Grounding Help

[frankcal]

Hello all, so I got my shipment today of 7" HID offroad lights and everything seems pretty self explanatory as far as installation goes. The kit comes with 2 lights, a relay with a fuse, and a switch. The issue that im having is how to ground everything. It appears that each light has to be grounded as well as the switch. For the light install i have a brush guard that I plan on installing them on but not sure where I would ground them since the cable is only about 6 inches long. And if i am to find a place to ground it outside the hood would there be any risk of electrocution or live current with it getting wet or anything. As for the switch I am installing it into a radio bezel that i picked up from the junkyard but not sure where that has to go grounded either. As you can probably tell im pretty dumb when it comes to electronics and I dont wanna damage anything so i would really appreciate any advice or comments. What i'm installing them on is an 03 sport, all stock and the brush guard is bolted on to the frame via two mounting brackets. Also is there anything i should have on hand really for install to avoid running to the store in the middle of install. Not sure if i need anything more than electrical tape, flashlight and some wire cutters. Thank you in advance

 

[rookieshooter]

All my grounds on all the lights that I have are just grounded to one of the bolts that fasten the lights to the roll cage or my front bumper. May have to put a larger end on the ground wire for the bolt to pass through. Or just use a self tapping sheet metal screw. But make sure you use a proper end piece on the wire instead of just wrapping the wire around the fastener. As far as other grounding spots, any sheet metal behind dash should work.
Also clean the area of all paint so the ground is to bare metal. I then use liquid electrical tape around the connection if it's outside not so I do not get shocked but from corrosion.
No you won't be electrocuted, in that case I'd be gone long ago. In fact even if it was a bare ground wire fastened to the bumper and you touched it, nothing would happen. If that was the case we'd all get shocked when you turned the ignition key.

If the above don't help then use this. I searched for ya.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203037

 

[koda2000]

1. 12-14 volts isn't going to electocute anyone
2. Ground wires don't carry current
3. It doesn't matter if a ground connection gets wet
4. Any connection to the truck's engine, frame or body (not plastic) is a good ground source as long as there's not a bunch of paint in the way.
5. if in doubt, there's always the negative terminal of the battery

 

[frankcal]

Thank you guys so much for your help, yeah now that i look at it they were pretty silly questions but just wanted to be sure. Thanks rookie i went out and bought some larger connections and liquid tape to make the install easy. I will be working on them tomorrow and let you know how they go.

 

[frankcal]

Thanks guys, got em installed and heres the final product.