Starter ground strap question

[Alaskan Rover]

I just pulled the starter to have new brushes installed and have it bench-tested.

Upon re-installing, I found it was VERY sluggish in turning the engine over...almost as if the battery was dying, but the battery was fully charged.
I also noticed with the starter turning over sluggishly, the throttle linkage to the carburetor got hot and started to smoke and yet at no place was the heavy guage starter wire grounding out against any part of the engine.

I got back underneath the rover and found what looks like a ground strap hanging in air...the other end attached to the frame near the starter.

I don't remember that this ground-strap was attached to the starter when I took the starter out. I would think that the starter body bolted to the engine would enough of a ground.

Where is this ground-strap supposed to go, then? Does it, in fact, go to the one of the starter attachment bolts?...perhaps because the starter pulls so much juice it requires a ground to the frame itself? Does this sound right?

Wanted some input BEFORE I go ahead and attach it to the starter. Thanks.

[scatterling]

my starter is grounded to the frame using one of the two starter mounting bolts.

[Rineheitzgabot]

Ditto. Use some star washers and make sure the areas are dressed up with a piece of sandpaper, then fasten it using the star washers and apply some RYK-77 over the connections, and the next time you'll have to worry about it will be when the starter needs rebuilt again.

-Gary

[Nium]

Yep, the hot throttle linkage is classic sign of failed ground strap to engine. Thus you having forgot to reattach the bonding strap/wire would be accurate. The engine mounts are rubber so the engine is really well electrically isolated from the chassis without a bonding strap. All the electricity trying to flow through the starter followed the path of least resistance the throttle linkage which isn't a very good conductor because of all the gaps between the parts. If you were so inclined you could even throw on a couple extra bonding straps besides the one so if you lose one there would be another.

Attaching to one of the starter mounting bolts is good, but you can attach additional bonding straps to anywhere on the engine. Chassis to engine side motor mount bracket bolts for example because the engine block is a great conductor as long as there is a path back to the chassis.

[73series88]

i have one to
makes all the difference in the world
aaron

[Alaskan Rover]

Thanks for your input, everyone.

Yep...I hooked up the ground strap to the starter this morning and it made all the difference in the world....starter spun the crank with mucho gusto!

I had erroneously thought the starter would be grounded enough just by attaching to the engine, and then late last night, I remembered in a dream-induced stupor that the engine mounts are rubber!

[Terrys]

Choke cables and temperature gage tubes are frequently cooked too.

Battery shops, and well stocked autoparts stores have both red, and black battery cables which have both the 2/0 cable, and and auxilliary wire, usually #10, molded to the same lead battery post clamp. Since the highest current draw is to the starter, I make a practice to run the battery cable to the engine, rather than the chassis, still using a braided ground between block and frame. If you happen to find one of these battery cables with the aux. lead, ground the 2/0 to the block, and the aux to the chassis.