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I replaced my battery ground to the engine block because the positive red wire was melting the rubber coating and the battery wouldn't charge right. Since the replacement the battery charges and the wire doesn't get hot. Now when I turn the lights on the radio shuts off and back on and if I turn on the a/c switch the Tach reads 2000 rpms and the temp gauge reads twice as hot. How should I troubleshoot this problem? I've replaced the voltage regulator and Starter solenoid but I don't know what else to check.
The factory ground cable usually has a bare spot in it with a clamp that grounds it to the frame. I am guessing you didn't hook the clamp back up, so you are losing your cab ground.
This all should not have mattered really, since you are suppose to also have a ground wire from the firewall to one of the bellhousing bolts, but I bet the engine or tranny has been taken out at one time and this was not hooked back up.
So what I would do is make sure you have a ground wire from the firewall to the engine block, and make sure you have a ground wire from the engine block to the frame, and I would also run a ground wire from the battery ground to the radiator support. All of the grounds don't have to be large like the battery cables, they can be small 10 or 12 gauge wires.
You should have them between, chassis & motor, motor & cab, cab & chassis, chassis & bed.
As some one mentioned another place thats good to add one is between chassis & radiator support.
I'm offshore right now and will be in Monday, I can't wait to check this problem. The blinkers have always been suspect and the tach worked when it wanted to.