martopoulos

Last night, I hardwired a Valentine V1 to the driver-side fuse box and had trouble finding a bare screw for the ground wire connection. The closest thing I could find was painted (see pic below), which I don't think is gonna do the job. I have since disconnected everything as a precaution. Any suggestions where to connect the ground wire? Or should I try to strip the paint from the thread, etc. in the picture below?

Red991S

on the passenger side fuse box a few inches forward on the bottom is a bolt you can use.

martopoulos

It's only on the passenger side?

Todd B

Why not just put a spade on the wire and attach it there? There’s already a connection there, or am I misunderstanding?

martopoulos

(I'm an electrical noob, so my apologies if I'm misunderstanding you here). By "there" do you mean the painted area I've highlighted with the arrow? I actually made the connection shown in the picture; the black wire is the ground wire with a spade/eyelet terminal end. After I made the connection and took the pic, I realized that, hey, a painted thread might kill the conductivity and make the ground wire useless.

martopoulos

Actually, I found Porsche's factory wire grounding when I pulled back the carpet next to the dead pedal. It looks much the same-- painted like the other screw. So maybe they use conductive paint? I would add my wire there, too, but it's super awkward to access that spot. (Though I probably could if I had to).

Todd B

The paint on the nut isn't an issue, it's just on the outside. Where the spades are bolted in would not be painted. You can also use a small washer with burs on it to dig in. It doesn't take much to get a connection.

A volt meter is handy to verify the voltage and connection. You can grab one for less than $10. If you don't have one in your tool box, I would recommend grabbing one.

martopoulos

IIRC, even the threading was painted, not just the nut; that was why I was concerned. I think the burred washer is a good idea to play it safe, as is a volt meter. Didn't realize they could be bought so inexpensively. Thanks.

Tiger03447

When you go to replace the wires, try to make them all 16 gauge for std wiring. And heavier where it counts like the battery to starter cable. ANYTHING to lessen the load and prevent fires!! ESP. Under the dash!! Just sayin…

Denny Swift

This is what I used (on my 981, my Spyder, my 992 GTS, and my neighbor’s 992 4S). It’s right above the fuse panel.

Edit: I just saw this is a very old post…