If you’re planning to install any electronic device in your car, one of the essential things you’ll need is a ground. A ground is a negative electrical connection that powers up the unit, and it almost always ends up at the chassis of the car. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to ground a car stereo or any electronic device you intend to install in your car.
The best place to ground your car stereo is wherever is closest to the actual frame of the car, not a piece of metal standing between two pieces of the frame, but the actual frame. Seat belt bolts are a perfect place for this purpose. If you’re grounding an amplifier, you can back out the seat belt bolt and get the wire underneath there and crank it back down, and you’ll have a perfect ground.
If you can’t use a seat belt bolt, what you want to do is find some place that’s on the frame, maybe even close to the seat belt bolt, grind away the paint, and then use a star washer and a bolt of equal gage to the wire that you are grinding. Crank it down, test it for resistance, and you’re good to go as you get as close to zero OHMs as possible on your OHM meter.
If you’re installing a small electronic device on the front of the car like a satellite radio, for instance, you may want to check for an existing ground, a factory ground. The cigarette lighter is a perfect place to start. If you go to the back of the cigarette lighter, there should be a power connector, a ground wire, and a power wire. If you ground to that wire, you’re probably going to be ok.
If you go into the left kick-panel of the car, you may even find a bundle of ground wires that are bolted directly to the chassis. If you use that same ground, you’re good to go.
In conclusion, grounding your car stereo or any electronic device you want to install in your car is essential. It ensures the device has a proper negative electrical connection that powers it up. Always ensure you ground your device on the actual frame of the car, and if you can’t use a seat belt bolt, grind away the paint and use a star washer and a bolt of equal gage to the wire that you are grinding.