No offense taken at all to the word newbie. Yeah, I don't want to be trying to figure out what is grounded and what is not if I am stranded--particularly since I don't carry an ohmmeter in the car.

When I first came on the forum I couldn't figure out what the big deal was about FI. Doesn't everybody have FI? Terms have changed over the years. FI used to mean fuel injection. I also couldn't figure out what 3V meant. V used to be used to indicate the number of venturies (or barrels) in a carburetor. Never heard of a 3V carburetor.

I haven't checked for the post you mentioned yet. I missed that when I was trying to find a good ground point. The best I did find was mentioned in this thread. That's the connectors around the strut. The top of the strut is apparently not grounded, but the fasteners are, sort of. I was only using a sharp pointed probe on the ohmmeter, and sometimes I would get an indication of ground, and sometimes not. I figured that with the jaws on a jumper cable, it would be okay as a ground, but maybe there was something better. Perhaps the nuts have some coating on them, but moving the jaws around should get rid of that real quick!

Thanks again.

 

There are a couple of specific chassis grounds in front of the windshield washer fill tube. There are also a couple of unpainted body bolts nearby that returned zero ohms with respect to BAT-, one where the switch that signals hood close status and another nearer the pass side headlamp. Useful if your cables can grip someting that small.

Closer to the battery and attached to a plate inboard on the passenger side strut tower you'll find a main ground. If you use that one, I'd consider making my final (ground) connection on the other vehicle instead, away from its battery.


Like you, it took me a little while to recognize the abbreviation "FI" for its current meaning (and sometimes it does seem like everybody else has it but me).

Now, just because I remember stuff like this, Holley actually did make a 3-barrel carb, Model 3160, in 950 cfm and maybe in 1050 cfm. Two normal-ish primaries plus a single hogged-out flat-oval secondary that completely did away with the metal in between the usual round secondaries. Late 1960's, I think.


Norm

 

How about make the last connection on the other vehicle, and just clamp onto the negative terminal on your s197.

 

Always positive-to-positive on battery posts; negative post on first car, AWAY from the battery on the last connection on the other car.

Try connecting the ground to a car with a shorted alternator, and you'll get all kinds of sparks, enough to ignite any nearby fumes!

I usually try to ground to a mounting bracket, like alternator or something solid connected to the block.

 

Well, the recommended way of doing things is to connect the jumper cables directly to the battery terminals of the car giving the jump, and to connect to a ground away from the battery on the car receiving the jump. In the example I gave, I was the jumpee, not the jumper. I guess the reason for the recommended hookup is to ensure that there is absolutely no voltage drop between the jumper battery terminals and the jumper cable. I would also be relying on the other driver to know where a good ground is on his/her car.

 

I call BS.
Lets see some proof of this claim.....

Ground to the alternator body FTW....
And yes, batteries do explode.
Search YouTube and sees fors yours selves....

Just touch the bumpers together of the two vehicles
and a negative connection is not needed.....

 

 

welcome to page 2!

 

Just read this post after seeing your comment in someone's sig...I gotta say man, this is not the first wise-*** remark I have seen from you...I have actually seen many. You werent' this much of a dick in person so what is this some kinda 'I'm on the internet I can be an A-hole' syndrome?? I mean..who are you to decide what is or isn't a stupid question?

 

Actually, I thought you were weird until I met you, lol.
Feel so much better now that I know you're somewhat OK.
I mean... OK.