Hey Folks,
Does anyone know what the purpose of the metal straps that connect all over the underside of a Ranger are for? I am talking a bout the flat metal straps found on each side of the bed, there is one connected to the hood, one on the fire wall, etc.... First thought would be that they are just bonding straps to keep the chassis a common ground. Them being uninsulated got me thinking. I work in the marine industry. We use un insulated zincs to act as corrosion reducers. Stray current eats the xinc intead of the good metals. Is there a connection with those straps? I am asking because I want to change them to insulated wire. Mine are all corroded and would like to add some color under the truck. But if they act as "zincs" this will not be a good idea. Anyone know for sure?

 

Yep, ground straps.

 

Thanks Ken,
Do you see any problems replacing them with insulated wire? I don't think it will hurt as long as I figure out the square millimeters of the strap. Then I would have to convert that to wire gauge. No prob though I have the tables.

 

My only concern would be the change in metal and the fact the original is braided.

 

thanks ken,
if i use a tinned copper the change in metal wo't be a worry. the braided is an issue. braided is stronger but other then that i don't see anything.

 

I think the braided would handle a lot more flexing that a solid wire.

 

Hey saint, great question!

I think I can offer a little insight. Before I bought my Taurus I did some research and one of the known issues with the ‘96-99 model year was a problem with electrolysis. Seems like whenever some stray current was around it would find it’s way into the coolant system (path of least resistance) and over time rot out radiators and heater cores and turn the coolant brown and make it virtually worthless. It was kind of a mystery for quite a while exactly what was going on. (See, Electrolysis Tech Article). After the cause of the problem was finally discovered, aside from locating and curing any bad grounds throughout the car and cleaning the cooling system etc., one of the things Ford also recommended was to put more ground straps in strategic locations so that proper grounding would be encouraged. So its good that you thought about the consequences of changing or altering the straps before going ahead and doing it ...they are indeed important.

Also, I’m not entirely sure, but I think that ground straps have different resistance ratings depending on the application ...so that may be something to keep in mind when trying to match up the new ones.

And saint, some of the techs working on the electrolysis issue did suggest using zinc somewhere in the cooling system to act as a "sacrificial node", so your thinking on that point is solid, as well.

 

There is even a TSB on this issue for some Rangers, I forget the years and I don't have my disc with me.

 

The braided wire also has much less inductance, compared to a
solid wire. The braided wire makes a much better ground for
transient signals, and AC noise. Of course, it offers much better
mechanical (flex) properties also...

 

Thanks for the chat here guys. I have thought it over and diecided just to replace them with OEM straps. And you are right Rock, zinc is a wonderfully "useless" metal. LOL