Bad Grounds Suck

[heavyhaulerss]

this is very informative. after putting my truck in 2 shops a while back & not 1 of them could find
why my truck was trying to shut down(engine stop light come on) it would shake, sputter then be o.k. for a while. I looked at all the cable ends. they all looked good. I replaced all cables. ALL OF THEM. no problem since. looking at just the ends was not good enough in my case. there was corrosion beyond & under the ends, & coatings. after putting my truck on the comp, it showed all kinds of codes, like oil press @ 12 lbs, water temp too high. wich none of there were true. i knew then it had to be something electrical to show things were happening, when they indeed they were not. after 8 days in the shop, a few hundred dollars & a couple grand lost in revenue. i fixed myself by replacing, ground to batt & frame, hot from starter & batt, & all jumpers, & new ecm wire. though I sure learned something. oh & i also replaced hot & ground on alt. it cost me 2 hours & about 200.00 something that 2 shops & 8 days could not do.

[heavyhaulerss]

one more thing I did was to prevent corrosion between the cable ends & where the coating started, I coated them with liquid tape. it brushes on & drys like smooth tar. & cost about 5 bucks at walmart.

[Rev.Vassago]

this is very informative. after putting my truck in 2 shops a while back & not 1 of them could find
why my truck was trying to shut down(engine stop light come on) it would shake, sputter then be o.k. for a while. I looked at all the cable ends. they all looked good. I replaced all cables. ALL OF THEM. no problem since. looking at just the ends was not good enough in my case. there was corrosion beyond & under the ends, & coatings. after putting my truck on the comp, it showed all kinds of codes, like oil press @ 12 lbs, water temp too high. wich none of there were true. i knew then it had to be something electrical to show things were happening, when they indeed they were not. after 8 days in the shop, a few hundred dollars & a couple grand lost in revenue. i fixed myself by replacing, ground to batt & frame, hot from starter & batt, & all jumpers, & new ecm wire. though I sure learned something. oh & i also replaced hot & ground on alt. it cost me 2 hours & about 200.00 something that 2 shops & 8 days could not do.

Back when I was a company driver, I had something similar happen. Truck would sputter going down the highway, engine stop light would come on, then it would suddenly start going again. After a 150 mile tow, and a day in the shop, they found that a terminal connector had been replaced, and the shrink wrap hadn't been entirely taken off. The ECM wasn't getting the full power it needed, which would cause the truck to shut down. So about $2000 spent for a $0.35 part.

[Musicman]

I’ve found that using sealed batteries, such as Optimas or others is the best way to stop corrosion at the battery. I used black frame paint to coat the ground connection to the frame.

[Kranky]

I’ve found that using sealed batteries, such as Optimas or others is the best way to stop corrosion at the battery. I used black frame paint to coat the ground connection to the frame.

3M spray undercoat & sound deadener in the aerosol can works great for sealing off those connections at the frame. That's what we use.

One liberal application and it's done.

[Rev.Vassago]

One liberal application and it's done.

Jeez.....another political thread.....

[Doghouse]

I used liquid tire bead sealer on my grounds when I put my truck back together. I put new grounds from the engine to the frame, from the cab to the frame, sleeper to frame, batteries to the frame. Then ran all new wire from the batteries to the starter, and the computer to the batteries. So far no problems with the electrical system. I used my inverter for 5 days before my battery bank fell to 12.5volts,....I watch too much TV me thinks.

[belpre122]

Ooooooooh Gary! Oh deer! Deer deer deer !!!


You is mis-informed on who makes your twuck!

Spreaken-ze-deutch!

The company that owns the manufacturer of your fine piece of "Used to be American" twuck......Is DiamlerBenz!!! They just did away with their Sterling (re;Ford twuck line).



Time for you to get some beauty sleep...so you may ponder these informative lessonz.

"Today, Freightliner remains the leading brand in heavy-duty trucks, and in commercial vehicles in classes 5 through 8 in North America. It leads the school bus, diesel Class A recreational vehicle chassis, and walk-in van markets. Its Detroit Diesel and Mercedes-Benz engine offerings are also industry leaders.[citation needed] The Freightliner badge also adorns the Sprinter, a Class 2 van produced by Mercedes-Benz in Europe and marketed through Freightliner dealers, as well as through Chrysler dealers as a Dodge-branded offering." Wikipedia


That's close enough for Belpre. I stand by my original thoughts on the subject. A silk hat on a pig.

Next time I see you Stan. I'm gonna chase you down and poke you with a tank stick!

Und ja, spreche ich Deutsches mein Freund! Hablo español también!

Now back to the sleeper fur ya! How bout them apples? LOL I've gotta go fire up the 1/4 cab!

[Musicman]

I used liquid tire bead sealer on my grounds when I put my truck back together. I put new grounds from the engine to the frame, from the cab to the frame, sleeper to frame, batteries to the frame. Then ran all new wire from the batteries to the starter, and the computer to the batteries. So far no problems with the electrical system. I used my inverter for 5 days before my battery bank fell to 12.5volts,....I watch too much TV me thinks.

All you needed to top it off was to use welding lead for battery cable. That stuff can't be beat for battery cable, if you can find it with thick insulation... makes great jumper cable, too.