Miscellaneous Ground Wires

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jcmeyer5

jcmeyer5

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We put the dash back in the car last night (69 Dart). I had something nagging at me the whole time, and this morning in the shower it hit me. How does the dash get its ground for the gauges and lights to work? My cluster is stock EXCEPT that I put in a volt gauge in place of the ammeter. The ground for the volt gauge goes to the ground on the cluster... but what grounds the cluster?
 
Good catch. The answer is often “not much”. Run a ground wire to the dash frame.
 
The dash housing is pot metal, the cir board is screwed to the pot metal, the pot metal is screwed to the metal dash frame, the metal dash frame is bolted to the car body, the car body is bolted to a braded strap that is bolted to the engine block, the block is bolted to a cable that attaches to the negitave battery post.

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You can always add an additional ground.
 
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If an electrician's kids mis-behave, do they get grounded????
 
Dana67Dart said:
The dash housing is pot metal, the cir board is screwed to the pot metal, the pot metal is screwed to the metal dash frame, the metal dash frame is bolted to the car body, the car body is bolted to a cable that is attached to the negitave battery post.

View attachment 1715815923



You can always add an additional ground.
Click to expand...
Actually, on dads car the plastic screws to the metal dash, not the pot metal
 
jcmeyer5 said:
Actually, on dads car the plastic screws to the metal dash, not the pot metal
Click to expand...
The cluster varies by year. Look and follow the pc board as if it is a diagram, which it is. If you look at the illumination lighting sockets (not the warning sockets like oil and brake) they are all tied to a common traces which is ground. Solder or use one of the PC board screws to connect a pigtail to that electrical point and bolt the other end to the column support or dash frame.
 
Yeah. I tied my volt gauge into one of those screws. I’ll run a ground from there to a spot under the dash.
 
Dana67Dart said:
The dash housing is pot metal, the cir board is screwed to the pot metal, the pot metal is screwed to the metal dash frame, the metal dash frame is bolted to the car body, the car body is bolted to a cable that is attached to the negitave battery post.

View attachment 1715815923
You can always add an additional ground.
Click to expand...

You failed to mention the ground jumper from firewall to back of engine block. That's how chassis ground reaches negative battery cable. Through the engine block. Later models got a 2nd ground jumper from core support to negative battery cable.
 
There's a ground from the steering column to the dash, grounded to the firewall............
 
CRUZE 418 said:
There's a ground from the steering column to the dash, grounded to the firewall............
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Column mounting doesn't properly ground the column to the chassis. That jumper serves horn and shift indicator lamp.
Ford had whats called a rag joint where we have a box coupling. Their ground jumper is over the "rag". Top of joint to bottom of joint.
 
Seems odd, the steering column already has 6 fasteners, and another point of contact. That wire would seem to be a little redundant, but it is there.
 
CRUZE 418 said:
Seems odd, the steering column already has 6 fasteners, and another point of contact. That wire would seem to be a little redundant, but it is there.
Click to expand...
The upper 3 bolts are through white plastic thingies isolating the column tube. Floor plate has a rubber grommet isolator in it.
 
RedFish said:
The upper 3 bolts are through white plastic thingies isolating the column tube. Floor plate has a rubber grommet isolator in it.
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---------Plus rust, etc at the c floor clamp.........
 
On low voltage DC electrical stuff, the more grounds the better usually. Even if it is overkill, I won’t hurt anything.
 
There is a ground wire from the Steering mount to dash frame. Only one, I have and all good.

There is also ground to body off the right side head!
 
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