In trying to solve a funny electrical problem, I found that my truck doesn't have the ground strap that bolts to the engine just under the dipstick. I noticed this looking at wiring pictures out of my shop manual. My question is "where does the other end connect?" I have the 4.9 l straight 6.

I was gonna go look at the salvage yard for this strap but figured I could just buy a cheapo battery cable and use it instead. But I need to know what the other end of the strap looks like and how it connects. Is it a clamp, bolt, or what? I took a quick look under there and couldn't tell.

A pic would really help.

And since there's no reason to waste any time, I'll just thank you fine gents right now.

 

Not too sure of where on the block, being it's a straight sixer. If anything you could pull a bolt somewhere on the block and ground to it. Doesn't matter where, so long as the block is grounded.

 

I know it bolts to the block and I also know where and how so I don't have a problem with that end. It's the other end I'm unsure of. I don't know where or how it attaches. It eitheir attaches to the fender or frame. I also don't know if it has one of them squeeze clamp ends or if it bolts on. On my 72 F100 there is what looks like a battery ground cable bolted from the engine block to the fender so I'm guessing it's something like that. The diagram in my shop manual doesn't show where or how it attaches. It has a close up of the end that bolts to the block. I wish it had the same thing for the other end.

 

The ground battery cable runs from the negative battery post to the starter mounting bolt on a six.
Half-way down the cable there is a lug that bolts to the frame.
There is also a ground wire from the negative battery post to the body.
You will also have push-on static ground straps running in four or five places from the body to the frame.
Is this what you are asking?
What is your funny electrical problem?

 

No, I am asking about the ground strap that:

"bolts to the engine block just under the dipstick tube, it's the 300cid I6 motor"

I would just like to know where the other end connects (frame/fender/both?) and how it connects (bolt/clamp/weld/rivet/superglue/bugglegum/???) My shop manual shows one but my truck does not have one.
The problem is intermittent. the voltmeter flutters every now and then and will sometimes peg over near 18V. It measures to be that at the battery too. When in this state, engaging almost anything electrical will cause some other electrical item to cycle off/on. Examples:

Engaging any one of (brake/turn signal/headlight/fan motor/wiper/clutch) will cause (motor/radio/cluster/any combo of these) to cycle off/on. There have been a few occasions when the dials in the cluster go haywire and then off. The engine cycling off/on is what bugs me most. I want my kid to drive the truck but not like this. Twice it didn't come back on and I had to turn the ignition off/on.

I've replaced the voltage regulator but that didn't do anything. And BTW, it does it more in the winter than it does now. It still does it, just not quite as often.

Thanks for asking.

 

The Body does not have a good ground to the Neg post of the Battery.
Run a 10 GA wire from the Neg Post to a good clean spot on the body (CAB), and not the frame it must be the Body.

Also make sure the ground wire at the top left radiator support is good, this is one of your main grounds for the electrical system.

 

OK I found it in the junkyard. It's a 10 gauge wire with a ring connector on each end. It bolts to the block under and towards the rear of the dipstick tube. The other end is bolted down with the lower corner wiper motor bolt. Funny thing is, I looked at 3-4 vehicles in the salvage yard and only one had it. The bolt at the wiper motor is one with threads coming off the head for a nut. The wiper motor bolt on my truck was like the others, it didn't have that threaded piece coming off the head. I wonder if this thing is optional. Weird.

Anyway, I put it on and it looks to have made a difference. We'll see though. I've thought I fixed it 10 times in the last year so I'm not holding my breath. Usually when I start the truck the voltmeter is just to the right of middle and then will do the funny things that I described. Now with the ground wire on it is dead center and it's never been that way. I have no idea how this could have fixed it but we'll see I guess. I shoulda grabbed some more of those clamp straps to put around the body/frame.