How do you fix a bad ground

[SHORT89]

I've got an econoline 89 with a bad ground. I've heard that this model typically has electrical problems. The EconoLine usually comes with a kill switch for the battery which tells me that the ford company knew this as well. I kill the battery power everytime I kill the engine. I've experienced total loss of power several times which has lead me to using a charge box. I'm not electrically inclined and could use any advice.

Thx ShrtBus89

[GreyEagle]

All I can offer is to check and clean every ground connection you can find. Battery post, battery cables themselves, connections at both ends of the battery cables and any ground wire you can find.

One of the motorhomes I had ...... (and it was a Ford chassis) the grounding lug at the rear lights was the problem. The wires had been sprayed with some kind of insulation, looked the Great Stuff the Foam insulation in a can, but anyway the weight of the insulation kept the wires hanging and swinging from the movement of the motorhome as it moved down the road. When I found it the big glop of stuff didn't even look like a wire but I traced it to see and it was a ground wire from the rear lights....... ALL the strands of wire inside where broken except for 1 or 2. Replace the bad part of the wire..... all I could get to anyway and cleaned and made a new connection. problem went away......
Took me 3 weekends of trouble shooting, head scratching, searching but finally found it.....

Best of luck in you search...

[travelinwithus]

I have found the easiest way to find a parasitic draw is to disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery. Take a test light and clamp the alligator clip to the negative battery cable. Then fasten the probe of the test light to the negative terminal on the battery with a small vice grips or something that will clamp the probe on. If the test light is lit then there is a draw. Make sure you have the key off and the doors shut because the dome light draw will cause the test light to light up. Once you are sure everything is off, start pulling fuses until the light goes out then you will know what circuit the draw is on.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by travelinwithus

I have found the easiest way to find a parasitic draw is to disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery. Take a test light and clamp the alligator clip to the negative battery cable. Then fasten the probe of the test light to the negative terminal on the battery with a small vice grips or something that will clamp the probe on. If the test light is lit then there is a draw. Make sure you have the key off and the doors shut because the dome light draw will cause the test light to light up. Once you are sure everything is off, start pulling fuses until the light goes out then you will know what circuit the draw is on.

Good info.

[travelinwithus]

Originally Posted by richlindquist

I haven't tried that test, so I do not know, but wouldn't the bulb blow since all of the current from the load is now going through it?

Rich

I have never had the bulb blow. However, the neat thing about this test is the bulb brightness does change based on how much draw there is. If there is a small draw the light will be dim. Large draw, brighter. Just don't attempt to start the vehicle when performing the test, lol.