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HMMWV Grounding Kit Install

GMVguy

Member
178
21
18
Location
Utah
I purchased the Grounding Kit from Kascar (PN 535-A1) and installed it over the weekend. I know it's cheap & easy to make one yourself, but I don't have much wiring experience and for $70 I figured I'd get it right the first time. It was a quick & easy install. Here's a write-up in case it helps anyone out!

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GMVguy

Member
178
21
18
Location
Utah
Thanks. This was the most inexpensive, yet effective, fix I've done. Thanks to those who've gone before me to recommend it (retiredwarhorses, etc.). It'll probably save a few PCB's over the years.
 

Bulldogger

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,396
560
113
Location
Quantico VA
Thank-you for posting the picture with the wire lengths and connection sizes. I am very DIY and plan to make my own harness. This is exactly what I was hoping to stumble across. Thank-you again Mlacek!
Bulldogger
 

GMVguy

Member
178
21
18
Location
Utah
Thank-you for posting the picture with the wire lengths and connection sizes. I am very DIY and plan to make my own harness. This is exactly what I was hoping to stumble across. Thank-you again Mlacek!
Bulldogger
Cool, glad it helped! Let me know if you need any more details.
 

Dock Rocker

Active member
980
71
28
Location
Jackson ms
I'm just starting to look into purchasing my first hmmwv, what is the purpose? Is this a recommended thing for all of them?
Because of the aluminum body there isn't a way to get a good ground. From the factory the grounding network was adequate but over time corrosion and in some cases electrolysis have caused a loss of ground that is really tough on the glow plug controller as well as other parts of the charging system. This mod just helps work around a big potential problem.

Sent from my SM-N920R7 using Tapatalk
 

NormB

Well-known member
1,221
77
48
Location
Cloverly,MD
Just wanted to post a personal thanks after doing this today.

I did a cut and paste of your photos to my iPhone to reference while I was doing the job, only the last one hung me up. Took me a while to figure out the picture is from UNDERNEATH the truck (says truck on my title). I used some Deoxit after taking a stainless steel brush and some acetone to the fittings to degrease them and wouldn't you know it, Humvee started up quicker, ran smoother than it has since I bought it. ONly took about an hour to get it done.

Now to chase down all the rest of the electrical connections and give them the same treatment...
 

NormB

Well-known member
1,221
77
48
Location
Cloverly,MD
Does anyone know the wire gauge on these? Be great if someone could glance at one of their ground wires and advise. Thanks!
I meant to make a note of that but didn't.

The wire seems to be of a very high-quality silicone ignition wire, about 12 gauge. Considering the environment it'll be in I opted for soldering the wire to the connectors with silver-bearing solder. No room for water to get in/corrosion to start.

I think the grounding harness might outlast the truck. ;-)
 

CDR Ross

New member
1
0
1
Location
Virginia
Great pics. Thanks. I purchased the Kascar grounding kit and I couldn't figure out where the PCB connection was. The pics helped a lot.
 

fordtuff06

New member
2
2
0
Location
virginia
I was having starting issues with my M998. The glow plug wait light would flash quickly then go off. I would have to turn the switch on, then off several times and then it would start. After checking the glow plugs (which were good), I decided to make a grounding harness. I used 10 gauge wire, and ran a wire from the generator, the PCB mounting screw, the grounding bolt on the firewall, and the starter to the drivers side engine block. It fixed my starting issue. I noticed the pictures in this post, the wire looks to be 6 or 4 gauge. I am curious if my 10 gauge is to small. Like I said it fixed my problem, but I wonder if I should purchase bigger wire?

This is a video showing my grounding harness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORo30wIdqk&feature=youtu.be
 

CBASSETT

New member
4
1
1
Location
DERRY, NH
Thank you for your post and pictures, I referred to this post today to assist me in the installation of my grounding cable, smart start system, thank you for this post! Great help👍
 

Bulldogger

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,396
560
113
Location
Quantico VA
The grounding harness many of us did, or will, install is a SUPPLEMENTAL harness to the existing factory harness for the most part. While some argue that it should be of a diameter and gauge that can handle the full discharge of two 24V deep cycle batteries, I went much smaller. I found wire that I could afford in bulk at Home Depot and put my own harness together for about $15 start to finish. I don't have the gauge handy, but it was thick enough to be hard to bend into a kink by hand, and it had to be cut with diamond jaw pliers. I made the terminations out of 1.5" lengths of copper pipe of varying diameters, whatever was wide enough to get the wire into and then flatten in the vise and drill a bolt hole through.

Half my problems went away when I installed my harness because the grounding circuit to the instrument panel was loose behind the dash. It turns out that connection has a wire bolted to the engine side of the firewall and another wire lead comes off the back of that bolt inside the cab, then connects to the panel. The bolt on the underside of my dash, on the firewall, was loose. No amount of tightening the other nuts could have helped it. My gauges don't flutter anymore!

Any grounding harness to supplement the small gauge factory one is a good addition. Clean all the connections you touch as you go and you'll improve the effectiveness of the factory harness while adding extra capacity in the form of your supplemental one.

Bulldogger
 
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