Negative run question...

[av83 10+ year member]

So... I finally put everything you see in my sig in the new ride. Big three, and + run from front battery(a regular one, Interstate brand) to my Optima YT in the trunk, all in Knu ofc 4 gauge. Did my my short runs from the YT to the d-block, d-block to amps, and grounds, in some Memphis 4 gauge. Here's the issue. After installing it all my amp is going into protect. I'm sure it's my grounds. Although I was able to keep the wires very short, I used a stock ground location, since it seemed like it was sunk into a piece of metal that appeared to be well-bolted to the frame. Guess I was wrong. I can drill a hole in the trunk to get to the frame and ground there, but I don't wanna drill, lol. I do, however, have a rather long length of brand-new cadence 4 gauge I have laying around. Would it be suitable to use it as a ground if I run it to the front batt? My understanding is that your + wire is only as good at delivering power as your negative is at completing the circuit. So, I'm hoping that the cadence, in conjunction with the stock ground, is enough to match the + run. I'm just worried, cuz the cadence isn't ofc, and is a tad(not much tho) smaller. Will it work?

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[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

did u ground the back battery?

 

[av83 10+ year member]

Yeah. A nice short run of memphis ofc 4 gauge from the yt to a stock ground. The ground is bolt coming out of the back wall of my trunk, has a small ground leading to it for something unknown coming out of a bundle of stock wiring. The bolt appears to be sunk into a sheet of metal that is directly bolted to the frame, but I may be wrong. Can't see it all.

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

try a new grounding location....somewhere solid thats not sheet metal

 

[av83 10+ year member]

try a new grounding location....somewhere solid thats not sheet metal

What about the negative run... not necessary?

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

what do u mean negative run?

 

[av83 10+ year member]

what do u mean negative run?

in the original post, i mentioned an alternative to drilling through my trunk to get to the frame... thought it might be better, actually.

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

i skimmed threw ur paragraph sorry

you need to have both the + and - of both batts connected to eachother (+ to +)( - to - ) that could be ur issue not having he grounds connected

 

[av83 10+ year member]

i skimmed threw ur paragraph sorry

you need to have both the + and - of both batts connected to eachother (+ to +)( - to - ) that could be ur issue not having he grounds connected

will that cheap cadence be good enough? it's amperage capability can't possibly match the knu's. but i was hoping that in conjunction with the current, or even a better ground in back, it would work fine.

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

it probably will hold.....but in actuality you should have done this in all 0 gauge

 

[av83 10+ year member]

it probably will hold.....but in actuality you should have done this in all 0 gauge

I'm probably never going to draw more than 150 amps. But I agree. Shoulda done some cca 1/0 for about the same price, lol.

 

[murph 10+ year member]

will that cheap cadence be good enough? it's amperage capability can't possibly match the knu's. but i was hoping that in conjunction with the current, or even a better ground in back, it would work fine.

I see upgraded electrical in your future. Go big or go home.

 

[av83 10+ year member]

I see upgraded electrical in your future. Go big or go home.

I do too, lol... but I just wanted to know if what I had on hand will fix my problem for now. I'm pretty sure it will. I havn't popped the 100 amp fuse that is inbetween my d block and my Yellatopper, so I'm not drawing a lot.

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

Did you probe that ground spot first? Or just assume it was good?

Grind or scrape away all the paint on a spot on the trunk floor. Get some terminals and double that Cadence wire up to that spot with some self tappers.

 

[av83 10+ year member]

Did you probe that ground spot first? Or just assume it was good?
Grind or scrape away all the paint on a spot on the trunk floor. Get some terminals and double that Cadence wire up to that spot with some self tappers.

I tested it with a DMM's voltmeter, got 14.2+ with car running when the + of the dmm was on my power wire and - on ground point. I didn't check the ohms, though... I will this time. I have terminals, and at least three feet of knu left. So I'll use that.