The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Bad Ground?

Lately I've noticed that I'm getting a shock from my door when I turn off the engine and get out of my truck.

Bad ground, right?

How do I locate it???

bad seat cover!
try putting yer hand on the door metal or handle before ya move yer [censored] on the seat, or get rid of the polyester pants [or shirts]

seriously - not an electrical problem!

Bill

Some more information may help.

Truck? Grounding--pos or neg.?

This is strange, because the frame, cab body, doors, engine block, and everything else should be common to the ground. When you touch any part of the metal, you are the same potential as the truck ground and shouldn't be feeling anything!

Does this occur when you touch the door or some other metal part of the truck while sitting in the truck, standing on the running board or standing on the ground beside the truck?

Does it occur when you touch the door only, or if you touch some other metal part of the truck?

You said it occurs when you turn the ignition off and get out of the truck. What about it you shut the engine down, but leave the ignition on and get out or touch metal. Does it happen then?

Does your battery discharge at all?

One starting point would be to disconnect the positive (or "hot") battery cable. Make sure that eliminates the problem. Then with the battery cable once again disconnected, disconnect the wire to the ignition switch, but leave the primary cable connected to the starter switch (on a stomper starter) or to the solenoid (on a solenoid activated starter).

Tell us more.

Glenn - maybe my answer not clear enuff? it's called static discharge, caused by cheap worn seat cover and clothes of synthetic materials - been there, done that!!

Bill

Squeeze, you are correct about static discharge. I've lived in dry climates all over and am very familiar with that.

I know, too, that loose electrons running around where nobody expects them can be a problem. I also learned a long time ago to never say "never."

Glenn wrote: You said it occurs when you turn the ignition off and get out of the truck. What about it you shut the engine down, but leave the ignition on and get out or touch metal. Does it happen then?
Does your battery discharge at all?
------------------------------------

No on both counts, Glenn.

It's static! I'm gonna buy a couple of grounding straps today and install them.

PS - This can be very dangerous when you're filling up your gas tank!!!

Check this Out

And This ...

Putting a static discharge ground strap on the vehical will eliminate the problem, they connect to the frame and drag on the ground, some body shops use them when they paint vehicals to discharge static that a vehical builds up during painting so dust isn't attracted, you can buy them in most parts stores, there quite a popular part with the import crowd, although thats more for looks than funtion. Stay away from the bright reflective ones if you don't want your truck to look like every "tricked" out civic :rolleyes:

Thanks, bro' ... I went to 3 different parts stores today and NO ONE has 'em!

What's the deal? One guy told me they are just rubber strips attached to the frame; drag on the ground. I can't for the life of me imagine rubber doing anything!!! Does that really work? He told me to just go to Home Depot and buy some squeegee refill strips.

Yes???

If you had a spotlight on your truck, you can shoot them bad ole static chargers right up to the stars.

Alan,
Wow I have never heard of this problem before. How about putting on a pair of levi's and put a temp cover on the seat. Then try to get out without having the hairs on the back of your neck standup.

Seriously for now I wouldn't drive that Red puppy too much until you get this resolved. I just don't see why you would need to install a static strap or chain. I have never seen one on our trucks.

Hope all is well.

Maybe it's the rugs I just put in. This never happened before ... then I got two rug mats from my sister for my birthday last month and that's when this started happening. I wonder what on earth these rugs are made of.

I'm gonna throw the rug-mat over on the pasenger side and take a ride ... if it stops the static, I'll just get rid of those Satanic rugs!

Then I'll go get some that don't have any synthetic Satanic fibers and skip the anti-static strips that NO ONE sells!

glad ya got it figgered out, Alan - didn't think you had discovered a new stovebolt electrical problem - just like when ya walk on the wrong kinda carpet w/ certain shoes on and get a zap next doorknob ya touch - only thing I've had cause it in the truck tho' was a sleezy seat cover

and Craig, back "in the day" those hangin ground straps were pretty common, car and truck - when polyester was king

Bill

there what a program on myth busters the other day, about cell phones and gas stations fires at the pumps, it turm out that 80% more fires occour with women then men, it seams that the silk panties, and polester seats seem to be a problem. Older persons hold on to the door frame discharging themselves, but most of us just slide across the set and hop out without touching anything, till we touch the filler pipe and ignite the gas fumes, causing a fire.

yeah I maintained the computerized cash registers at a big restaurant here w/ "dress code" for staff - I had to put an anti-static mat down in front of each register, cuz it didn't work to tell the girls no panty hose on the job! they'd run up to punch an order and you could see the sparks fly from their fingertips into the keyboard - major hicup in the puter memory!

Bill

MT,
Does that mean we need to quit wear silk panties when driving our trucks? I'm distraught over this issue.

Yes, down with panties!

Here's something neat to try. A flourescent tube will emit weak light if you hold it by the glass with hands spread apart and shuffle across a carpet if conditions are right for static buildup. You'll have to be in a dark room to see it.

I tried it without the rug-mats ... no go ... same thing.

Here ya go! 12" and 18" Anti Static Straps :
Click Here!

" It is made of a carbon empregnated rubber which can withstand 120,000 Volts of static electricity! It is warranted for 100,000 Miles!"

Also, someone said to treat the rug (or seat) with some fabric softener ... THAT eliminates the Panty Hose Syndrome.

Higher quality tires work, too. High graphite tires conduct electricity and discharge the static. The cheap long wearing 80,000 mile tires don't have enough graphite to dissipate the charge.

The problem may not be the truck building up the the static charge, but you. When you slide across the seat and jump out, you have charged up yourself, and the next thing you touch you get zapped.

I never knew about tires ... I've got nice Coopers on.

But I think it's ME, because it's only started a few weeks ago when I put these new rug mats in.

Alan - try what I said - reach over and grab the door - open it and don't let go as you turn and get out - when your on the ground, let go - next time you touch it there'll be no shock - ie: you need to be grounded when you're moving, not the truck!

Bill

Hey, Bill

I tried it and it's works! Like magic!