Technical Using stainless bolts for grounds

Installing new battery cables on the sunliner and the bolt that attaches the ground cable to the block was very rusty so I was thinking of getting a stainless steel bolt to put in its place. Does any of the electrical experts know if a stainless bolt conducts electricity different where it would cause a problem.

 

How about just using a new, normal, zinc plated bolt? If the old one was 60 years old, hey, it might be rusty.

 

X2 save your money. Invest in a couple of star washers.

 

Metal based never seize should be used with stainless especially if it will be removed and re-installed often. I use never seize on all ground bolts, it seals air out to keep oxidation down.

 

One bolt should not break the bank and just trying to keep a good clean ground with little maintenance and I will check into a brass bolt too. This car still had the original cables and the brass terminal clamps were still in perfect shape but the cables were cracked and could see corrosion so time to replace maybe a little too late but they worked just fine on 12 volts.

 

^^^^^ If you feel that strongly about what you want to do. Do it. That is how experience is acquired. You don't need a yes to feel OK about trying something on your own. And since there is not safety issues to anyone outside of watch and see.

 

I am probably over thinking this and will put a new steel bolt in and forget about it,I was worried about the heating and cooling cycles of the motor and what it would do to a bolt other then steel on the block where the cable attaches.

 

On things like this I go back to those thousand ,college edumacated Engineers that work for Gm ,Ford Honda ,Mopar Even Hundays. If it would help the vehicles performance and drive ability they would have been using them for years.
I go thru this with the K&N filter guys all the time.

 

Hi. All bolts such as Cadminum or Zinc plated steel, un plated steel, stainless, brass, aluminum are ALL good conductors of electricity with the un plated steel at the bottom of the list and likely aluminum next to the bottom due to oxidation issues. ALL of the above are used in the electrical industry. Brass is great but if it ever seizes you will break it off, same for aluminum. It is a toss up for plated steel or stainless so just use whichever you prefer. The idea of star washers is great as they will bite into both the bolt, the terminal, & the block or body. Same for the no seize compound on the threads. Neither of these will restrict flow of electricity.

Good luck, Jim

 

Stainless, brass or copper equally good or better. Use some anti seize on the threads and on the connection to keep out corrosion.

 

Contact state prisons and see what they use on electric chairs, they'd know!!

 

In my marine wiring/ battery cable research they said not to use a stainless washer between the cable terminal and the contact point,in that case the battery.(marine uses terminals like you will be using for a ground cable to block) they said to have a good clean surface between the terminal and the other surface or star washer between them . (your block) Stainless would be OKas a fastener as long as the other contact surfaces are clean,good and tight.

 

Interestingly copper might not work as well as we might think in this particular application. One issue is galvanic corrosion, or the effect dissimilar metals have on each other in the presence of electrolyte (road salt + moisture); the big automotive companies have some of the finest engineers around but that has been tempered by some of the finest skinflint bean counters who also insist on the smallest possible wiring that will do the job etc, and the use of aluminum where cost or weight is a factor.

http://www.w8ji.com/battery_wiring.htm

"To avoid galvanic corrosion, we do not want two metals with significantly different electro-chemical rankings in contact in the presence of salt and moisture. Materials choice varies with the environment and application, and is far more than material resistivity alone! Bare copper is generally a poor choice for a bolted ground connection point in a car. Copper in direct pressure contact with steel will erode the steel, and form insulating oxide layers. We are much better off using proper stainless or galvanized fasteners, even though material resistivity is higher."

A regular steel bolt imo will be fine. Whatever is used grind connection point down to bright, shiny metal and coat with something. Vaseline, chassis grease, dielectric, etc. I like NO-OX-ID "Special" by SAMCHEM, it's been around forever and was a Ma Bell favorite for critical phone line service, it's cheap and is made for the purpose. It seems to hold up better than silicone in the automotive environment but anything is better than nothing. The idea is to exclude air and moisture.

 

rmt is correct, Old Guys Rule. Dielectric on everything electrical, it may prevent you from being parked on the side of the road on a "Dark and stormy night" as Snoopy would say. He's old too.

 

I always use stainless! Works for me

 

It's a bolt..................

 

I'll be 79 tomorrow, and I doubt I'll ever do another ground up build as I just can't get up and down on a creeper too well anymore.
But if I did I would either tig or braze the head of some 3/8" SS bolts ion the frame side at strategic places to provide good ground points for the life of the car. Tape them up when you paint the frame and then when you peel the tape off you've solved the ground problem from now on.

 

Ditto

 

Spent the dollar for the stainless bolt and washer and will put some dielectric grease on it when it goes togather in a few minutes,I know its just a bolt but worried about the different metals and the reaction that can happen with electricity going through them. I do not want to touch it again until I have to do major repairs.

 

Be sure you use a metal based anti seize compound such as Never Seize on that SS bolt!

 

Think of it this way. In theory the bolt could be made out of wood or plastic. The bolt head is holding the ground wire's ring terminal in contact with the engine block. Which is why a star washer is a good idea. What the bolt is made of does not matter. It is only a clamp. Just use a good CONDUCTIVE anti-seize.

 

The results will shock you.

 

Some don't have the means to resist in that capacity.

 

I wish I never touched it as I am having a problem I never had before,the volt meter is reading past 50 and its not the meter since its 14.5 on my truck.

 

Possible bad ground!!

 

i recently had two problems using a star washer BETWEEN the wire terminal and the block. i had the bolt tight with a star washer under the head and under the lug. truck wouldn't start. everything was clean, i took the star washer out and it was/is fine. second vehicle a similar problem. i think the teeth on the washer limited the contact.

 

Cable touching block .

 

After all the hand wringing I'm glad to hear you pulled the trigger on that ground bolt! Geeez!

 

I wish I would have stuck the meter on it before I touched the cable change,a Snap on meter was showing the wrong voltage and drove me nuts so time to drink a couple beers while I put all the tools away. That meter was spiking out at 128 volts.

 

Did you figure out why? Seems that if it would work correctly on your truck, it should work on the car too.