| Author |
Thread: How long can Ground Cable be? |
    
Silver Member Username: Afroopuff
Post Number: 496
Registered: Jan-06
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 05:18 pm: |
|
Just installed on an Xterra, but not getting enough current from the ground cable. I grounded it to the seat belt bottom underneath the floor board but the paint on the metal is disrupting the current. Nothing seems to be close enough that I can find, so first question is
how long can the wire be from the amp to where the wire is grounded,
and also...
if anyone has an Xterra, where did you ground. THanks! |
|
|
Gold Member Username: Snowball123
West Allis,
WI
Post Number: 1671
Registered: Oct-07
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 05:22 pm: |
|
3 feet or shorter. |
Silver Member Username: Wickedbass
Nashville,
Tn
Post Number: 101
Registered: Jan-08
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 05:38 pm: |
|
"the paint on the metal is disrupting the current"
Sand it off. You must have good metal to metal contact for any electrical conection, including grounds. |
Gold Member Username: Redliner
Wilmington,
Ma
Post Number: 4625
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 05:49 pm: |
|
ya sand that baby down. Just drill a hole somewhere in the back near the amp and throw a nut and your good. |
Gold Member Username: Redliner
Wilmington,
Ma
Post Number: 4626
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 05:49 pm: |
|
I ment a bolt lol |
Gold Member Username: Mixmastaspig
Team RD,
Canada
Post Number: 1916
Registered: Sep-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 06:23 pm: |
|
"Just drill a hole somewhere in the back near the amp and throw a nut and your good."
LOL! |
Gold Member Username: Southernrebel
Monroe,
Louisiana
Team Audible...
Post Number: 7048
Registered: Mar-04
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 07:18 pm: |
|
What amp? (power?)
What gauge wire do you have?
Find a place in the floor that is free from any wires or other stuff underneath (like a gas tank). Use sandpaper or something to clean the paint away in 1" diameter circle. Crimp a ring terminal to your ground and shoot a self tapping screw through the ring. Lock it in place w/ a second self-tap. Make sure the screws get a good bite.
This will work fine, unless the body is not properly grounded...or you are running over ~1500w. |
Gold Member Username: Redliner
Wilmington,
Ma
Post Number: 4639
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 07:22 pm: |
|
lol ^^ explains it much better than me. Now what do u do if ur running more than 1500 lol jp |
Gold Member Username: Southernrebel
Monroe,
Louisiana
Team Audible...
Post Number: 7049
Registered: Mar-04
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 07:23 pm: |
|
On a side note...here is something sad.
Other local shops around here use seat brackets for grounds. They just shoot a self-tapper into the bracket (not even the floor, just the bracket) and don't even worry about the paint. Its funny as hell. I have even seen them not even clean up the weather coating in the trunks of older cars. Just shoot a screw into the floor and call it 'grounded'...lol. Even the "bigger" shops here do it.
I fix engine noise all the time. |
|
|
Gold Member Username: Redliner
Wilmington,
Ma
Post Number: 4640
Registered: Jun-05
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 07:27 pm: |
|
rlly that sux i did that when i was 16 on my first install worked fine on 800 rms |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18
Philadelphia,
PA
Post Number: 8949
Registered: Jul-06
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 08:00 pm: |
|
" 3 feet or shorter. "
Epic fail. Ground wire can be as long as you need it to be. In fact the best possible ground is a wire run from the battery. |
Silver Member Username: Afroopuff
Post Number: 497
Registered: Jan-06
|
| Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 08:16 pm: |
|
in my car, i could just take the side panel off and there were a few different screws for me to choose from. It was something i never even thought of until i tried to fire this bad boy up in the Xterra and nothing worked. I thought i messed up something else.
The problem really is that I am at college and this is my roomates car so we dont have any power drills or anything of the sort. So...sanding by hand is probably out of the question, and drilling a hole would be near impossible... |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18
Philadelphia,
PA
Post Number: 8950
Registered: Jul-06
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 05:14 am: |
|
A drill costs what $30 at walmart, and it's an essential tool you will use again |
Gold Member Username: Hittin1
Lake Charles,
La.
United States
Post Number: 1592
Registered: May-07
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 06:03 am: |
|
kinda like M.S.'s Fleshlight^^
lol j/p |
Silver Member Username: Ridinspinnas
Windsor,
Ontario
Canada
Post Number: 502
Registered: May-06
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 12:53 pm: |
|
would it be ok if you just ran your ground off your amp straight to the negative on your battery |
Gold Member Username: Bonhamd
Post Number: 1457
Registered: Nov-07
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 12:56 pm: |
|
yessir |
Platinum Member Username: Insearchofbass
Post Number: 10864
Registered: Jun-04
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 01:02 pm: |
|
A ground to the chassis is only going to be able to carry what 4 ga wire carries. From the battery back to the amp like M.S. said with the proper wire gauge is best when you need more current flow. |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18
Philadelphia,
PA
Post Number: 8955
Registered: Jul-06
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 04:07 pm: |
|
As I already said a ground to the battery is the best possible ground for big amps as long as you use heavy gauge wire.
And fleshlighs cost more than $30.......... umm, I mean or so I've heard  |
Gold Member Username: Snowball123
West Allis,
WI
Post Number: 1676
Registered: Oct-07
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 04:10 pm: |
|
i heard your a fleshlight pro M.S. |
Gold Member Username: Tatonka
-[Team Audible
Insanity]-
Post Number: 2453
Registered: Mar-07
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 06:20 pm: |
|
quote:Epic fail. Ground wire can be as long as you need it to be.
ROFL M.S., I think Snow was using sarcasm in his posts...
quote:A drill costs what $30 at walmart, and it's an essential tool you will use again
Kind of reminds me of that jigsaw that you didn't want to buy for $30 at wal-mart lol |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18
Philadelphia,
PA
Post Number: 8957
Registered: Jul-06
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 06:48 pm: |
|
I didn't have a walmart nearby hard as that is to believe...... cheapest one at the hardware store was $75 which I didn't have |
Gold Member Username: Big_edge_head
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
Post Number: 3002
Registered: Mar-07
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 06:52 pm: |
|
Fück walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Platinum Member Username: Rovin
1 15 = 149.5 DBs
Trinidad & T...
Post Number: 14378
Registered: Jul-05
|
| Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 - 08:07 pm: |
|
some situations u can help but have a long ground but shortest possible is rec ... |
Silver Member Username: Basebalz13
Moneta,
Va
Usa
Post Number: 811
Registered: Aug-07
|
| Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 12:58 am: |
|
 |
Gold Member Username: Drant19
DUB-C,
TX
Post Number: 1319
Registered: Aug-07
|
| Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 03:08 pm: |
|
i have an xterra and i grounded my amp the the bolts on the rear seats. take the time and just sand a bit. it makes a big difference. or just run the groud to the battery like MS said |
