery to frame, amp to frame, and battery to amp. It's just more runs as your frame can only carry so much before it starts inducing resistance.

Electrons in a DC system flow FROM negative TO positive. Don't believe me? Look it up.

Also, being a professional doesn't make you smart, it only makes you think you're smart. A perfect example here would be Purdy.

When it comes to electrical, it's better to overdo it and do it safely then to under do it.

Why do you have to keep the frame ground? (I am asking not arguing) In theory, couldn't you run all grounds to the battery (or Alt)?