Couple of electrical questions I need help with

[Mattchu60]

So I totally rebuilt my truck over the last month - took it down to the frame and reassembled it. Tonight I finally got to the point where it is drive, so I went on a 5 mile test drive.

Couple of questions I have.

- First is a voltage question - when I drive the gauge is only reading about 12.5-13v - i remember this being roughly 14v before i rebuilt the truck while running. I checked my grounds and also my alternator connection - all tight. I even installed a new positive cable when I did my rebuild, so that is in good shape.
One thing I should note - I think the battery is low on charge - as it sat for a month without use and also was ran down a bit before sitting. Maybe thats all it is.

I put it on a charger a bit ago- I'll charge it before bed a little and then again tomorrow.

-2nd question is a safety question - maybe i am overthinking this but I thought I should ask. I have the TBI 350 in the truck. It has the fuel lines run up the back side of the engine and they have a clip that bolts to the back of the passenger side head to hold them in place. When I re-installed these I also used the same bolt that holds the fuel line clip for attaching two ground wires from a wiring harness - there didn't seem to be anywhere else to attach the wires. Now I am worried I should have tried to ground them somewhere else. Any risk here or I am overthinking it.

Thanks!

[johnwaynejeep]

If there is a joint in the fuel line, there is a one in a million chance that a leak can form and get ignited by a faulty ground wire next to it. As a rule of thumb, engineers separate fuels from ignition sources.

If the fuel lines are solid, then you have no real worries, other then your own peace of mind. I know sometimes I change things not because they don't work, but because they bug me.

[Mattchu60]

Thanks for the input. I wanted to also say that the volts appear to be fine - drove again today and had 13-14 volts on gauge. I think it partly that I had the lights on last night and the A/C running as well as lower charged battery.

[wilkin250r]

Voltage gauges can be a little funny, also. Let's face it, all you're REALLY looking for is that the voltage climbs 1~2 volts when the engine starts running, that's about all you need. No increase would indicate a bad alternator, and a 5V increase would indicate a bad regulator.

(for those reading this later, your alternator might not push full power at idle, but it should should reach full charging voltage by 1500rpm)

[oldpurple]

Use a multimeter at the battery and see what it says. My gauge reads almost in the red (18v) but at the battery it's a good 14.5 ish when running.

[RUN GMC]

........also another thing to notice is that all new battery cables seem to thinner gauge than the original factory cables that came on the trucks originally....nobody sells a heavy gauge cable anymore...all I see is 4 AWG in the stores I always liked a thicker cable when it comes to batteries and starters.......

[wilkin250r]

Originally Posted by RUN GMC

........also another thing to notice is that all new battery cables seem to thinner gauge than the original factory cables that came on the trucks originally....nobody sells a heavy gauge cable anymore...all I see is 4 AWG in the stores I always liked a thicker cable when it comes to batteries and starters.......

Almost any car stereo place can make you a custom cable as thick as you want, they'll probably have something as thick as 1/0 AWG in stock.