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Can poor ground weaken starting power?


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Hi there, I just finished installing a battery relocation kit. My ground runs from the battery to a disconnect switch to a spot on the frame. My car will turn over but it is very groggy. I know its possible my battery is dead but that would be really rare. The battery I use normally cranks like a beast and never falters.

 

So.. I'm just curious if the weaker the ground connections the less power that will be transferred?? Or does it not matter, once you have a ground you're good.

 

Thanks for any help.

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Yes, a poor ground will def affect your overall voltage potential and starter performance. You can check the quality of your connections with a voltmeter/ammmeter. Check to make sure all your connections are clean and tight -- amazing what an impact dirty or corroded terminals can have. You might want to conduct a simple test by removing the disconnect switch -- maybe it's causing part of your problem. A battery grounding strap like these can also help ensure a good ground:

 

http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=battery%20grounding%20strap&dds=1

 

What are you using for the hot lead? Usually, 2-gauge wire should suffice, especially for a short run (between hatch and engine compartment) like we've got with the Z.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

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Yes poor grounding is a common problem. as above lead size also can affect performance. (try using a 10 ga ground wire to your starter and see what happens). I would also have the battery load tested most places do it free in hopes of selling you a new battery. Once you know the battery is good and fully charged if you still have problems I'd bypass the switch and see what happens.

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Copy That, thanks guys. I tried a test by jumping the battery from a running vehicle and it picked up a slight bit. The kit I used is the summit relocation kit so I believe he cable is 2 gauge, it's very thick. The ground to the disconnect is 2 gauge and from the switch to the frame is of common battery cable size.

 

I don't have a meter to test out the connections but i'll get one soon. Thanks for the help.

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Do you have a cable from the starter case to the frame? Some relocation kits come with one, some don't. The original location negative battery cable connects directly to the starter case. The lack of this connection would increase resistance to a point which would make it sluggish starting, as you would be grounding through your motor and transmission mounts, and other uncertain paths.

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For sure...proved it today with my SX track car. It wouldnt crank because there was paint on the intake maniflod where the battery ground was connected to. Filed the paint off, cleaned the battery ground terminal and reconected it. Bingo...cranked over right away!

 

The SX has a double battery ground...one to the frame, the other to the power plant....

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