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The Nuts and Bolts of Electrical Diagnosis

Check the Grounds!

It could prevent a costly comeback

bad ground can cause problems that may not show up on

a routine, after-overhaul road
test. The damage caused by a poor
ground can develop slowly, causing a
failure days, weeks, or even months
down the road. In this issue we are
going to focus on some of the mechanical failures that can be caused by bad
powertrain and chassis grounds. We
will also go over some quick, simple
tests you can perform for diagnosis, or
as part of your pre-delivery inspection
to catch these problems before they can
damage your product-under-warranty.
Poor ground connections can be
the cause for a long list of problems,
including:
Transmission bushing, bearing, pump, and gear train failure
Seized control cables

Engine bearing failure

Slow or no engine cranking
Engine wont start
Engine stalls
Poor engine performance; nocode drivability problems
Erratic transmission performance; failsafe
Differential bearing failure
Persistent or intermittent diagnostic trouble codes
Computer failure

Where Does the Vehicle Get

Its Electrical Power?
To have a better understanding of
the importance of vehicle ground circuits, it helps to know where a vehicle
gets its electrical power, as well as the
current paths for the ground circuits.
A typical vehicle has two power
supplies: the battery and the generator.
(Generator is now the industry-rec-

by Mike Van Dyke

ognized term for the device we used to

call the alternator.) When the generator
is unable to supply sufficient power to
meet electrical demands, the battery
takes over as a temporary power
source.

The Generator
The generator is typically bolted to
the engine, and its ground path is completed through this physical connection
to the engine/powertrain. The generators positive terminal is typically connected electrically to a distribution
block, where the generated current can
be distributed to the battery and the rest
of the electrical system (figure 1).
When the generator is the power
source for the vehicle, the ground circuit for the vehicles electrical system
needs a good path to the powertrain
(ultimately, to the generator case).

Figure 1: Typical Vehicle Ground Circuits

Positive
Distribution
Bus/Block

(+) Positive Supply

LF
Battery

Generator

LF
Chassis/
Accessory
Ground
Cable

Chassis
(Frame/Body)

Powertrain
Ground Cable

Powertrain to Chassis
Ground Cable

GEARS July 2004

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The Battery
The battery is typically isolated
electrically from the rest of the vehicle.
Its electrical connections both positive and negative must be made with
cables. The negative battery terminal is
typically connected to both the powertrain and the vehicle chassis (frame,
fenders, etc.) with cables (figure 1).
When the battery is the power source for
the vehicle, the ground circuit for the
vehicle electrical system needs a good
path to the negative battery terminal.

Which Ground Circuits are

Important?
Which ground connection do you
need to concern yourself with to repair
or prevent ground-related problems?
Powertrain ground, chassis ground, or
battery ground?
The answer is all three.

What Happens When Ground

Connections are Bad?
The purpose of a ground cable is to
provide a very low resistance, or easy
path, for an electrical current to take.
The negative battery post is connected
to both the chassis and the powertrain
(figure 1). If the connection to the powertrain is poor or absent altogether, the
current will try to find an alternate path
to or from the powertrain.
The powertrain is mounted on rubber mounts that insulate it from the
chassis. The other possible electrical
connections between the powertrain
and the chassis are:
through the transmission,
down the driveshaft, through
the pinion bearings, then
through the emergency brake
cables to the frame (rear wheel
drive).
through the transmission
selector cable, throttle cable,
clutch cable, etc., to the body
or frame.
As you can see, there are alternate
paths for current. Without a good
ground cable connection, the current
will take the next easiest or least resistant paths available.
The problem is magnified when
you need 100 to 300 amps to operate
the starter motor. Under these condi-

tions theres a very good chance the

components along the alternate paths
will be damaged. Think about this: the
current, in the process of finding its
way to the driveshaft, will go through
engine bearings, transmission bushings
and bearings, gears, the output shaft
anything to find the path of least resistance to the driveshaft. Current that
finds a nice path through a control cable
can damage or seize the cable or control
lever. The possibilities are almost endless, depending on how the vehicle is
wired and mechanically designed.
Mechanical failures are just
part of the picture. Many sensors,
solenoids, switches, and even
vehicle computers themselves
rely on the powertrain and chassis
to complete their ground circuits.

the circuit is carrying maximum current.

Before performing these tests, its a
good idea to remove and clean the battery terminals and cable clamps to make
sure you have a good connection that
wont interfere with the test readings.

Testing the Powertrain-toBattery Ground

Diagnostic Tip: If youre specifically investigating a possible powertrain ground problem on a rear wheel
drive vehicle, remove the driveshaft
before performing this test. This will

Transmission Failures
Caused by Ground
Problems
Ground problems can cause
the failure of bushings,
Torrington bearings, gears, ball
bearings, roller bearings just
about any metal-to-metal, loadcarrying interface in the transmission.
Its difficult to look at a
failed part and determine with
any certainty if the failure was
caused by a ground problem. You
may see the same failure characteristics associated with a lack of
lubrication (parts are discolored
or black from heat) or contamination (parts are pitted or
scored).
There are a few other characteristics that suggest a groundrelated failure: pitted gear teeth
with relatively low mileage; or
pitted or scored bushings, with
metal transfer to a mating part
(figure 2). Babbitt bushings may
have a particular type of pitting
that creates a frosted appearance on the surface.

Testing the Ground

Circuits
The easiest and most effective method to check ground circuits is a voltage drop test with a
digital multimeter (DMM) while
Figure 2

GEARS July 2004

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Check the Grounds!

Figure 3: Testing the Powertrain to Battery Ground

0.10v
DMM

Crank the engine for 3-4 seconds.

(Disable fuel pump so it doesnt start)

LF
LF

Figure 4: Testing the Chassis to Battery Ground

0.10v
DMM

Key on, engine off. Turn on headlights,

radio and heater blower.

LF
LF

help make the voltage drop more

apparent.
Make sure the battery is fully
charged.
Set your DMM to the 4-volt
DC range.
Disable the fuel pump, then
crank the engine to bleed off
any remaining fuel pressure (it
may start and run for a second,
but should stall out and not
start at all when cranked
again).

Diagnostic Tip: The procedure for

disabling the fuel pump will vary from
vehicle to vehicle. On some vehicles, it
may be as simple as disconnecting a
relay, pulling a fuse, or tripping the
inertia switch. Others may require disconnecting the pump itself.
Connect your positive meter
lead to the transmission case
or engine block (find a clean
spot to make a good connection). Connect your negative
meter lead on the negative battery post (figure 3).

Crank the engine for about

34 seconds (long enough to
get a stable reading on the
DMM).

You should measure less than 0.10

volt. Some newer vehicles use smaller
cables to cut down on production costs,
so you may see up to 0.30 volt at most!
Dont forget to reconnect the fuel pump
after performing this test, or you may
have to figure out why it wont start
later on.

GEARS July 2004

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6/9/04

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GEARS July 2004

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Check the Grounds!

Testing the Chassis-to-Battery

Ground
This ground usually uses a fairly
light cable, because its only supposed
to carry the accessory load current
when the generator cant supply power
or meet demands. You cant expect it to
carry starter current in a roundabout
path through the powertrain to chassis
ground.
With the key on, engine off,
turn the headlights, radio, and
the heater blower fan on.
Measure the voltage drop
between the negative battery
post and the frame, fenders,
etc. (figure 4).
The voltage drop should be less
than 0.10 volt.

Testing the Powertrain-toChassis Ground

This ground usually uses a fairly
light cable, because its only supposed
to carry the current of the accessory
loads. You cant expect it to carry
starter current in a roundabout path
through the chassis to the battery
ground.
With the engine running, turn
the headlights, radio, and
heater blower fan on.
Hold the engine speed at 2000
RPM.

0.10v
DMM

Use your DMM to measure

the voltage between the
engine and the frame or body
(chassis ground) (figure 5).
The voltage reading should be
less than 0.10 volt.

Because the components on

todays vehicles are scrutinized to
reduce production costs, ground cables
on newer vehicles are often the smallest
gauge wire that will get the job done.
So its very important to check the
integrity of the ground circuits, as
theres little margin for error. All it
takes is a loose connection or a little
corrosion to give you enough resistance
to cause a problem.

Repairing a Bad Ground

If the vehicle fails any of the
ground tests, remove, clean, and reinstall all of the ground circuit connections in question. If this doesnt bring
the voltage measurements down to an
acceptable level, replace the cables.
Cables can develop rust or corrosion
inside their crimped-on ends, leading to
excessive resistance. There may also be
broken strands inside the cable you
cant see.
An alternative to replacing cables
is to add a cable in parallel to the existing one. Many transmission parts suppliers sell ground straps specifically for

this application, and auto parts stores

sell eyelet-ended cables in many different lengths.

Test these Grounds Circuits

First
The tests weve outlined in this
article arent just for preventative, predelivery inspection; they should also be
the first tests you perform routinely
(along with battery and charging system performance) when diagnosing any
drivability, electrical, or suspected
ground problem. Vehicle computers,
sensors and solenoids all rely on the
powertrain or chassis to complete their
ground path back to the generator or
battery. In other words, the powertrain
and chassis grounds supply the ground
path for all of the other circuits on the
vehicle. If theres a powertrain or chassis ground problem, it can affect computer, sensor or solenoid performance.
The bottom line? Test powertrain
and chassis grounds before checking
the ground terminals at the computer or
sensor in question.
By taking a few minutes to perform the ground voltage drop tests outlined above, you could save time and
money down the road in diagnosing and
repairing a comeback. Remember the
old saying: An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.

Figure 5: Testing the Powertrain to Chassis Ground

Hold engine speed at 2000 RPM with headlights,
radio, and heater blower on.

LF
LF

GEARS July 2004