Poor ground?

[erosenwinkel]

This is my first time posting on the electrical section of this forum. Please be gentle with your annoyance with regard to my problem, just tring to learn something that I am sure is basic and simple to most. I have very little electrical knowledge except for black to black, white to white etc... Here is my question. Is there such a thing as a poor ground? Not a non-existent ground but a poor ground. Is it possible for a starter to turn over slightly but not engage fully with a poor or reduced ground? Not an "on again, off again" situation like a loose wire that I can lose with vibration etc but a ground that is tight and connected but maybe corrosion has reduced its grounding and only a certain amount of voltage can flow through the circuit. I have had trailer issues, motor issues, car issues but never any home electrical issues. Why is that? With AC either you have a ground or you don't. Thanks, Eric

 

[moi]

Re: Poor ground?

There absolutely can be a "poor" ground. You may want to check yours for corrosion and security but you may want to be sure your battery is fully charged as well. Low voltage could also cause your described symptoms. The relatively low voltage of the DC circuits in boats is why they're more sensitive than 120 vac in your home.

 

[62 ROYAL SCOTT]

Re: Poor ground?

HELL-O Eric [Q#1] yes [Q#2] yes [Q#3] AC INSIDE DC MOBLE POWER. WITH THAT BEING SAID,IT ALSO COULD BE YOUR STARER MAYBE THE BRUSHES OR THEY NEED A GOOD CLEANING [ THAT'S WHAT I THINK ] I'AM JUST A CADET

 

[erosenwinkel]

Re: Poor ground?

I believe my starter is strong and clean and free from defect, pretty sure of that. I am pretty sure I was getting stron current from my battery, I tried three, 2 of them I know were perfectly good. I am leaning on a weak ground. I will go through and clean any connections and see if that makes any difference. Kind of a fluke thing, never happened before and I didn't happen any more while I was out for the day. Totally acted like I had a really weak battery, only, like I said, I tried two others (one brand new, one a big 12 volt tractor battery, my dad has farm machinery) and it acted identical. Just like a dead battery. Then I waited 20 minutes, without doing anything, and then it started. Perplexed, Eric

 

[j_martin]

Re: Poor ground?

The solenoid has a disc contactor in it that turns a bit each time it's used. If some parts of it are getting eroded, it could intermittently connect poorly.

When the starter drags, lay on it for a few seconds, then immediately go look for the hot spot. There's your problem. If you can't find an obviously hot connection or solenoid, then it's the starter. It's hot, but it's big and the hot is in the middle.

hope it helps
John

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Poor ground?

erosenwinkel, the easiest way to determine that you have either a low voltage problem or a bad ground is to get yourself a Digital Volt Ohm Meter(DVM), they are less then $40 and with a little bit of education that we can teach you we can make you a pretty decent troubleshooter for all electrical issues. Go by the local Radio Shack or Lowes and look into a DVM, the rest is pretty easy.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Poor ground?

erosenwinkel, the easiest way to determine that you have either a low voltage problem or a bad ground is to get yourself a Digital Volt Ohm Meter(DVM), they are less then $40 and with a little bit of education that we can teach you we can make you a pretty decent troubleshooter for all electrical issues. Go by the local Radio Shack or Lowes and look into a DVM, the rest is pretty easy.

Don't mix up the acronym with the much needed DVA.

DVM is Digital Volt Meter
DVA is Direct Voltage Adapter. It stores and displays the highest (peak) AC voltage that occurs repeatedly.

 

[erosenwinkel]

Re: Poor ground?

I have a meter (an Ideal clamp type multitester) that reads both ac and dc, has continuity, and an ohmeter and ampmeter. My understanding is that when set to ohms and I put one lead to the battery negative and the other to a ground wire the reading should not be above .5 or I am getting positive backfeed, thus a bad ground. Is this correct? Eric

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Poor ground?

in a nutshell yes, but to be honest I have never been a big fan of the clamp on style DVM's I prefer a mechanical connection just my preference.

But yes anytime there is resistance in a circuit, Voltage will try to find another way to complete the circuit, when that fails then you get heat and then a failure, corrosion, bad connections or any combination of issues can cause this, thats why so many electricians are bald. Start at the battery and measure resistance in your grounds to the motor, buss bar, or loads, if you have to extend your lead thats fine just make sure you have good clean connections, anytime you see too much resistance find the problem and correct it then do the same on the positive side until you have good clean circuits and see if you still have your problem.

as for DC power its pretty much the same process hook your lead to battery negative and clamp on to the power side, it won't take long for you to see how versatile/effective the ohm meter is in troubleshooting issues.

Understand that you need to attach directly to the battery POST until you check resistance across the battery connection, don't overlook this simple connection as I bet 50% of the time it is the problem.