Please Help! Negative Battery Cable Question

mine is on the fuel pump block off plate.

it's just a ground. run it to anywhere metal on the engine.

"it's just a ground" like it isn't important, can be a very misleading statement. In automotive systems, the ground is the return path for electricity. No ground, no power flowing through the circuit.

There are 3 connections on the ground cable.
1.) A 4 gauge cable to the engine block down near the oil filter. That is the starter ground. Do not connect the starter ground to the water pump or timing cover bolts. They tend to corrode and would make a poor connection.
2.) A 10 gauge wire to the body up near the windshield washer filler cap. That is the body ground for everything but the starter and computer.
The picture shows the common ground point for the battery & alternator

Picture courtesy timewarped1972


3.) The computer has its own dedicated power ground that
comes off the ground pigtail on the battery ground wire. Due to
it's proximity to the battery, it may become corroded by acid
fumes from the battery. It is a black cylinder about 2 1/2" long
by 1" diameter with a black/lt green wire. You'll find it up next to
the starter solenoid where the wire goes into the wiring harness. Forget this ground and the computer will not work properly.

The starter grounds through the engine block. It does not have a separate ground wire.

Hmmm... Mine only has the cable that goes by the oil filter... I don't have no 10 gauge wire to the fender, but I haven't had any problems with anything? Should I be worried?

ID89GT said:

Hmmm... Mine only has the cable that goes by the oil filter... I don't have no 10 gauge wire to the fender, but I haven't had any problems with anything? Should I be worried?

Click to expand...

Copper wire is expensive. Ford won't waste money on the other ground connections if they weren't needed.

thanks jrichker that will help me find a better ground. the idot that had my car put the ground from the battery on a metal hose clamp where the rubber power steering hose goes to the metal hose below the battery tray. thanks again