Factory Ground vs Negative Battery Terminal

[XraytecH]

My week old install of my Rockslide Engineering step sliders stopped working this morning. Checked the fuse, checked plugs, and wires to the battery and chassis ground. Turns out the ground wire was not getting good contact with the main factory ground stud in the engine bay. I relocated the ground wire to the second stud and everything seems to be working fine.

Got one questions…

Are ground points for convenience?

Saves the trouble of running another wire to the negative battery terminal. In my case the ground wire is only 6" short of the negative battery terminal. Curious if I could extend the ground wire and just connect to the negative battery terminal.

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[Radio Guy]

My week old install of my Rockslide Engineering step sliders stop working this morning. Checked the fuse, checked plugs, and power wires to the battery and chassis ground. Turns out the ground wire was not getting good contact with the main factory ground stud in the engine bay. I relocated the ground wire to the second stud and everything seems to be working fine.

Got two questions…

- Are ground points for convenience? Saves the trouble of running another wire to the negative battery terminal.

- Can I run aftermarket accessories like motorized steps directly off the battery?

There is a current measuring shunt on the negative side of the battery so the computer can read current draw for various functions. If you connect direct to the battery it may confuse the computer readings. I would make any super high current ground connections to the current shunt bolt opposite of the battery. For lower current stuff like 30A or less I would go to one of the ground studs to the left side of the battery (when viewing from the front) and just below where the hood rests when closed.

 

[XraytecH]

For lower current stuff like 30A or less I would go to one of the ground studs to the left side of the battery (when viewing from the front) and just below where the hood rests when closed.

That's how I initially grounded my step sliders. I relocated the ground wire to the second stud and that some how fixed the issue.

The step sliders have an inline 20A fuse.

 

[Sponge60]

A solid chassis ground has always been my preference.

 

[Killroy Was Here]

My week old install of my Rockslide Engineering step sliders stop working this morning. Checked the fuse, checked plugs, and power wires to the battery and chassis ground. Turns out the ground wire was not getting good contact with the main factory ground stud in the engine bay. I relocated the ground wire to the second stud and everything seems to be working fine.

Got one questions…

Are ground points for convenience? Saves the trouble of running another wire to the negative battery terminal.

In my case the ground wire is only 6" short of the negative battery terminal. Curious if I could extend the ground wire and just connect to the negative battery terminal.

Whenever possible, it is always best to run the power & ground for accessories such as these directly to the battery terminals.

I have both the power, & ground on my RSE Stepsliders connected directly to the battery terminals. They have been installed since March of last year, and have been completely trouble free to date.
This located the fuse holder for the steps right next to the positive terminal of the battery, and is handy to get to if need be.

You might want to re-shuffle how you have the wire harness routed under the carpet in the cab to gain the 6" you are short of reaching the negative battery terminal without having to add additional length to the ground wire.
The harness that came with my kit was able to reach without any issue, though I realize that it is possible that yours may just be a bit short.
If you have to add wire for the ground, I would strongly suggest soldering the joint vs crimp connectors for the extension which will insure the least possible resistance added to the circuit.

The fact that the RSE electrical harness is completely independent of the truck's wiring, and not having to cut/spice into the factory body harness for power or to activate the steps was the deciding factor between RSE, and the AMP power steps for me.
Just not a fan of splicing anything into the wiring of this truck to prevent any potential electrical gremlins down the road.

Hope this might be a help.

Dave

 

[XraytecH]

Whenever possible, it is always best to run the power & ground for accessories such as these directly to the battery terminals.

I have both the power, & ground on my RSE Stepsliders connected directly to the battery terminals. They have been installed since March of last year, and have been completely trouble free to date.
This located the fuse holder for the steps right next to the positive terminal of the battery, and is handy to get to if need be.

You might want to re-shuffle how you have the wire harness routed under the carpet in the cab to gain the 6" you are short of reaching the negative battery terminal without having to add additional length to the ground wire.
The harness that came with my kit was able to reach without any issue, though I realize that it is possible that yours may just be a bit short.
If you have to add wire for the ground, I would strongly suggest soldering the joint vs crimp connectors for the extension which will insure the least possible resistance added to the circuit.

The fact that the RSE electrical harness is completely independent of the truck's wiring, and not having to cut/spice into the factory body harness for power or to activate the steps was the deciding factor between RSE, and the AMP power steps for me.
Just not a fan of splicing anything into the wiring of this truck to prevent any potential electrical gremlins down the road.

Hope this might be a help.

Dave

Right now everything seems to be working just fine. If I run into this problem again, I'll more than likely just extend the ground wire to the negative battery terminal.

 

[XraytecH]

Looks like you have the Gen 2 version. I have the Gen 3, wire harness is a little different.

 

[Killroy Was Here]

Looks like you have the Gen 2 version. I have the Gen 3, wire harness is a little different.

That could be the case.
Ordered these through Quadratec in early January last year while gearing up for ordering the truck.
I knew I was going with the RSE Stepsliders, so thought it was best to get them before any potential price increase hit at the beginning of last year. So not sure what Gen flavor these are, or when the gen 3 steps were introduced.

 

[dcmdon]

A GOOD chassis ground is going to work great.

But a battery ground is more . . . . . idiot proof, though more work.

It sounds like you solved the problem though. You found another ground and now it works.

 

[Radio Guy]

That's how I initially grounded my step sliders. I relocated the ground wire to the second stud and that some how fixed the issue.

The step sliders have an inline 20A fuse.

On my JT the chassis mounted ground studs had been painted over and that can lead to high resistance when the the lug doesn't make good contact to the actual chassis and only connects to whatever the nut scrapes through on the painted threads. I would use a Dremel tool with wire brush to remove all paint around the stud to improve contact area.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Ideally ground close to the source as possible. There's plenty of bolts all over the place you can grab. If the bolt isnt designed as a ground but it's local and useable you may need to scratch away some paint. You can cover it with some epoxy after.

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