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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

Starter Ground Wire

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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 08:23 AM
  #16  
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From: Edmond, OK
Originally Posted by Max Capacity
As said, make sure your terminals are clean and tight.
^^^THIS^^^

I don't know what did from the factory, but you should burnish all of your ground points and use a star washer between any ground points on the frame or block. If you live up north and are concerned about corrosion you can coat the clean ground points with Fluid Film.

https://www.fluid-film.com/
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 09:14 AM
  #17  
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From: Tolland, CT
Originally Posted by AFinley
Guys… thank you for your suggestions. I appreciate them.

Question was, Did the negative wire from the battery go to the frame and then to the starter. If so, where did it connect to on the starter?


where did it connect to at the starter?

Negative from battery goes to frame and engine block. That's on a V8, I'm not an expert on 6 cylinders.

Black cable from Solenoid goes directly to the Tab on the front of the starter.

 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 11:45 AM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by Denzil B
The positive cable was clamped down at the frame and then ran back to the single starter connection. But the negative runs from battery to frame, frame to block. Right below that positive clamp. The positive is only clamped at the frame to keep it off the exhaust, no electrical connection can be made there from the positive side. Be careful as stock color for both was black.
Not on a 300 six motor the negative goes from battery to frame where the positive clamp is to hold that cable frome the exhaust, then the negative goes togoes top starter bolt.
This NOT on any of the v8's just the 300 six.
Dave. ----
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 11:54 AM
  #19  
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From: Tolland, CT
Originally Posted by FuzzFace2
Not on a 300 six motor the negative goes from battery to frame where the positive clamp is to hold that cable frome the exhaust, then the negative goes togoes top starter bolt.
This NOT on any of the v8's just the 300 six.
Dave. ----
Sorry Dave, can you clarify ? I read that as, the battery negative goes directly to the frame, "as the ground". That makes sense.

"Where the positive clamp, is to hold the cable away from the exhaust". Sorry I don't understand that.

"Then the negative goes to the top starter bolt". I assume that is the other cable from the "solenoid" which goes to the starter ? Does the 6 cylinder starter have a "mount tab" for the "power cable" from the solenoid, looking on line, but those may be generic photo's

Again, as you know, I don't have that engine. I'm also assuming the 6 cylinder has a solenoid (?). Post 5 pic, shows a solenoid, aka, starter relay.

Thanks,

Do we know what year truck the OP has, Or are all 6 cylinders the same set up for the starter cable ? I see they all seem to have a "tab" on the starter for a cable ?
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 12:14 PM
  #20  
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From: Tolland, CT
It looks like the 6 cylinder cable to starter mounts on the tab.
https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/battery-cables.html

 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 12:14 PM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Max Capacity
Sorry Dave…
Hey! Don’t go hanging a nickname like that on poor Dave! He may indeed be a sorry individual, but it’s inappropriate to mock him publicly like that.

Dave, as always, it has been an honor to defend you.


 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 12:18 PM
  #22  
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Hey, you have to give me credit, Karl. I just figured out, after all these years, how to "copy the image" and paste the URL link here, so the picture from Gary's site shows. Not bad for a 70 y/o, sitting on the front porch watching life go by.
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 12:54 PM
  #23  
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I been mocked by a lot better
Thanks Max

Yes all the 300 six trucks are the same.
battery negative to frame the to top starter bolt.
What I meant to say the same bolt that holds the negative tab to ground also holds a insulated clamp that holds the positive cable from the exhaust.
I have pictures on Mt site but I om on my phone and hard to get to site as I am away for a few days.
Dave. ----
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 02:49 PM
  #24  
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Case Closed:

These are the wires and how they are routed to the starter on a 4.9l I6 300.

Thank you all, especially Dave aka Fuzz Face.


 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 07:54 PM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by FuzzFace2
Not on a 300 six motor the negative goes from battery to frame where the positive clamp is to hold that cable frome the exhaust, then the negative goes togoes top starter bolt.
This NOT on any of the v8's just the 300 six.
Dave. ----
Hmm, mine did not. But i am not the original owner so i yield to your vast experience
.
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 08:00 PM
  #26  
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Started right up… no hesitation.

whoop whoop… lol
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 08:07 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by AFinley
Started right up… no hesitation…
Inquiring minds want to know:

What did you do to fix the problem?

Or did the system just start behaving itself?
 
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Old Sep 5, 2025 | 10:01 PM
  #28  
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From the OP's sketch, I'll venture he moved the ground wire from some other less bonded spot to the bolt on the starter. The diagram that Max posted for the 1980 300 doesn't show it laid down on the starter bolt. I think that any good clean ground on the engine would be good. And the starter bolt sounds handy.
 
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Old Sep 6, 2025 | 08:05 AM
  #29  
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Wouldn't a photo of the correct wiring really help ? I guess it would help those of us that don't have a 6 cylinder.

 
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Old Sep 6, 2025 | 10:25 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by BigBlue2
I think that any good clean ground on the engine would be good...
Agreed. That’s why I had asked what changed and the starter is now behaving properly.

Let’s say the existing ground cable was attached to a clean spot near the front of the engine block. Even though others have noted that was not the factory connection point for the straight 6, it should have worked just fine. For comparison, that’s how V8 models came from the factory.

If all he did was relocate that same cable to the starter case, I’d suspect something else was intermittent and actually the root cause. For example, one of the battery terminal crimps could be marginal. The disconnect and reconnect may have jostled the bad spot just enough to temporarily re-establish an adequate connection. If that was the case, expect it to fall again at an inconvenient time, such as immediately after knocking over a liquor store.

Reading between the lines, even though the original query was about the cable connection points, the only reason he was asking was because the starter was dead. The latter was the true problem, not whether the cables followed the specific factory routing for that engine model.
 
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