Ground Strap

[revrnd]

What is the reason for the ground strap between the hood & cab? Both the GMT800s & 900s have it. There isn't an underhood lamp on either truck.

[jrrod2004]

Out on a limb: "This provides a larger ground plane for the antenna (radio)"

[nickvrebel]

Out on a limb: "This provides a larger ground plane for the antenna (radio)"

that would be my first guess also, but I could be wrong

[dlstewart01]

What is the reason for the ground strap between the hood & cab? Both the GMT800s & 900s have it. There isn't an underhood lamp on either truck.

 

 

I would also say its for the radio...There is a good reason for GM to go to the expense of installing it on all the trucks.

 

Also there was an under hood light on the GMT800s through 2002. They did NOT get grounding from the hood though. The light had a wireing harness that included a ground wire. GM left the light mounting bracket on all the GMT800 hoods. I installed the factory light on my 05..

[Guest pjblurton]

I was wondering the same thing myself a couple of weeks ago...

 

I broke mine off while replacing the oil pressure sending switch... Once I noticed that I broke it, I started looking for anything electrical on the hood... Nada!

Just kinda figured that there were some models with a hood light and some without and all of them got the ground just to save time.

Everything worked fine but I went ahead and repired it just in case.

[az'03Silverado]

It's so that the whole body of the truck can be at the same electrical potential. It helps with radio reception as well as static electricity dissipation. On airplanes, every movable control surface has a 'bonding strap' that keeps the entire airframe at the same electrical potential and also gives static electricity a path to the static wicks (look it up) that funnel static electricity out into the atmosphere. The reason for this is so that the radios and navigational equipment aren't screwed up by excess static electricity built up in the airframe. With a movable surface such as a hood, door, trunk lid, aileron, flap, rudder, etc, there isn't enough of a path through the hinges for electricity to travel efficiently so they're bonded mechanically with a cable.

Another thing, if you have two surfaces that are at different electrical potential, there's also a risk of corrosion between the two where they meet so it's also for corrosion resistance, somewhat.

[old-chevy-dude]

um pretty sure that ground strap is for the remote start feature.. if the hood is up the remote start won't start the vehicle

[az'03Silverado]

Mine doesn't have remote start but has the ground strap. It's not a sensor wire. It's simply a grounding strap.

[old-chevy-dude]

i'll have to go back and look, I might have 2 wires there, I know one is encased in the black wire loom, that's the one I am thinking of.

[dlstewart01]

um pretty sure that ground strap is for the remote start feature.. if the hood is up the remote start won't start the vehicle

 

The ground strap discussed here is on all the trucks and grounds the hood open or closed. It has nothing to do with a remote start.

[dlewis1111]

um pretty sure that ground strap is for the remote start feature.. if the hood is up the remote start won't start the vehicle

 

the hood switch is part of the hood latch assembly

[CapitalTruck]

Man, that whole mentioning of the electical potential and/or grounding plane for the antenna is excellent. That's why I use this forum.

[ChevyMan23]

What is the reason for the ground strap between the hood & cab? Both the GMT800s & 900s have it. There isn't an underhood lamp on either truck.

 

 

I would also say its for the radio...There is a good reason for GM to go to the expense of installing it on all the trucks.

 

Also there was an under hood light on the GMT800s through 2002. They did NOT get grounding from the hood though. The light had a wireing harness that included a ground wire. GM left the light mounting bracket on all the GMT800 hoods. I installed the factory light on my 05..

 

 

Where did you get the light?

[knightr]

Where did you get the light?

 

You can look up on any OEM online parts house for a 90's gm truck under the hood illustration and

see the fixed & reel light parts. U can also find one from the salvage yard.

I got my reel light from a wrecked chevy and mounted it on the fender well ahead of the fuse box.

That sucker will unwind all the way to the back bumper, great on a dark night.