[Vwdiesel] WEIRD "GROUNDS" 86 GOLF

[Shawn Wright]

On 11 Feb 2005 at 10:54, Smith, Michael <Michael.Smith at rvh.nb.ca> wrote:

> Well I tossed a 2m rig (for you non-hams on the list, this is a two-way
> radio) in the Golf last night; got it all wired up to what I thought was the
> correct way but as soon as I turn on the lights, the 2m rig went out.  All I did
> was parallel up to the lighter socket, which is wacky.  As soon as the
> headlights come on, the wire which I believe is/was the ground diconnects from
> ground and goes open.
> 
> So...I say to myself...no sweat, I'll just run a wire stright to the
> body/chassis somewhere.  No problem. I open up the little flap next to the
> stick shift and find what I think is solid metal just next to the screw
> which holds the console in place.  I put my ground to my radio there, but
> still no dice !  Are there no grounds on this car, or is "ground" isolated
> or what?  The parcel tray screws are not grounded either. SIGH!
> 
> I ended up yanking the stereo (as it's not yet attached) and splicing into a
> miniscule ground wire there to get ground for my 2m rig (which is just above it
> on the dash.) which isn't the best idea, as the radio draws 12A on transmit....

With that kind of current, I would run a dedicated ground back to the common ground 
points near the fusebox. I've had back luck trying to piggyback grounds on high 
current devices...

> Anyhow.....I haven't even looked in the Bentley or had too much time to play
> around with my ohmmeter, as my 4 yr old is very "hands-on" and picks up any
> tools that I pick up and use it.  Like wresting an octopus when I am working on
> my car ! heheheheh

Just wait until he starts getting curious with the floor jack... ;-)
 
> Got over a foot of heavy blowing snow last night and I snowblowed for nearly 2
> hours today just to get out of the driveway.  Another hour tonight should do it.
> Drifts 3-4' high in spots, so dense you can walk on them.  The ol' snowblower
> took a beating this morning.  Golf is tucked away inside the garage.
> 
> What am I missing?

Umm... let's see... the tulips are up, and the early Rhododendrons are starting to 
flower here... Sorry, couldn't resist! :-)


--
Shawn Wright
I.T. Manager
Shawnigan Lake School