Battery ground wire to aluminum head? Or ground elsewhere?

[440beep]

And my saga continues. Thought the issue was a bad starter so over the weekend I replaced the Powermaster mini starter with a Dakota Nippondenso mini starter (I have headers, so don't tell me to ditch the mini starter), AND the sluggish starting continues. Initial start up is good, it's after the car has been driven around that the restart is sluggish. The problem started late last year out of nowhere, and nothing was changed prior to this.

So now it's time to start checking wires (I know, I'm working backwards). But here's the first question, currently I have my battery negative wire grounded to the motor in the factory location which is in the front corner of the head; but I'm using aluminum heads, and it's always been grounded there. After reading some articles, it looks like aluminum isn't the best conductor of electrical current vs steel, so should the battery negative cable be relocated to somewhere on the engine block since the back ground cable to the firewall comes off the block. Or maybe first check all the other wires going to/from the starter. And I've already replaced the starter relay.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

Check your timing it might be a bit to advanced and it just happens when it is hot. I found that out the hard way.

 

[Tony Tee]

Aluminum is good for grounding. Most modern engines are aluminum. It's a good conductor of heat and electricity.

 

[440beep]

Yea, that's what I thought too originally, checked it, and it has 18 initial, and 36 all in (with vacuum advance disconnected). But will definitely double check it again.

Check your timing it might be a bit to advanced and it just happens when it is hot. I found that out the hard way.

 

[69Bee]

Remove the ground cable from head, clean connection, and reconnect using some "Nolox". The connection probably has some corrosion and just needs to be cleaned.

iDEAL NOALOX 4 oz. Anti-Oxidant Compound-30-026 - The Home Depot

 

[Johnpat]

Load test your battery when hot from under hood temp.
You could have a cell problem.

 

[NoCar2023]

Sluggish starting? Is it cranking slow? If so check battery cables.
Perform a cranking voltage drop test on both cables.

 

[hunt2elk]

I used one of those cheap, $40 I think, positive battery cables once. It acted a lot like yours is out of the blue. Found out it was an inferior crimp internal. I only buy the quality ones now. Just something else to check into.....

 

[gkent]

I've had significant issues with restarts when the engine is hot. let it cool down and it would start no problem. Not a battery issue since it was located in the trunk and would do its job on the cool restart. I always figured it was a starter motor issue.

 

[Bighouse]

You may not want to direct the current thru the aluminum head.

read from Griffin Radiator on electrolysis—-

https://www.griffinrad.com/electrolysis.php

 

[440beep]

Oh, those might be the key words: "test battery when hot" since it tested fine when cold. Will do that (and it's an AGM battery).

Load test your battery when hot from under hood temp.
You could have a cell problem.

 

[Gsmopar]

I had a similar issue. I ran a ground wire directly from the battery to one of the starter mounting bolts.

 

[493 Mike]

Any automatic equipped Mopar starter grounds thru the aluminum trans case.
Mike

 

[4mulas]

Aluminum is a good conductor. I don’t have power steering and used a through bolt hole on the aluminum water pump housing right near the cylinder head for ground

 

[diesel_lv]

Yea, that's what I thought too originally, checked it, and it has 18 initial, and 36 all in (with vacuum advance disconnected). But will definitely double check it again.

My stroker 496 would get sluggish when warm at 18° initial. Backed it down to 16° and changed my limiter plate to 16° for 32° all in and started much better. Still a little slow every once in awhile. I think 14° would be best for starting but I like the way my idle is at 16-18°.

 

[440beep]

I load tested the battery after driving the car around, and battery passed, voltage stayed right above 10v.

Load test your battery when hot from under hood temp.
You could have a cell problem.

 

[440beep]

I double checked the timing, and I swear the timing gnomes must have gotten in there and jacked the timing to 25 degrees. Backed it down to 18 and it seems to be better now. Need to remove the dizzy and double check the mechanical advance and make sure everything is still tight in there.

Also found the back motor to firewall grounding wire wasn't thoroughly tightened, and by that I mean I was able to tighten it more with a full turn of the wrench.

Also tested the negative voltage drop to the starter, and it jumped around from .23 to .27. I think .25 is passing. Need to get the front wheel off so I can reach in and test the positive side now.

Check your timing it might be a bit to advanced and it just happens when it is hot. I found that out the hard way.

 

[HALIFAXHOPS]

Make sure you oil the advance cam in there they can stick. Glad you found things and it is better now.

 

[Nacho-RT74]

Aluminium is a conductor, maybe not the best one compairing with some other metals but still a good enough conductor... Still if the aluminium would be a problem, your bolt is probably steel and is threated into the block... ground will be transmitted also throught the steel parts... asumming the ground wire is attached to the steel bolt

 

[joemish]

And my saga continues. Thought the issue was a bad starter so over the weekend I replaced the Powermaster mini starter with a Dakota Nippondenso mini starter (I have headers, so don't tell me to ditch the mini starter), AND the sluggish starting continues. Initial start up is good, it's after the car has been driven around that the restart is sluggish. The problem started late last year out of nowhere, and nothing was changed prior to this.

So now it's time to start checking wires (I know, I'm working backwards). But here's the first question, currently I have my battery negative wire grounded to the motor in the factory location which is in the front corner of the head; but I'm using aluminum heads, and it's always been grounded there. After reading some articles, it looks like aluminum isn't the best conductor of electrical current vs steel, so should the battery negative cable be relocated to somewhere on the engine block since the back ground cable to the firewall comes off the block. Or maybe first check all the other wires going to/from the starter. And I've already replaced the starter relay.

Why are you replacing things when you don't know the source of the problem?