If you're going to drill&tap grounding points for your main grounds (Actually, all grounds, lol), do you put anti-seize on your grounding bolts, some other compound, or nothing? I'd imagine nothing is a bad choice (don't want grounding points to become permanent grounding points, heh), but would anti-seize affect conductivty? If so, is there something else one could use....
Aluminum, grounding points, and anti-seize
- Thread starter EFNFAST
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I wonder if that applies true (graphite part) to all brands (loctite, permatex, etc..) and all types (copper-based; nickel-based; etc...), or if the tube specifically has to say that.
If I look on the permatex site, one says 'contains copper', another says 'contains copper, aluminum, graphite lubricants'.
Boy, they don't want to make this easy on me :laugh:
If I look on the permatex site, one says 'contains copper', another says 'contains copper, aluminum, graphite lubricants'.
Boy, they don't want to make this easy on me :laugh:
Actually most engine builders will tell you that aluminum is a terrible ground. Try to ground to steel or run a ground circuit directly from the battery.
The problem with aluminum is oxidation under the fastener. A dab of anti-sieze works well. Agreed that steel provided a much better grounding surface, engine block back to battery, etc. is arguably a better method. I have found that aluminum with the anti-sieze works in most cases. A simple "clean-up" of the connection will alieviate
any problems. A common ground bar both front and rear of the car works well as it eliminates many grounding points.
any problems. A common ground bar both front and rear of the car works well as it eliminates many grounding points.
As some of you know I have a problem with my alternator overheating. I have since remove the wiring harness to the FAST XIM and XFI boxes as I didn't like the way they ran the harnesses. They looped them from the front firewall, over the coils, to the rear of the engine, crossed over the bell housing and under the exhaust. I can't tell you how many ways this is the wrong thing to do. They also attached the grounds labeled "Block Grd" to the aluminium adapter for the trans.
I am shortening the harness to go around the front of the engine to 1. neaten up the routing. One of the harnesses was so taped up, it looked awful. I am also removing the connectors that won't be incorporated in my build such as a Power adder, and analog port, or several others that leave the ports just hanging there. 2. to make it easier to pull the engine without pulling all the connections to the electronic boxes, just the weatherpak connections. 3. to correct the grounding(which I believe is the source of the overheating). 4, to get the wires away from the coil wires and the exhaust(The main harness on both sides were draped over the coils which can lead to interferance).
I found most of these problems when I pulled the engine to correct a few other problems. There are several threads on grounding which I plan to follow and hopefully will solve the alternator issue.
Bill
I am shortening the harness to go around the front of the engine to 1. neaten up the routing. One of the harnesses was so taped up, it looked awful. I am also removing the connectors that won't be incorporated in my build such as a Power adder, and analog port, or several others that leave the ports just hanging there. 2. to make it easier to pull the engine without pulling all the connections to the electronic boxes, just the weatherpak connections. 3. to correct the grounding(which I believe is the source of the overheating). 4, to get the wires away from the coil wires and the exhaust(The main harness on both sides were draped over the coils which can lead to interferance).
I found most of these problems when I pulled the engine to correct a few other problems. There are several threads on grounding which I plan to follow and hopefully will solve the alternator issue.
Bill
well, in an aluminum chassis, there doesn't tend to be a lot of steel =)
Although I find it interested that it's a terrible ground - I was told by a rad manufacturer once that aluminum made a terrific ground, better than steel.
By common ground bar, I assume you mean something like a gigantic terminal block (at a very high amperage/voltage) where all your grounds run to it, and then you have 1 wire out to the chassis, so if that grounding point fails, almost all your grounds fail and you know right away.....?
For example, this guy
1 STUD NON-FEED THROUGH JUNCTION BLOCK STUD TYPE BLACK 1 Stud Non-Feed Through Stud Type Junction Blocks Terminal Block Junction Block - Waytek Wire
Bolt him to the chassis, then all my rear grounds to him, and one final ground from him to the chassis itself. :idea:
1 STUD NON-FEED THROUGH JUNCTION BLOCK STUD TYPE BLACK 1 Stud Non-Feed Through Stud Type Junction Blocks Terminal Block Junction Block - Waytek Wire
Bolt him to the chassis, then all my rear grounds to him, and one final ground from him to the chassis itself. :idea:
I'll look into that.
Is there a minimum amperage it should be able to handle? For example, Wayteks (where I buy all my electrical stuff) is rated to 250amps. With a battery in the back, if I ran all/most of my rear grounding points to it, plus the battery, will it be able to handle it? Or do I need higher like 1000amp (if that even exists?). Only reason I ask is because my battery cut-off switch is rated to 2500amps, but then again, that's for main power, not ground.....
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