Upgrading ground strap from battery to frame

Looking to upgrade the factory ground strap from the battery to the frame to match the 2/0 power cable I'll be running to the back of the frame/bed area.

I tried doing a search on here but only came up with 1st gen threads.

Is there a common/known good location and routing path to the frame?

 

Not sure how 3rd gens are wired, but I did this in my 2nd gen. Used a slightly larger gauge wire to tie my NEG bus into the same place on the fender where the stock wire was.

Mostly for my OCD, but its also more flexible now.

On a side note, I would not recommend using the frame as a return path for any high draw loads. Terminals and connections can corrode, get knocked loose etc. And the chances of any of that happening are a lot higher under the truck IMO. I would run a dedicated 2/0 NEG cable right next to your POS.

 

What is benefit of this ?

 

Thanks for the pics, but unless I'm missing something you only mentioned redoing the ground path to the fender, and not to the frame?

I've heard that argument for running an extra wire along the hot wire but my opinion is that is a redundancy that is unnecessary.
If I use the appropriate terminals and crimps and heat shrink and route appropriately, there should be little to no concern of issues.

 

in my specific application, the reasons for doing this are for:
less resistance (less voltage drop) for charging the "house" battery in the bed through the alternator
less resistance (less voltage drop) for charging the "truck" battery under the hood from solar
higher voltage and current capability for a rear winch (assuming a max 400A draw at the rear bumper)

 

Second gen, but looks like a good starting point as far as how to trace the wire and whatnot. It sounds like you'll be the pioneer here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-2nd-gen-tacoma-writeup-with-pictures.664674/

http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/477



But to answer your question about where to route it to the frame, why not just match the OEM cable path?

 

thanks for the links, I'll take a look.

I think I will end up matching the OEM path if I don't see anything special in those links you provided.
Honestly I haven't actually traced where the OEM path is yet, I was just poking around and hoping to find some documentation on someone who had done something similar as a shortcut.
Not too big of a deal to pioneer this.... not sure it's complex enough to justify using the word 'pioneer' though.

thanks

 

Whatever you do, definitely take pics and share. I agree, doesn't seem too complex but I'm in the same boat where I try and do as much research as possible beforehand. Good luck.

 

An extra ground definitely helps when you are demanding high current from your battery. I would upgrade both a body ground as well as a frame ground. For the frame, just find the closest spot to the battery that is easily accessible to drill through for a nut and bolt. Make sure to grind it clean of paint before bolting it up and then spray it over with paint when it is tight. We used to do this procedure for high wattage car stereo systems all the time. It definitely makes a difference.

 

That’s not the best advice, you should read this.
https://www.w8ji.com/negative_lead_to_battery.htm

 

I have been using an Extra Ground to the Frame for years since I first started back in the seventies on all manor vehicles

It is a personal thing it works for my use..

The only Down Side is how bad the Toyota Frames ( not just Toyota) react to winter chemicals . 2020 I would not be to concerned yet.

You just need to keep alert to possible increased resistance

Clean tight connections your good to go.

Loose connections cause problems .

I have run a Warn 12000 pound winch off a rear frame Ground to both a trailer and receiver mount as well as many trailer brakes

 

That's some fascinating info, thanks for sharing that

 

ended up running a ground to the stock ground point on the LH front shock tower. super easy, 3ft cable.

 

I found this if it’s helpful
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-lights-w-hidden-tailgate-trigger.701140/

 

There surprisingly isn’t much info on this even in the Big 3/5 threads. Many people just junk the frame ground entirely.

Here are some more pictures if it can help anyone. (I need to buy frame paint, don’t leave it as bare metal PLEASE!)

 

I did something similar on another vehicle (putting the dual batteries under the rear to free up hood space/lower the CoG)...

A good idea here (since use of a winch was mentioned earlier) is to put copper plates or strips w/multiple bolts where your cable is attached to the frame. Before the copper plate, I was getting some heat at the connections when running the winch due to the higher electrical resistance of the steel vs. that of copper. The copper plate & bolts spreads the current over multiple connections to the frame and reduces heating of the connection (reducing voltage drop as well).

I also put grease between the plate & frame to help keep corrosion at bay.

 

Ice job, is there any worries for ground loops?

 

That’s a really smart idea. I have 3 1/0 ground runs that I have to do in the rear of the cab soon and I’ll probably apply this.

 

it should also be said-- when upgrading grounding, maintain the factory ground wire and add your new ground on top of the factory ground.

the reason for this is to maintain as much of the factory wiring as possible-- all of the truck systems were designed to operate off the sizing of the factory wiring. by adding on top of it, i'm only adding additional capacity for my add-on's. to entirely change the factory wiring and remove it would require a more significant understanding of the factory electrical system and it's loads. likely would need to replace with at least 1-2 sizes larger gauge.

but adding onto the factory ground offers the chance to only increase the wiring to the size of the new circuit ampacity.

 

Yep, agree. Finding the correct way to bypass the stock alt fuse was the hardest. (I’m 2nd gen btw)