(Cant argue with THAT thread title, can you? )

It's now time to "go over" the Graphite Roadster and make myself comfortable with my new car.

ISSUE ONE: The battery.

Jim still had the original battery in this car! He often added water to it, and in this process (I guess) acid kinda got on "other stuff" under there. What this means is, the battery ground cable was corroded all to hell.

No problem, right? RIGHT! I took the old battery out and went to O'Reilly's last night and got another battery and a new ground cable. $107 and I was on my way home. Problem solved? Sure.

Design flaw in my (our?) cars discovered? Well, it is my personal opinion - yes.

See, it has been my experience that manufacturers build cars following a simple rule: When the starter is engaged, it draws as much as 300 amps. This current requirement means that ANY resistance in the cables from the battery to the starter will degrade the starter's ability to turn the engine over. Therefore, the very heavy positive cable goes directly to the starter solenoid/relay then on to the starter motor. FINE - no problem.

And the negative cable, as it comes off the battery is split into two cables:

1) A very heavy cable going directly to the starter frame (usually, actually, it goes to the engine block - often physically very close to the starter motor itself.)
2) A medium - large cable (a number 8 or 10 gauge) that is grounded to the chassis.

Now we have a very high-current-capable path for the starter... And since the alternator is mounted/grounded to the engine block, the charging path is kept secure and of low resistance.

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But this is not how our cars were built! I can't believe I did not notice this last year when replacing the battery in the Red Roadster, but our cars have one very heavy ground cable, about 8 inches long, that goes to the chassis - the fender wall near the battery. THIS MEANS that the high current path to the starter (now get this) is from the positive terminal of the battery, down the heavy cable to the starter, thru the starter, into the engine block, then to the chassis (how?), then back up to the battery.

See what I 'see'? I want to know where the heavy jumper from the block to chassis is. And I want to know just how "protected" it's connectors are in preparation for the aging process than can introduce resistance. If this connection become compromised in any way, the starter won't have the 'juice' to turn the engine over. In an extreme condition, the charging path is also compromised.

My question: Take a look at your OTHER cars - are they building cars like this today? Is this the new normal?

I only have 8 to 10 year old vehicles around me, so I can't say for sure what the industry is doing. But after 30 years of making a living in electronics and working in shops where we troubleshoot electrical problems in police/fire/ems and other vehicles, I can tell you that, in time, cable connectors and splices (as well as the chassis/frames themselves) DO develop resistance and poor contacts.

I wish I was at work today, we have three new vehicles in various stages of "build" (where we are adding lights, siren, radios, etc.) and I've got a good mind to check to see where the battery's big, heavy ground cable goes.

In any event, my cars(s) will, eventually, be modified with a longer, heavier cable directly to the block.