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Well, I shoulda said I’m not the OP. I was just curious about these ground straps. Just trying to learn.
Grounds can be a wire mesh or a wire. Here's a photo of two auxiliary grounds on my '96 Rm 1500. I'm holding two wires that go from the firewall to a valve cover bolt on the cylinder head.
It's not the greatest picture but it may give you an idea. They can be anywhere and even the same vehicle but with different equipment might be different.
The truck doesn't have a safety switch, it will turn over in any gear. I feel like a plank, but what the problem was the clamp on the battery terminal wasn't tight enough to give the power wire to the starter a good enough connection. I took it apart and cleaned it up and it started right up.
Why no safety switch? I remember before those were standard and there's a reason they are there.
Grounds can be a wire mesh or a wire. Here's a photo of two auxiliary grounds on my '96 Rm 1500. I'm holding two wires that go from the firewall to a valve cover bolt on the cylinder head.
It's not the greatest picture but it may give you an idea. They can be anywhere and even the same vehicle but with different equipment might be different.
Hmmm, I'll have to look on my '93 Dak. Never noticed anything like that before. I know mine are not attached to the valve covers cuz I replaced the gaskets 1.5 years ago. Those are not wimpy wires...more like cables from what i can tell. (Whatever the difference is) Thx for the pix.
Why no safety switch? I remember before those were standard and there's a reason they are there.
It was used as a farm truck, I don't know if it was taken out by a previous owner or just never came with one. It's pretty bare bones, even the cigarette lighter was covered up.
I know it's not healthy, but I've had to use the starter in low range to crawl it across a parking lot because it wouldn't fire, then 40 minutes later it started like nothing was ever wrong.
Hmmm, I'll have to look on my '93 Dak. Never noticed anything like that before. I know mine are not attached to the valve covers cuz I replaced the gaskets 1.5 years ago. Those are not wimpy wires...more like cables from what i can tell. (Whatever the difference is) Thx for the pix.
I did the gaskets on my valve covers 1.5-2 years ago and there wasn't any ground straps that I remember taking off.
Why no safety switch? I remember before those were standard and there's a reason they are there.
I remember I had a 1988 Ford F-250, had the 7.3 with a 5 speed, and it didn't have a safety switch either. Almost ran myself over a couple times because I'd have to jump the solenoid. I after a couple times I made sure to just park on a flat surface since the park brake didn't work very well.
It was used as a farm truck, I don't know if it was taken out by a previous owner or just never came with one. It's pretty bare bones, even the cigarette lighter was covered up.
I know it's not healthy, but I've had to use the starter in low range to crawl it across a parking lot because it wouldn't fire, then 40 minutes later it started like nothing was ever wrong.
You probably have one but it's bad and the previous owner bypassed it. A manual transmission has a switch on the clutch pedal. There again, it may have gone bad and was bypassed. I think both switches have been standard since the mid to late 1950's.
08-02-2023, 02:52 PM
