Frame grounds

[Sonny]

I have replaced all my harnesses on the car (1070 Belvedere) and everything works well except for the fuel sender/gauge and the license plate light. The fuel sender is new (and I attached it to a new aftermarket fuel gauge). Using my power probe I can get the license plate light bulb to come on. tail lights, sidemarkers, backup lights all work good. Where or how does the frame get grounded? With a ground wire? If so, where would it be located? I know about the ground clip that goes from the sender to the fuel line. I ran a wire with alligator clips to several frame locations and nothing.

 

[67 coronet]

by power probe do you mean you added power and it worked? or you grounded through the probe to make it work? isnt the frame grounded to the eng to complete the circuit.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

The frame IS the ground. The negative of the battery, block, frame & chassis should all be grounded together. There's no special frame ground wire, but there is one going to the block & chasis, both near the battery.

Grounds can be a PIA and I've added several extra ground wires to my '70 (hood turn signals, tail lights, etc.). One last ground test might be to run 15' length of ground wire from the sending unit all the way to the neg. on the battery to see what you get.

Rust/dirt/oil/grease break the ground's connection.... and aluminum fuel line doesn't make a good ground...nor do little sections of rubber hose in your fuel line anywhere along it.

 

[Sonny]

by power probe do you mean you added power and it worked? or you grounded through the probe to make it work? isnt the frame grounded to the eng to complete the circuit.

I meant I basically tested the bulb outside of the socket.

 

[WileE]

1070 ? I was born that year. Your taillamp housings must be grounded & you need the ground strap-connector on the fuel sender to the fuel line.

 

[mmissile]

The electrical systems on these old cars, are generally crap. I chased bugs on my road runner for a year. Got most stuff sorted out, but my gas gauge reads 1/4, when its full. My turn indicators in the dash come on, when I turn on the parking lights.

 

[oldbee]

Well from the previous posts it's evident that everyone has ground problems!! The only real grounds I remember are the strap at fuel line,block to firewall and batt. to engine. Worked good way back when. Now it's obvious we need to add wherever/whenever we can; including to the inst.panel.

 

[oldbee]

Now we've got grounds running from the exhaust to body for oxy. sensors.