Different Approach to the Ground Pods

[RRoller123]

Yesterday I completely redesigned the Electrical Ground Pod system on the driver's side, replacing the Faston-type cluster with a bus bar connector. The (8) ground wires on the Driver's side are now fitted with soldered ring terminals held down by screws. The Master ground is 10AWG, ring terminals both ends, running to the existing welded stud where the old ground cluster hardware was located. Star washer, flat washer, ring terminal, flat washer, star washer, nut is the stackup on the stud. The Buss Connector is a little overkill, rated at 60A, but it was all I could get retail anywhere, even at U-Do-It Electronics in Needham (Great place by the way, for anything electrical!)

http://www.youdoitelectronics.com/

Hopefully this modification will significantly increase the reliability of the electrical system. The Passenger side is next. I will advise on how this all works out as time goes by. Saved the old pod cluster but I doubt I will ever use that kluge again.

[124ADDHE]

Awesome

[RRoller123]

Thanks! The one thing I am concerned about is that the buss didn't come with lockwashers, but if I find any of these connections start coming loose I will add them. I hope it works out, I couldn't stand that old pod approach!

[4uall]

That is just awesome For us simple minded folks(yes I mean me) would you be able (on the next one) to take some step by step photos?

[RRoller123]

No problem, but you may want to wait until I run with this a few weeks to be sure it is reliable.....

[4uall]

coming from you I have no fears this will work looking forward to it, ironically I had to fix my stupid "refurbished" hazard switch tonight so far so good (fingers crossed)

[124JOE]

when all finished up you should use some crosion gard on there
then put a DONEstamp on it

[Zippy]

Yesterday I completely redesigned the Electrical Ground Pod system on the driver's side, replacing the Faston-type cluster with a bus bar connector. The (8) ground wires on the Driver's side are now fitted with soldered ring terminals held down by screws.

I hope you crimped those ring terminals before you soldered them. Solder can melt under high current or short circuit conditions.

[Fiat88]

How come you got rid of the ground pods,just curious? Never had a problem with mine, I just made sure to clean them and put new connectors on the ground wires.

[spider2081]

It's interesting how some cars have lots of ground issues and some don't. Maybe it's the climate the car is driven in or maybe the connectors on some cars are not the quality that they are on other cars. My 81 had a number of loose connectors. My son-in-laws didn't have one.
A slightly different approach is to remove the pod from the fender and throw it away. Cut the spade connectors from the wires. Then crimp 1/4 inch ring terminals on the wires. Clean the stud that held the ground pod of any rust or corrosion. Keep the star washer on the stud for better electrical connection. Install the ring terminals directly onto the stud. Either seal it with an electrical sealer that dries like used on battery posts or one that stays wet like Corrosion X. I did this to my 81 6 years ago and have not had a ground issue since. The car is left mostly outside year round in Connecticut and is a daily driver.

On a side note: Both soldering and crimping electrical terminals takes practice and proper tools and connectors. I use only good quality terminals purchased from electrical supply houses. I wound never use a terminal purchased in a discount store. Soldering a crimp terminal is not a good practice. Crimping a solder terminal is not a good practice. Different brands of crimp terminals often require specific tools (same brand) for proper crimps. Lastly studies in the aviation industry show that for areas where vibration is possible properly made crimp connections out perform solder connections over time.

[RRoller123]

"I hope you crimped those ring terminals before you soldered them. Solder can melt under high current or short circuit conditions."

Yes, the crimps were done lightly and room was left for solder to flow up the barrel. I pretty much always use a butane torch outside, as I have found that even a slight cool breeze seems to overpower my heavy electric soldering iron. Standard eutectic lead solder, rosin core, type "R". AMP terminals, wetted perfectly. But if the terminal were to get hot enough to melt solder, there would be much bigger problems to deal with. Soldered them primarily for strength and ensure a low resistance connection over time.

So far so good. I like the stackup idea, but a stack of (8) seems too high for this application? Just a thought, no data to back that up.

[spider2081]

Not sure if my post was clear. Electrical terminals are manufactured to be either solder or crimp but not both. If you purchase a crimp terminal it is not a good practice to solder the wire into it. If you purchase a solder terminal it is not a good practice to crimp it.
Not sure I understand the solder melting thought. Current needs resistance to generate heat. If a solder connection is properly made current flow through the connection would not melt the solder. Current flow through a loose, dirty or corroded connection can generate heat.

[124ADDHE]

I think the problem with soldering the crimp terminals is that if you run too much heat into the terminal it can ruin the temper which is critical for female spade connectors as they then dont hold well, i dont however see how this would be bad for ring terminals.

[RRoller123]

I too am having trouble understanding how this would be bad for the ring terminals? The wire protrudes slightly out before the crimp and is fully wetted to the terminal crimp barrel. I guess that maybe the fear is that the original solder coating on the terminal might de-wet and cause exposed substrate metal and lead to corrosion? But I haven't seen this myself, just guessing. Not an issue in this application anyway.

I am more concerned that the Buss connector itself may crack from banging along the occassional rough roads around here. Thought about mounting it with rubber washers underneath, but enough is enough. It works perfectly so far. Time will tell.

I am on next to bringing up fresh power, to feed new relays for the lights, etc that will be done soon. Other than the head lights, fog lights and windshield wipers, what (if anything else) do you guys usually put through relays for better performance? I am thinking about the radiator fan, but I am not too wild about adding another potential point of failure to that item. Defroster fan? Stereo?

[mpollock]

One issue I have seen with soldering a terminal instead of just crimping is that the solder connection makes the interface more stiff and brittle. In a harsh vibration environment, this could lead to slight flexing at the interface between the stranded wire and the terminal and result in cracking or fracture. A good crimp to a high-quality terminal will usually have a longer life.