Porsche 944 - Electrical Ground Connection Locations & Issues Tutorial
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- This video provides an overview of the electrical ground connections on the Porsche 944, including their locations around the vehicle, common issues, and how to care for them.
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NC944er, as someone new to the world of 944 ownership, I've just stumbled upon your channel. The production quality of your videos is fantastic. Impressive.
Thanks man, I’m trying to usher the 944 DIY folks into a new era of support. 😂
@@NC944eryou're doing God's work!
Grounds are so important on these cars, just like the vacuum system. Not a bad idea to replace the battery wires after all these years too. My negative cable had no readings in most spots, with the only good reading coming in around 4 ohms on the main ground strap that connects to the bellhousing.
Wow yeah, I’ve seen some bad ones. 944online still has the factory harnesses available (surprisingly), but some folks just make their own.
With Comeau Racing Enterprise and Edredas this is one the best 944 channels on UA-cam.
@@user-tz2yi7oy5r Thank you! I love both of those channels as well, lots of great content out there from knowledgeable folks in the community.
Your car is soooooo clean! It is truly stunning to behold!
Another excellent video and will be very handy for me to reference in the future. I would love to see a similar video covering the various drain holes. These can often plug and cause big problems.
Thats a great video idea. until recently i thought using compressed air was the besth method for cleaning them out. Apparently this can cause damage to the tubing
another great video. the funny thing is that i have a new alternator and when the weather gets cold seems like battery or lets say cranking is heavy slow unless it is warmed up and the other day it drain the battery also maybe i have a ground connection lssue?
Hey man, yeah it’s possible. There are a number of items (like the driver side door jamb switch) that can cause parasitic drain on the battery. Cold weather conditions and long resting periods in between drives can exacerbate the issue.
@@NC944er yea exactly that is what's happening. thanks man. one day i will bring the car to you for work and will leave it for updates.. i have a nice clean one 944S 1987 and would like to do some detail from 0 to top etc..instead of giving that money to my porsche guys here which they are not carefull w the car that bothers me u know.
@@SAMMYJR00777 So true… mine is at the dealership now for the windshield replacement and I’m a little nervous about how it’ll turn out, but at least there will be a warranty if something gets messed up. 😂
Went through mine not too long ago, helped gauge readings quite a bit. Also to note, it’s good to cover the bell housing hole before removing the grounding bolt so not to drop the bolt into said hole…heard that’s not fun.
Thanks for the video, and we’re still all jealous of that engine bay! :)
Ha! Pro tip, thanks for sharing. 👍🏼
I love you. My 924S and I thank you for all the excellent transaxle content.
I Just want to say thank you very much for you and your videos as it has helped me on my 84 944 rebuild. You are the first with a awesome video on grounds thank you
Awesome, I’m glad to hear it man! This topic isn’t a terribly exciting one, but certainly important and worthy of documentation. Cheers! 👍🏼
I’m loving these short videos about the electric grounds or jacking points of the car I like the different video length also like the more in-depth videos always really nice to get a better knowledge of the car in any form, I’ve had my 944 S2 for a year now and I’m replacing the clutch in it just learning everything as I go so love to learn more about 944 love the videos mate keep it up 👍
Yeah man! People seem to enjoy the factual format as it eliminates the need to skip over a bunch of fluff to get the to useful information. Best of luck on the clutch job… it’s a big one on the surface, but really just a bunch of small jobs that can be taken one step at time.
Thanks so much for these videos! Excellent production. I'm having a bit of an issue with a no start condition. My tester shows a steady light on the neg side of the coil, where it should be flashing from input received from the reference sensor which I replaced last week. (put tape over the flywheel hole if you attempt this,, btw) I'm thinking it must be a ground problem. Any comments if I am missing something,, all replies gratefully received. I'm the OO of this 85.1 and in all that time never had this problem. Many Thanks
Hey Kevin, thank you! Sorry to hear about the no start situation. I’d be taking a shot in the dark with any recommendations, but you’re generally looking for lack of spark or lack of fuel. Can you pull a plug and test for spark? Is the fuel pump operational? Is the AFM wiring harness connected? (I’ve forgotten this a couple times when rebuilding engines in the final stage rush to get it back together 😂) Other common causes are a bad DME/Fuel pump relay, seized fuel injectors, bad DME computer, failed alarm control module (if you have a factory alarm). I’d make a list of things to test and start eliminating suspects. This is a great place to start, second section for engine will not start - www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/ts-01.htm
Thanks for your reply. I think we are narrowed down to the bloody speed or tdc sensor. I changed the tdc one last week. Bit tough as there's not much space back there. lol
I have a dme on order but suspect that is not the problem as the plugs are wet,, so I think the the fuel pump is getting power from the dme? I need to refresh on a multimeter (only been about 30 years) as per your videos,, superb btw. And go from there.....
@@NC944er
great video. Just did this on my 944 turbo. The ignition buzzer sound sort of warbled and the hood light did not work. Cleaned up the ones under the dash and resolved both issues.
Nice! Gotta have that ultra bright hood light for those roadside repairs in the dark. 😂 Come to think of it, I’m not sure mine works at the moment.
Another amazing video!!
Thanks man!
Ein sehr interessantes Video.
Danke dafür.
Hi thanks for this amazing and useful video. Do you think an electrical ground defect can cause bad gauge reading ? I see my coolant temperature gauge needle slightly oscillating when I put blinkers, and it also goes up when I turn on the interior fan.
Yeah, poor grounding can cause a lot of strange irregularities like that. Gauge issues can also be caused by oxidation on the contacts or poorly seated connections behind the gauge cluster.
Love this channel. I have a question about replacing the negative battery cable. The current negative harness in the car has two ground wires: one to engine and a slightly smaller one to the chassis. But the replacement I was sent has only the longer cable that goes to the engine and a much smaller wire with a yellow connector on the end (perhaps for components?). Not sure what to do about the ground to the chassis.
@@jonathannichols-pethick3479 Hey! Unless you can fabricate a shorter chassis strap and tap it into the other lead, I’d probably go for a different part. Looks like 944Online has both cables, OEM Porsche for $300. Supposedly no longer in production and not many units left.
Thanks so much for this. I ended up taking the harness I removed from the car to a place here in town that was recommended to me - they specialize in heavy trucks and electronics. The guy behind the counter took one look at what I brought in and said he could make one for me. Took him about 20 minutes and cost me under $30. Working like a charm.
@@jonathannichols-pethick3479 Awesome, glad you were able to find a solution! 👍🏼
This can be overlooked. I had a loose ground. Thanks for this!
I am having a weird problem. My MPG gauge recently just pegged all the way to the right. It used to be pretty consistent keeping the MPG data. Any ideas with that? Wondering if the gauge has just quit. Car runs great, I did run a smog on it to see the hydro carbons etc. It passed with flying colors. Fuel pressure is on the money, spark plugs look great. Trying to rule out anything else…
Sounds like an electrical gremlin somewhere. Some people have had success cleaning and reseating the contacts and connectors behind the gauge cluster. Sometimes they come loose…
Ok. I will visit this. Thank you for the insight. You are always spot on! Thanks man.
I’m having the same problem with mpg gauge and also my temp gauge is swinging wildly from mid to high. Right before the mpg gauge stopped working there was a puff of smoke from under the instrument panel area. It was white and went away quickly. After that the temp gauge seemed back to normal for the rest of my drive. Next day temp gauge was swinging around again and the mpg gauge was moving but seems inaccurate. Do you have any advice. Could it be a grounding issue?
@@brigittepauli A puff of smoke from electrical components is never a good sign. Sounds like a short somewhere or a failing circuit. I would pull the gauge cluster and inspect the boards and all the wiring for damage.
@@NC944er thank you so much. I had a feeling this would be more than a grounding issue.
You are my superhero
I wish my kids felt the same way. 🤣
Hey thanks for putting out all this content. Definitely has been helpful for me. I’d love to send you some brake wear sensor clips. I made them to be very similar to the factory clips. Let me know how I can get them to you.
Hey yeah, that would be cool as I’ve found the part number to be NLA and so I’m using the smaller sized ones that are meant for the lower clips on the strut towers. My email address should be listed at the bottom of the “About” section of my channel.
@0:52 Can anyone tell me what is the function of that barrel shaped thing that sits in front of the VIN plate and behind the speed control?
And is it the same thing @0:56 that sits aft of the intake manifold runners?
NC944er your videos are amazing and I will happily watch as many as you make.
Thanks! 😂 So a couple things back there… the round, black component directly in front of the VIN tag is the electrical connector for the cruise control servo. The round, metal cup/barrel just below that is where the motor for the servo is housed. It attaches to the aluminum housing, inside which is some gearing that ultimately drives the actuator arm to control the throttle when cruise is active.
The round, black connection behind the intake manifold is the electrical connector for the O2 sensor.
@@NC944er Thank you very much. You are a star.
I have a charging issue on mine where I only get about 13.5 volts charging regardless of engine RPM. I know my alternator is good as we went through that and put new brushes in. I suspect my battery ground is the culprit…
Certainly could be… good luck. 👍🏼
I need to clean a lot of earth points as they are all green and corroded.... one electrical issue I have is my front right foglight (i have a RHD car) does not work. Bulb good, but only measuring less than 1v to the bulb...any idea where to start looking?
Hey man! I think you’re on the right track with cleaning up all the oxidized grounding points first, that can add a lot of resistance to the circuits around the car. You could also check and clean the terminals to the fog light wiring. If all that doesn’t provide any improvement, check voltage at the fuse panel for the fog lights. If that looks good, you’ll know there’s an issue with the wiring that will need further inspection/diagnosis. Good luck!
Early 944 here. I can only find two ground connections behind what is the cruise control computer if you have it. The other two ground connections, under the steering rack, are not there on my car. Is this a common thing with early 944's? Im pretty sure they all share the same connections, except for the copper ground strap
Yeah, because of the changes in fuse panel placement across the early and later cars, you may find some differences in the interior grounding connections below the dash. Just remember that brown is ground and you can scan around with a flashlight to see if anything is terminating in other locations.
@@NC944er Thank you! So far haven’t found any points besides those two for the interior.. to be continued haha
My 85.5 944 came with an aftermarket radio head unit that was wired horribly. I fixed the wiring but when it’s powered fuse 39 (radio) blows immediately. Any idea where I should start looking?
Oh man, that’s never fun. Sounds like a short somewhere in the radio wiring, either an exposed wire grounding where it shouldn’t be and/or two or more wires making contact with each other when they shouldn’t be.
So you fixed the wiring and now it ain't working? 😁 Check the wiring diagram again
I have 1989 944 S2 and I removed the battery now I cannot open the doors hatch or anything. How can I connect the battery to some parts outside to open the doors ?
If you raise the car, you can crawl under the front end and reach up to the top where the hood latch is and pull on the cable with a pair of pliers. After popping the hood, you can reconnect the battery.
@@NC944er I could do that, but I have no idea how that cable looks like and where it is located
@@trbossdoggy It’s a standard black cable, similar to a brake cable you would see on a bicycle. It connects to the hood latch at the top center where the hood meets the nose panel.
@NC944er OK will try to do that, hopefully will work, thanks a lot !
Revisiting this video as I’m encountering an issue with the main beam on the left pop up as it doesn’t work at all I have replaced the bulb and has done nothing not really good with electrics so not sure what I can do is it worth giving the ground a clean up?
Hey! Main beam as in high beam on the headlight? Does the low beam / dipped beam work? Have you checked out my headlight wiring video yet? There is a separate fuse for the main beam, not sure if you checked that out as well…
Wow i didn’t even realise you uploaded a new video I’ve watched it and now have a few ideas of what I can do thanks 👍 funny how I had this issue and you only just made a video answering the questions I had 😂
Is it possible to reach the two bellhousing grounds with the intake installed? I have a lift if underneath is an option.
It’s not fun, but it is possible. It’s easier to get to it from above in my experience. You can disconnect the sensor wiring bracket at the back of the manifold and push that aside. You’ll also have to push or pull the heater control valve a bit, as the leads terminate right below that short rubber heater hose. Some universal joints and socket extensions come in handy as well.
@@NC944er ok thanks. That one needs some attention. BTW, the two you reference near the shock towers are not on my Turbo (unless I'm missing them). Mine is an ‘86 so no ABS.
ok, I did these two on my '86 Turbo. I was able to get the smaller/single wire but it wasn't easy. Tried for a long time on the second one which is obstructed by the tan wire harness. I was trying to avoid disconnecting the temp control valve hose. Just do that, jacked up the back of the car about 6 inches and hardly any coolant spilled out. You still need to move that harness out of the way, it goes directly across the hole. These are the hardest two on the car, the rest are easy.
@@bobd9868 Yeah, that’s a terrible location back there. Similarly, swapping the crank sensors can prove to be super annoying. Glad you got it done. 👍
Great video. Can I ask where you got the floor mats from?
Hey thanks! The floor mats are from Lloyd Mats out of California, but they no longer have a license to embroider the Porsche brand, still nice durable mats though. www.lloydmatsstore.com/
@@NC944er damn, I was looking for the Porsche brand. Thanks anyway👍
@@daev_80 Porsche still sells a set with the logo, although they are slightly different from the original ones made in the '80s. Check out part number: 000043153225FV and here's a link: www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/000043153225FV.htm?pn=000-043-153-22-5FV-OEM
@@NC944er cool, thanks for the help.
Do you put any dielectric grease on the ground connections?
Hey! My car is mostly stored indoors, so I don’t put anything on the grounds. I mainly use dielectric grease for things like battery terminals and the inside edges of the spark plug cable boots. There are some misconceptions floating around about dielectric grease and despite having the word “electric” in the name, it doesn’t actually conduct electricity, it just insulates. So if your car will be stored in moist conditions for extended periods, you could put some on the outside of the ground connections after they’ve been cleaned and tightly reconnected, which would protect the surface from elemental exposure.
All my gauges work, except for the voltmeter. I suspect it could be a ground issue, any other ideas?
Grounds are a good place to start… There are also common issues with the electrical connections behind the gauge clusters. The connector may not be fully seated or some of the pin terminals may be partially pushed out of the plastic connector and not making contact with the gauge. Pull the cluster and check the connections to be sure. You can also use a multimeter to perform tests on the wires to see if voltage is making it to the gauge as well as test the voltmeter gauge in the dash by connecting a battery power source directly to it, then you’ll have an idea if it’s a wiring issue or a broken gauge (it’s typically the former).
@@NC944er WOW, appreciate the comment! Love the 944 community, everybody is so helpfull! Regarding the voltgauge, I "luckily" need to remove the cluster in order to fix the odometer gear, so that gives me a good reason to check the rear of the cluster like you say. When it comes to the grounds, is there a specific one to check for the cluster or do I need to check them all?
@@WhereverHugo Sounds like good timing. 👍🏼 The grounds in the cabin are usually pretty clean, but it couldn’t hurt to pop under the dash and take a quick look, I’ve seen some crazy wiring situations handed down from prior owners, usually to wire in an aftermarket radio or bypass other issues haphazardly, so you never know. As for the engine bay, the connections at the back of the engine block/clutch housing tend to get the most oxidation, as well as the ground behind the battery by the blower motor.
@@NC944er Thanks once again! I thought that for example, the cluster has one circuit and thus one ground that is connected to it, but that thought seems to be wrong. I'll check all the grounds, starting with the ones you highlighted in your comment.👍
yooo i NEED hELP!! 1983 Porsche 944 ! fuse #2 keeps blowing after trying to crank! I HAVE all new everything from fuel pump, injectors ,spark plugs , ground straps , all new fuses, new dme/fuel pump relay, new fuel filter, new cap n rotor, new spark plug cables! even replaced DME with a known same model one (came off another 83) no avail! even had a new fuel line installed from the rear of the car, from the fuel pump to the front of the engine! what else hmmm ooh! both new reference sensors!! what else .. ohh i even slapped a new a battery! all parts were either bosch brand or germany direct oem parts! no cheap F brand was used! i even had a suppose electrical guy check it out and even he couldnt tell me what was wrong with it like wtf -250 😢😢 HELP! i even jumpered the alarm to bypass it but it did not HELP the NO START DIAGNOSIS
I am in Los Angeles CA
Hey, it sounds like you’re having quite the time there! I’m assuming you’re referring to fuse #2 on the upper fuse bank, which is the 16amp fuel pump fuse? If the fuse keeps blowing, that would indicate there’s a short in the wiring somewhere between the fuel pump and the fuse panel, an errant ground or crossed wiring from degraded insulation that’s putting extra load on the circuit. I’d make sure the connections are installed correctly, not touching each other or metal on the chassis, and trace as much of the wiring as you can to inspect for damage. It may also be worthwhile to pull the fuse panel down to check the wiring and connectors behind the panel, make sure everything is straight and clean back there as well.
#PorscheNoSubstitute944
I've tested the circuit on my 944: battery is 11.9v, when i move negative to the engine multimeter is on 0.00 😳
What does the meter read with the positive lead on the positive battery terminal and the negative lead on a clean metal engine surface?
@@NC944er it says 0.00
@@alexgt78 Sounds like it’s time to check your cables and grounds.
@@NC944er i've checked again, on the battery i have 11,90v. When i move negative lead on engine i still have 11,90v. Visually checked grounds and averything seems ok. But i have an issue with gauges. The water gauges goes up too fast, in 3/4km is on half then it goes up to the 3/4 but never beyond that. In addition, when i put some eletrical load (like air vent, high beam ecc.) water gauge moves up a little bit.
@@alexgt78 Yeah, these cars have lots of little electrical gremlins due to the deterioration of wiring and connections over time, with the earlier cars typically getting the worst of it. Some folks have seen improvement with gauge irregularities by removing the gauge clusters, cleaning and reseating the connections behind the gauges.
I have so many questions for you man. You should hit me up and maybe I could do a q and a haha
@@sethallgaier2485 My email is listed in the About section of the channel if you wanted to reach out there. Also, not sure if you’ve spent any time on the forums, but there is a lot of great info from other owners on Pelican Parts and Rennlist, some of which I’ve even incorporated into my videos.