Video: How to Check and Clean Electrical Grounds in Vehicles

(Image/Airtex)

Bad electrical grounds are one of the most common causes of electrical component problems.

Bad grounds can cause intermittent performance, weak/dim lights, poor starting, bad sensor feedback, weak ignition, and a host of other electrical gremlins.

We’ve already made two posts on troubleshooting grounds (you can read a quick grounding guide here, and a more detailed grounding diagnostic guide here)—but if you’re a more visual learner, then you should check out this grounding video that Airtex put together.

Note: This video assumes that you already know how to perform a “voltage drop test.” Though it’s a relatively easy measurement, if you’re unfamiliar with the procedure, Airtex has a Voltage Drop Test explainer video here. 

The key to a good vehicle electrical ground is a solid, clean contact between the metal of the vehicle’s frame/body and the electrical connector’s ground lug or ring terminal.

The video covers how to find the vehicle ground and what you should do to ensure that it’s making a reliable ground connection with the rest of your car or truck.

Though the Airtex video is specifically talking about a ground connection for a fuel pump, the process is virtually identical for any electrical grounding contact you’ll come across on your vehicle.

The best news is that the process is straightforward and requires little more than a wire brush and some elbow grease,

See for yourself here: