Plus added another $20 to my install... It just never ends
C5 Coupe - Amp Ground Location
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
From: San Jose CA
C5 Coupe - Amp Ground Location
Hey all - question for those of you who installed your amp between the rear latches on a coupe. What's the best place to ground?
I checked the FAQ and it had ground points for mounting the amp behind the passenger seat, but not between the rear latches on a coupe.
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
I checked the FAQ and it had ground points for mounting the amp behind the passenger seat, but not between the rear latches on a coupe.
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,035
Likes: 134
From: North Augusta, SC
If you're talking about mounting it on the rear vertical wall, then I'd drill a small hole in the wall and run the ground to the rear bumper. You can drill a new hole in the bumper, or just use the oem ground. IIRC, in C5 it's located behind the inner passenger side brake light housing.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
I used one of these fastened it to the backside of the crossmember just behind the seats. I sanded off the paint where it makes contact and applied a dab of dilectric compound- works great. They also make them with dually 4 awg taps and single 0 awg.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_211GT14...4.html?tp=2357
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_211GT14...4.html?tp=2357
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Finally installed my amp rack yesterday and holy crap, what a chore. I had to shorten the ground cable a few inches to make it all fit. I've always struggled a little bit getting all the wire strands to go into the terminal without a least some of them going sideways like cowards. Electrical tape wrapped around the wire strands inside-out does the trick. This allows you to wrap them tight to prevent them splaying out like you-know-who's legs and inside-out so the tape doesn't stick to the strands. The wire goes right into the terminal without fuss and once half-way in
you can remove the tape and continue.When kneeling over inside the hatch area wrestling with 0-awg cable, anything that helps make it go easier is good, so there ya have it.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 714
Likes: 104
From: Springfield Ohio
Why use dielectric grease for a ground? Dielectric grease is a non-conductive and won't conduct ground very well. A light coat of petroleum jelly or regular grease will conduct ground better and help prevent corrosion.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
I use the Permatex brand, but I'm sure others work just as well. When connector pins meet or in this case, when a ground terminal gets tightly fastened to the frame, wherever the metal makes contact the sauce gets pushed out of the way. For multi-pin connectors, definitely use dilectric grease since a conductive sauce would cause a short between the pins.
For a single connection such as a ground terminal, I tend to agree with you and it may be better to use a conductive electrical joint compound such as Penetrox:
http://www.dxengineering.com/Parts.a...PartNo=DXE-P8A
I only found it from searching around based on our discussion here and have yet to try it. As it is using dilectric grease, my ground connection is pretty solid and I have zero audible noise from my system. I should check the resistance from the battery to my ground distribution block and see what I get. The real trick would be to compare the results from cleaning off the dilectric grease between the frame and my terminal and applying the conductive compound instead, but I think the difference would be negligible. I would entertain the idea just to prove/disprove my hypothesis though.
Here's a related video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W7o-CRRmGo
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Cruising
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Mpls Mn
Dielectric
This is partly true, going back to the fifties, not my fault, I was forced to be there.
It was as still is standard step to always grease battery connections (cable to post).
Mainly being it's impossible to create an air-proof connection.
Quite obvious when growth is seen on top side connections.
Not so much with the side terminals for a couple reasons.
Top side terminals see more gassing out of acid as it leaches out into them.
The actual final contact points are always metal to metal as it forces
compound out of the way,
yet fills any air gaps regardless how small.
Doesn't matter what form of non conductive grease is used,
as grease is no more conductive than Dielectric.
A dab of grease will show no indication on digital meter.
So it's also Dielectric.
Dielectric is preferred over grease being it's far more stable,
resisting natural melting out of joints like grease does.
Replacing tail light bulbs, GM and others finally get it now that
filling sockets with grease makes life much easier w/o all the green
rotted out sockets, and broken off bulbs.
At one time I thought I could beat the corrosion factor of battery connections by inventing alternatives.
When you're the only one servicing fleets of semi's, to aircraft,
downtime because of corrosion is a big deal.
All the tricks of just grease were not holding up with four batteries per unit.
So I got out 'Hammer Dip', which some old timers have dabbled in.
Thinned it some and coated over the connections, thinking for sure
this was the reason keeping air and road salt away from them.
Well they sure looked pretty, but in the end provided nothing.
Acid still worked it's way into connections, and corrosion set in.
So in the end, synthetic grease used on through bolts of connections
is the only preventive measure.
This includes cable to battery pinch bolts, removed, coated, now protected.
Just as mounting high performance ignitions, coating the bolts prior to fastening.
Perhaps the best real time view of fasteners coated and how it fills air space,
is slicing nut & bolt down the middle after applying Lock-Tite.
Cured, one would easily see the compound has filled all air space,
yet metal to metal contact is shown along it's length.
Last edited by Philscbx; Dec 5, 2011 at 09:35 AM.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Here's a review at Amazon for Permatex dilectric grease:
Although sold for automobile bulb sockets (for which it works great), this product is actually silicon grease. "Dielectric" means that the silicon grease is an electronic insulator. See also Fantasea Silicon Grease Lubricant, "for all types of O-Rings." Although ordinary automotive grease is very damaging to rubber products, silicon grease is great for ANY rubber products, and for use on ANY electronic connection.
After about 5 years of flawless operation, recently I got a "blue screen of death" on my computer, mentioning a parity-check error. I removed the memory boards, cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol, applied a thin layer of silicon grease to the contacts on the memory boards, and reinstalled the memory. The computer works perfectly. It would be a good idea to coat the contacts of any boards or memory with silicon grease before installing.
Does your car refuse too start when it's been raining for days? You could replace the entire ignition harness (for perhaps $100 plus labor)---or just coat the wires with silicon grease, being particular generous at the spark plug and distributor connections. No need to wipe off excess. Is your bathroom faucet leaking? Disassemble it, clean it, and rub silicon grease into all of the rubber seals. Let it set, wipe off excess, reassemble.
Is the A/C plug for your juicer hard to push into the socket? Add a generous coating of silicon grease and stick it in and out of the socket several times to lubricate the socket. Petroleum-based grease or oil may conduct electricity and burn---making the connection worse. Silicon grease will not conduct electricity nor burn. Is the door lock of your car stiff? Same solution, slather silicon grease on the key, and lock/unlock the door several times.
Does the right or left channel of your headphones drop out or sputter? Silicon grease will improve the connection. Do you have to shake your TV remote to make it work? Silicon grease will improve the batteries connections.
Does wind noise at high speed because of a poor door seal drive you crazy? Coat the seal with silicon grease. Rub it in, let it set, wipe off excess. Do you have a classic car with stiff dried-out rubber seals? This stuff is first aid. If they aren't too dead, silicon grease will bring them back to life, and protect them from further deterioration.
Sliding windows in your van hard to open/close? Coat the channels with silicon grease. Within reason, you cannot use too much. Unlike ordinary oil and grease silicon grease does not attract dirt.
After about 5 years of flawless operation, recently I got a "blue screen of death" on my computer, mentioning a parity-check error. I removed the memory boards, cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol, applied a thin layer of silicon grease to the contacts on the memory boards, and reinstalled the memory. The computer works perfectly. It would be a good idea to coat the contacts of any boards or memory with silicon grease before installing.
Does your car refuse too start when it's been raining for days? You could replace the entire ignition harness (for perhaps $100 plus labor)---or just coat the wires with silicon grease, being particular generous at the spark plug and distributor connections. No need to wipe off excess. Is your bathroom faucet leaking? Disassemble it, clean it, and rub silicon grease into all of the rubber seals. Let it set, wipe off excess, reassemble.
Is the A/C plug for your juicer hard to push into the socket? Add a generous coating of silicon grease and stick it in and out of the socket several times to lubricate the socket. Petroleum-based grease or oil may conduct electricity and burn---making the connection worse. Silicon grease will not conduct electricity nor burn. Is the door lock of your car stiff? Same solution, slather silicon grease on the key, and lock/unlock the door several times.
Does the right or left channel of your headphones drop out or sputter? Silicon grease will improve the connection. Do you have to shake your TV remote to make it work? Silicon grease will improve the batteries connections.
Does wind noise at high speed because of a poor door seal drive you crazy? Coat the seal with silicon grease. Rub it in, let it set, wipe off excess. Do you have a classic car with stiff dried-out rubber seals? This stuff is first aid. If they aren't too dead, silicon grease will bring them back to life, and protect them from further deterioration.
Sliding windows in your van hard to open/close? Coat the channels with silicon grease. Within reason, you cannot use too much. Unlike ordinary oil and grease silicon grease does not attract dirt.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
From: San Jose CA
If you're talking about mounting it on the rear vertical wall, then I'd drill a small hole in the wall and run the ground to the rear bumper. You can drill a new hole in the bumper, or just use the oem ground. IIRC, in C5 it's located behind the inner passenger side brake light housing.
Thanks! I ended up drilling a small hole in the rear wall, and snaking a 4ga ground down to the passenger-side exhaust hanger bolt. So far so good
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,327
Likes: 166
From: Summerton SC
Tech Contributor
Basically it eliminates moisture and prevents corrosion, especially on positive battery contacts and leads ...
