Where's my ground?

[wubie317]

I've been searching the forum to figure out where my ground 'pods' are. Having poked around my 1977, I see none.

The problems I have are a slow left blinker when I put the brakes on and a temperature gauge that has recently started indicating a higher-than-usual temperature, though interestingly, the fan doesn't seem to be turning on at the usual spot on the gauge...it's an 1/8" to the right of the old place. As a first step to resolve the latter problem, I changed my oil and coolant, but it didn't have any effect.

So...after reading posts with my exact problems, all seem to agree that it's likely a ground issue. I'd love to clean them all up but am unable to locate anything that seems to be a robust ground. I've looked on the chassis, in the engine bay, under the dash, in the trunk, up in the fenders...the only ground I can positively identify is a couple small wires on a nut that holds the heater box under the dash, and those are clean and tight.

If anyone has a picture of the grounds for my model year, I'd love to see 'em. Just a sketch would do. Anything would help.

[geospider]

http://www.vickauto.com/newstore/index. ... ts_id=3815

this is a pic of the grounding pods.
They should be on either side of the engine bay fairly close to the front.
you could follow your headlight wires; should have a connection to this.

[wubie317]

http://www.vickauto.com/newstore/index. ... ts_id=3815

this is a pic of the grounding pods.
They should be on either side of the engine bay fairly close to the front.
you could follow your headlight wires; should have a connection to this.

Alas, I have no such thing(s). My cooling fan sensor is grounded on the radiator bolt, but the headlight bundles go off through the firewall to the dash somewhere...I guess the ground I seek is under there somewhere.

[DieselSpider]

There should be one ground pod on each side under the hood a few inches back from the headlights and one under the dash near the steering wheel.

They are not more than 1 1/4 inch in diameter and very easy to miss since they can be hidden by the wires plugged into them just below the lip of the hood opening. It will be the left front pod that would impact the left turn signals.

Depending on how bent up they are it may just look like a circle of wires sticking out from the fender liner and while they may be hard to see they are very easy to accidentally disconnect.

[redcars]

First you need a wiring diagram for your car. I don't know if your year car has ground pods. The latter cars have them and the earlier cars don't. I don't know when the change was made. My 70 doesn't have them. With electrical problems first make sure everything is grounded good. Without pods this means tracking each ground wire to ground and making sure it has a nice clean connection. Bad grounds will make all kinds of strange things happen.

[Nanonevol]

My '77 doesn't have the described ground pods either. Just make sure that various circuits have a good clean, solid ground. Your car may be running a little warm, mine does. I don't think it's necessarily a ground issue, nor is it a problem.

[DieselSpider]

Obert seems to indicate in their used parts listing that the Ground Stars/Blossoms started with the 1978 model year.
http://www.fiatplus.com/1978-85-CIRCULA ... -STAR.html

[RRoller123]

Or replace the pods with a common terminal block and ring terminals. I did this in 2011, no problems since. Didn't replace the pod under the dash, as it is quite protected there, and is not as great a reliability risk as the 2 under the hood. The Driver's side has soldered ring terminal connections, the Passenger side are crimped only. I did this on purpose as an experiment to be watched over time. I report on them every year at about this time. No difference, no problems, 100% reliable so far after 7 years. I just check and tighten the brass screws each Spring.