Hood Ground Straps

[Funracer]

One of these on each hood hinge. Are they to ground the AC condenser?

My AC system is removed. Can I remove both of these ground straps?

Thanks

[Travis Neff]

My never had AC car has these ground straps. Must be a reason for it.

[HaroldMHedge]

My SWAG, though I'm no engineer on this subject, is that it prevents a static charge from developing as the air goes through the engine lid air intake grill

[930cabman]

Originally Posted by HaroldMHedge

My SWAG, though I'm no engineer on this subject, is that it prevents a static charge from developing as the air goes through the engine lid air intake grill

Sounds like a stretch, but you never know what the krauts were/are thinking

[Canada Kev]

Originally Posted by HaroldMHedge

My SWAG, though I'm no engineer on this subject, is that it prevents a static charge from developing as the air goes through the engine lid air intake grill

I could see this being a possibility. You can even get static build up with a vacuum cleaner for the same reason as well, so yeah, maybe. It is interesting they felt the need to electrically bond the engine lid. Never seen that on any other vehicle.

[Snitzler]

I am a retired (German) engineer and I removed the hood grounding straps because I think they are dumb.... Who knows what those Porsche engineers were thinking? Just look at the heater controls!

[James Brown]

ground strap for the hood light, power on top in the pic

[Canada Kev]

I'm quite certain that's how that light gets its ground, but the ground strap is waaay overkill for just that little bulb.

[30westrob]

How about radio interference, noise. If the lid was not grounded and developed a charge. ???
Rob

[Funracer]

Originally Posted by 30westrob

How about radio interference, noise. If the lid was not grounded and developed a charge. ???
Rob

My radio is gone too. And there are 2 fat ground straps which seems like a lot.

Maybe for the rear window wiper and rear window heater. Mine is a cabriolet so
I don’t have either.

I will disconnect them and see if the hood light still works.

[FrankM_]

Some have a windscreen wiper for the rear window, I can only assume that it is grounding for that ?

[Funracer]

Disconnected and removed both straps. Engine compartment light still shines bright.

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by FrankM_

Some have a windscreen wiper for the rear window, I can only assume that it is grounding for that ?

Nope, that system has its own ground...

Dennis

[911pcars]

Early 911s have license plate lights in the engine lid and later models have motorized spoilers. All electrical loads need a good ground. Yeah, the lid, bolts, nuts, washers and hinges are metal, but it’s better to have a direct, clean ground connection instead of relying on electrons to easily pass through metal corrosion, paint, etc.

Remove the large ground strap on the transmission mount and see if the weight savings will allow the starter motor to crank at full voltage.

Sherwood

[chrismorse]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Early 911s have license plate lights in the engine lid and later models have motorized spoilers. All electrical loads need a good ground. Yeah, the lid, bolts, nuts, washers and hinges are metal, but it’s better to have a direct, clean ground connection instead of relying on electrons to easily pass through metal corrosion, paint, etc.

Remove the large ground strap on the transmission mount and see if the weight savings will allow the starter motor to crank at full voltage.

Sherwood

Hey Sherwood,
I once heard of a guy forgetting the main engine ground and when he hit the starter, it cranked kind of slow and the gas pedal went to the floor. It seems that that big blast of starting electricity found the least resistance path was through the throttle linkage and it melted through - sometimes it is difficult to tell what is going to happen.
Chris

[RedCoupe]

With major market cars I take the attitude that if the engineers were able to convince the bean counters that a particular part was important enough to spend an extra $1, then there is a valid reason for the part. Not so much on the Porsche. But still, the straps weigh almost nothing, so I'll keep 'em.

[75 911s]

Another thread like this floating around. I believe it was radio interference was the main reason. Blah blah Faraday shield.

[Funracer]

Originally Posted by 75 911s

Blah blah Faraday shield.

Haha. Yada Yada Faraday shield. Works for me.

[GH85Carrera]

My philosophy has always ground everything in multiple places. No such thing as too good or too many grounds, but a LOT of issues can pop up with a poor ground. Problems that will make you think a car is haunted.

That ground strap can't weigh much. Unless you are building a dedicated track car and you are a top professional level driver, you will never notice the difference. You should NOT be driving at 9/10th or 10/10th on the street anyway.

[911pcars]

These are braided lines bridging both 3.2 intake halves to ensure a good ground for the injector rails and etc.



Sherwood