A good ground

Lately I have been going through the battery and starter cables on my M Farmalls and replacing them with heavier cables and brass lugs. Bright and shiny, right? How good can a ground be if the bolt goes into old rusty or oily holes in the casting? I have used new bolts, but I have also poured lacquer thinner into the bolt holes and scrubbed them with a little round brush, then blow the holes out with the air compressor. I would like to hear from others about this fix. Thanks, Ellis
 
I chase the threads out with a Thread Tap then use carb cleaner etc. so its all nice n clean down there then blow dry with my air gun and use a nice new clean shiny bolt THAT MAKES A PRETTY GOOD LOW RESISTANCE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION. Once that's all done to prevent moisture and corrosion I might spray and seal the top with silicone or battery terminal spray etc. For good starter performance running the ground cable from the battery to a starter bolt or a bolt near it works well. Thin rusty sheet metal or oil n grease n dirt n rust etc are not good for passing hundreds of starter motor amps (goal is to reduce cable and connection voltage drops) and good oversize stranded copper welding type cables is a good practice. Of course, same holds true for battery post connections, I use the felt washers underneath then spray the red coating when I'm done.

John T
 
Removing the paint and shining up the area where the lug part if held tight to the tractor goes a long way to have a good connection even more then the bolt hole and treads being clean and shinny. Always good to have bear metal where the battery cable lug contacts the tractor frame
 
That's how I was taught and have always done it (paint isn't a good conductor WELL DUH). Good clean bare bright shiny bolt and threads and frame/starter surface, then I seal it all so moisture and dirt etc. cant get in, now that makes for a real connection.

John T
 
What the others below said,and also,you could use star washers under the lugs.They 'dig' into the bare block.Mark
 
Excellent ideas. I bought a new ground strap at my Case-IHC dealer, I ran the strap directly over to the starter mount bolt, [ avoid all rusty frame joints], I also ran a green ground wire from my headlight sockets directly down to the battery.
 
(quoted from post at 17:59:40 07/15/16) Once the hole is tapped, all threads clean, coat it with di-electric grease prior to assembly.

Di-electric grease is a NON CONDUCTIVE grease. As long as it gets squeezed out of the way when tightening a connector, it is a good sealant and prevents corrosion. But it is not a conductor. Quite the opposite. I would not recommend putting this grease on a grounding bolt. Just clean the threads good, use a star washer and lock it down. You can smear a little grease on the top to prevent corrosion, although it will attract dirt.
 
Ellis
Bingo, you get the prize, please share it with Mr precision. Never could figure out why some people spend so much time getting their connections "clean, bright, & tight", then smear any kind of grease on them. Di-electric, by definition, is non conductive (insulator).
Only place I ever used di-electric grease was on the cam lobe/rubbing block on point style ignition. In case too much is used & it gets slobbered around, it won't short things out.
As to the felt washers on battery posts, they can't hurt anything. Charging produces acid fumes. In case the post seal is bad, those fumes will escape, causing corrosion.The washers, with a bit of oil on them, will restrict, but not stop the fumes, & slow down, but not prevent, the acid fumes from corroding the clamps.
Same thing goes for putting any grease or "battery saver" spray over the clamps after installing.
Willie
 
I use "coppershield" anti-sieze Copper is a very good conductor. We used a lot of copper shield on grounding conductors. I spent 40 years as an electrician. Also scrape the paint off. I don't have much trouble with grounds or battery cables, if it is an important connection a small bit of coppershield works.. Can get at NAPA. joe
 

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