OT: Ford F150 battery ground

Slowpoke

Well-known Member
I borrowed a friend's truck; when it gets hot it acts like a bad battery. It has an emergency post type cable connector (the kind with 2 small bolts clamping the bare cable end) which I had to clean up and double the cable back to get a good clamp. I went to the block and found the cable end clamped under the starter mounting bolt, the bolt being too long and having three lockwashers under the head to shim it out.
*%#&*^%!!
I found a boss on the block at the front of the engine under the smog pump bracket. It is threaded and will take a short 3/8-16 bolt, but it's a rather loose fit. I saw a 10mm bolt at the store but the head seems too big and may interfere with the smog pump bracket. What kind of bolt is the right one and is the hole under the smog pump bracket used to ground the negative cable to the block??
In other words, where is the negative battery cable grounded to the block and what kind of bolt is used?

Thanks.
 
Depends on the year and the engine in that truck. In the 1965 F350 I have the battery ground is to the cap and the battery in in the passengers floor board. I just redid the battery cables on a friend Ford ranger and ran the ground cable to the block bracket mount for the alternator and also ran a ground right to the body off the - battery cable just to be sure
 
WHERE the ground cable is connected to the block doesn't much matter, as long as it is a GOOD connection, and the cable size is adequate!

If you want specific metric vs. non metric hardware information, it might help if you posted a CLUE as to the year of the vehicle and what engine you have!
 
Needs a new cable, with a properly installed battery terminal end on it, and a pigtail to ground to the body. Make sure the engine is grounded to the frame at least.

Charles
 
I bought a new cable at AutoZone. It's 38" long and is just the right length to reach the threaded hole under the smog pump bracket. My question is what is the factory bolt length and size that was used?
 
The correct new cable for that application is too short to reach the starter.
I do not want to use the old cable with the crappy connection at the battery.
 
You can buy the cable battery clamps that come with a pellet of solder and just cut an inch off the cable, clean it up, apply some flux to it, melt the solder in the battery clamp then insert the cable. Keep the heat on it for a few seconds after inserting the cable. I've used these for years and they have lasted a long time. Some cable can be hard to re-route once taken out. Cables usually only go bad at the ends. Corrosion can work its way back inside the insulation so if that is the case replace the cable.
 

I've got a 1989 E-150 with the 300-6. I'll see if I can get out and look at it, I have to be careful of what I do.

Dusty
 

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