The Ford Barn

theHIGHLANDER · 07-05-2013, 05:18 AM

I've worked with more than a dozen guys who can't get their heads right when dealing with positive ground. The most recent event, I took the battery out of the car and asked him, "What's so different now?". The look on his face was suitable for framing, but believe it or not, still a problem. "Because the grounds hook to the hot side!" Hot side? No such thing.

We can surely study electrons, atomic theory, Ben Franklin, et al, but it still doesn't replace good grounds (star washers can be your friend) and clean connections. It still doesn't replace a well set generator that doesn't cook the battery. Terms like "juice" and "hot" can be confusing for many as well. My best advice would be a cup of coffee and the wiring diagram for your car. Start at the battery (forget the + and - signs) and follow the circuits. As to how does it charge the system/battery, well that's easy. Through that extra small wire that shares the battery connection with the starter switch. It's the connection to everything else via the box on the dash panel (firewall), which also loops through the ammeter so you can see if it's charging or draining the system. Using the plumbing reference, the ammeter is like a clear sight glass to observe flow through a tube. Not to dis the topic, some things are best left to the engineers who designed them. Look how long it's lasted.

07-05-2013, 05:18 AM	#27
theHIGHLANDER Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 495	Re: I know it works, but never understood how: Batt/Alt/Start I've worked with more than a dozen guys who can't get their heads right when dealing with positive ground. The most recent event, I took the battery out of the car and asked him, "What's so different now?". The look on his face was suitable for framing, but believe it or not, still a problem. "Because the grounds hook to the hot side!" Hot side? No such thing. We can surely study electrons, atomic theory, Ben Franklin, et al, but it still doesn't replace good grounds (star washers can be your friend) and clean connections. It still doesn't replace a well set generator that doesn't cook the battery. Terms like "juice" and "hot" can be confusing for many as well. My best advice would be a cup of coffee and the wiring diagram for your car. Start at the battery (forget the + and - signs) and follow the circuits. As to how does it charge the system/battery, well that's easy. Through that extra small wire that shares the battery connection with the starter switch. It's the connection to everything else via the box on the dash panel (firewall), which also loops through the ammeter so you can see if it's charging or draining the system. Using the plumbing reference, the ammeter is like a clear sight glass to observe flow through a tube. Not to dis the topic, some things are best left to the engineers who designed them. Look how long it's lasted.