Ground wire help.

[Califmike33]

Got a question for you guys installing my amplifier underneath the driver side seat space is extremely limited. Amplifier is mounted on a half inch piece of clear coated plywood in my floorboard underneath the seat I have a stud that is threaded down into the body of the car where there was something attached to.

Can I run my ground out of my amplifier and run a bolt that goes through the plywood down into the stud into the body of the car and just attach the ground wire to the top of the bolt on top of the plywood it would still all be making contact with the car.

So just imagine the amplifier in the plywood sliding over that hole that stud you see in the body of the floorboard and a bolt passing through the plywood into that stud and then my ground wire attaching to the top of that bolt?

The reason I'm asking this is because the 1/0 wire is creating a nightmare in my car because it's so fat of a diameter I'm just running out of spaces where I can run it anymore.

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[Glen Livet]

If you have the amp under the front seat. Can you run the ground wire to a bolt holding the seat in?

 

[Califmike33]

No I'm not running it to a bolt that's holding the seed in there's a stud that's been inserted into the floor of the car it used to hold a strap that holds down a 12 volt air compressor in case you get a flat tire.

Has nothing to do with holding the seat down I want to run a bolt through the half inch plywood The damp is mounted too down into that stud that is in the frame of the car the floorboard of the car and use that as my ground.

 

[Califmike33]

Never mind I guess as long as the bolt is making contact with the chassis of the car is all that matters.

 

[KicktheSDbasshead]

Never mind I guess as long as the bolt is making contact with the chassis of the car is all that matters.

I wouldn't say that you honestly all the contact you can get and a bolt may be a little shy of that. Can you do it yes but is it practical probably not.

 

[Califmike33]

Well let me ask you if it's 6 mm bolt that goes into the chassis of the car is not enough then what is?

Well I guess the 6 mm bolt with a big washer on it touching the chassis more it's probably better.

 

[Califmike33]

The problem is is I'm underneath the seat my amplifier is hogging up basically the entire area underneath the seat so to run a 1/0 wire somewhere outside of that area to get a better ground is not going to really work I don't have the room in my car to do that.

 

[Glen Livet]

I was about to suggest. If grounding to the bolt going through the amp mounting wood. Maybe put the grounding wire between the bolt head and a washer. Then bolt it down. Then check it with a multi meter. See if there’s any problems. Just my .02

 

[Califmike33]

That's what I'm going to do I don't know exactly how to check it with a multimeter but I have a multimeter but thank you for the advice.

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

Either have the ring terminal make contact with bare metal or make the threaded post shiny that way the ring terminal. threaded post and nut all make good contact together

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

I wouldn't ground as you're suggesting. That nut doesn't look like a good ground since it's some sort of capture nut. If it's welded to the car on the bottom, then maybe that would be a good ground, but I would ground directly to metal, not thru the plywood.

 

[Califmike33]

I'm going to drill out the captured nut or the threaded stud that's in the floorboard I'm going to remove it remove the paint around it and put a bolt through or a sheet metal screw big enough

 

[Califmike33]

I think I agree with you guys that threaded studs not going to work it doesn't look like it's making that great a contact I think I'm going to drill it out remove the pain around it and find something that will go through my piece of wood and screw into that floorboard better.

 

[some dude]

With your multimeter

Google how to measure voltage drop, you want to make sure minimal voltage drop from battery to amp, this confirms your wiring is solid.

Google how to measure resistance, low resistance connections confirms your wiring is solid.

 

[Califmike33]

Okay thank you appreciate it.


So the stud that takes a 6 mm bolt in my floorboard is not going to be accessible through the plywood that my amp is mounted on because he amplifier ends up over the top of the stud that's in the floor so that's a no-go.

What I need to do and any tips would be appreciated I need a way to go through the plywood half inch plywood through the carpet and into the floor the metal floor and and get a good solid ground.

Like I said before the reason I need to go through the plywood is because basically the amplifiers eating up the entire space underneath my seat there is nowhere else to ground this to I have to go through the board through the carpet into the metal floor but I need a way to do that to where I can mount the ground wire on top of the plywood to a bolt with some washers on it or a stud sticking up through the plywood that I could put washers and bolt it down the problem is is how do I make it stay in the floor to where it's making good contact with the metal that's the part I can't figure out.