Hey guys,

I went to go to work yesterday, and I stopped to a gas station.After getting gas, I went to start car and it would barely crank over.I happened to notice some smoke coming out from passenger side of hood.I opened the hood and found the smoke was coming from a ground strap that went from a bolt near my front strut mount, to a alternator bracket.After wiggling the wire by the alternator, it broke off.

So I figured this would be an easy fix, I'll just call up a local dodge dealer and get the part I needed.I found one dealer in town that had the part, went to pick it up and it looked nothing like my ground strap.It was much smaller and shorter.After looking thru the computer for a while, there was one other part he thought it could be, but only one dealer in the U.S. had the part, and it was in California. So to get to my point, I installed the short cable just clipping it on between ps pump bracket and frame. This made it so the car would start right up.Im thinking that maybe dodge changed the design from 95-96 on up but I dont know where it's supposed to be installed at.

If anyone can post a pic of where this small cable I got is supposed to be installed.It would really help.So far I've had to cut cables going to my coil pack, cut cables going to crank position sensor.Now I have to find a way to get this smaller cable to work somehow.Why cant dodge make ORIGINAL REPLACEMENT parts.?? [:@]

 

Are you talking about the ground strap from the fender to the valve cover?

 

thats the only one on that side of the motor that i can think of

 

You can just use some thick wire as a ground strap as well.

 

It goes from the fendor to the alternator bracket originally.The new one is way to short to go there though.Where on the valve cover does it hook too? o.0 I took two pictures..tried to upload them..said they were too big...Im too tired to crop them...I have no idea where this new strap is supposed to go, cause noone at the 3 dealerships I went to can tell me..lol

 

The one from the fender goes to the closest valve cover bolt.

 

Hmm..the wire the dealer gave me has clips on both ends.Like you just push it on over a lip.

 

i dont think i know of any ground strap that goes anywhere on the alt. bracket

 

Well, mine does..lol Or at least it used to before it broke.Now I got this shorter wire that I still cant figure out where it goes.

 

i can only think of 2 ground straps on the motor....1 that goes from the fender to the valve cover on the passenger side, and the other would be the small metal strap with the clips that hooks on the trans mount on the drivers side