Ground question help needed

ponsai

New Member
Jan 5, 2010
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I just relocated the battery to the trunk to my 1990 LX. I really don't understand how many grounds should be and also I'm having problems with my battery charging. The volt gauge(factory) indicator goes to the middle when the engine is running and won't move even if the car acelerates. I meassure the voltage at the battery with a multimeter hooked to the +- terminals and at idle it was at 14.30 but it keeps dropping .29 .28 .27.....
Does anyone knows what will be causing this problem and explain how many grounds should my car needs?
Actually I ran a 1 gauge cable from the -post to the quad shock mount. A 1/0 goes from the battery + to the solenoid. The engine has this ground strap on the rear connected to the firewall and I believe that's all.
Do I need another one? If so where should I connected in the engine?
 
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Voltage slowly drops while idling? That's pretty common. What does it do at 'test' rpm? What did it do before relocating the battery?

Even though the chassis makes a decent conductor I've always figured there should also be a dedicated ground back to the engine and front of the vehicle if only to make sure both ends are at the same potential.
 
So when the car is at idle what will be the lowest voltage required? Also, should I connect a ground cable let's say from some point in the engine to the chassis? Thanks
 
ford alternators will charge at a higher rate when the ambient temperature is colder, this helps to charge to battery a little faster, it will drop down to around14.1 volts when at a warmer temperature.
if you look at the wiring diagram for the volt meter, it is very simple, although simplicity aids in reliability, over time the gauge acuracy may decline.
try measuring the voltage at the starter relay terminal,(since your battery is in the trunk) and a good ground, and look at the gauge reading for a reference.
make sure if you are using a lead/acid battery, you have good ventilation, you may try a lincoln LS battery,they have a vent tube system or use a gel-cell.
the voltmeter should not fluctuate when running the car if the battery is good, as one of the batteries functions is to stabilise the voltage.
if you are still concened with the charging system, try doing a voltage drop on the cables, max voltage drop should be no more than .5 volts, although normal is about .2 volts, i am uncertain about in-trunk batteries.
good luck, jb