Date:         Sat, 14 Nov 2015 23:33:43 -0500
Reply-To:     James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer Checking engine grounding1
Comments: To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <BAY405-EAS25571B0E97E95E334497F1AA0100@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Dennis,

"Just think of audio humming with unbalance circuits or alternator and ignition noises to your radio. "

Sorry, no.  Alternator and ignition noises (RFI) in the radio have nothing to do with grounds or ground loops - except that if your ground is no longer a good ground, and has developed resistance or capacitance from rust and corrosion, then the RFI may be worse, as it is not being grounded out correctly. 

Audio humming should also not be a problem in a vehicle running on 12 VDC - audio humming from poor grounding connections in home and commercial audio systems is caused because those environments are bathed in 60Hz alternating magnetic fields, where wiring of varying resistances and lengths can pick up current by induction from the 60Hz fields.

In our 12 VDC Vanagons, adding additional ground connections is not going to produce hum or RFI - if an additional ground seems to have that effect, it probably means somewhere else there is an electrical problem in the vehicle - for instance, a failing ground strap from transmission or engine to frame, whose resistance is substantially higher than the newly added ground strap.

James
Ottawa, ON  



> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2015 09:21:15 -0500
> From: d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM
> Subject: Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer Checking engine grounding1
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 
> More grounds are not always better. You can go so far as to actually crate ground loops and have stray currents causing interference issues. Just think of audio humming with unbalance circuits or alternator and ignition noises to your radio. 
> 
> Dennis
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of vw_van_fan_Mark
> Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2015 10:42 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer Checking engine grounding1
> 
> Add all the grounds you like, I don't mind a bit if done safely. But there is already a huge amount of torqued down metal to metal contact between the heads and the block and the cylinders so it won't change that in any meaningful way IMHO.