Hello Guys!

 

I wasjust checking the engine bay casually and came across a black cable just hanging around loosely beside the timing belt cover . Where should it go? Where do i fasten it? Car runs fine and no issues. 

Coming from here 

I should add that I live in Sweden and my car is equidded with auxiliary oilpan heater and cabin heater . Can it be the ground cabel for those components? 

I don’t know what it is but in my experience earth wires on Skoda are brown.

That photo looks like a black wire. Not much help but I guess it could be a switched live for one of those heaters… ?
 

3 hours ago, BerkCo said:

Where should it go?

 

To the nearest earth point within its swing, with luck you will find one with other ground cables attached, if not then find the fastener with the right diameter for the ring terminal.

2 hours ago, classic said:

I guess it could be a switched live for one of those heaters

 

That would 100% always be an insulated sealed connector not a bare ring terminal.

 

Bare ring terminals will 100% be ground wires.

100% always, that’s a lot of times, ok then.

Exceptions would be the main battery cable to the starter solenoid or if someone has bodged in a towing relay connection to the battery.

Thanks for the replies and help. The cable is coming from the same cable harness as the aftermarket oilpan heater and cabin heater so it should be the earth cable to those components.  I compared some pictures of the engine bay with other Skoda Mk3s , VW Golf 7s and none of them had those cable harnesses  beside the expansion bottle and timing belt cover, except for the swedish ones with motor heater units installed  . 

 

 There is a hole in the chassi behind the expansion tank and I am planning to make a ground connection there with that cable, just a bolt and a nut to fasten the ground cable.  I can attach a picture when i am done tomorrow. 

100% not a OE wire so chances are it is for your aftermarket oil pan heater.

22 hours ago, BerkCo said:

I should add that I live in Sweden and my car is equidded with auxiliary oilpan heater and cabin heater . Can it be the ground cabel for those components? 

Do these components work?

I use them in winter time when the weather  starts to get colder than minus 10 or minus 15 Celsius.  They worked almost without problem each time, but sometimes the earth fault breaker on the wall  would pop... Now i have some guess about why it did that 😃 My guess is when the dealership did the cambelt and the waterpump,  the mechanic unfastened the cable, because it was on his way , then he forgot to fasten it back . 

14 hours ago, BerkCo said:

Thanks for the replies and help. The cable is coming from the same cable harness as the aftermarket oilpan heater and cabin heater so it should be the earth cable to those components.  I compared some pictures of the engine bay with other Skoda Mk3s , VW Golf 7s and none of them had those cable harnesses  beside the expansion bottle and timing belt cover, except for the swedish ones with motor heater units installed  . 

 

 There is a hole in the chassi behind the expansion tank and I am planning to make a ground connection there with that cable, just a bolt and a nut to fasten the ground cable.  I can attach a picture when i am done tomorrow. 

Why not, it’s 100% always a ground. If it melts when you a press a button one day……

6 minutes ago, classic said:

If it melts when you a press a button one day……

What do you mean? 

You don’t know exactly what it is. JR says it’s 100% always a ground, then exceptions being the main battery terminal or if someone bodged something.
What if it is something connected to something that becomes live and you bolted it to ground ? Maybe it is a ground connection it looks like one. I would personally want to know rather than guess.

Edited 30 July, 20232 yr by classic

Thanks for the concern ,i appreciate it. After seaching for those oilpan heaters website, i found out that it looks like their gound cable. I measured it with a multimeter when the engine is on so it is not a cable that is active. So 99% sure that it is the ground cable to those external heaters. But i booked the car for a brake fluid change at the dealership in two weeks, i will definitely ask them.

I only know that I don’t know what I don’t know, if that makes sense !

Thinking further about it, if this an engine heater that is plugged into your house mains electricity then why would it connect to the vehicle ground ?

The car is sat on tyres so isn’t “grounded”. If anything shorted out or became live from the engine heater and was connected to the vehicle ground then the car frame could be live to your house mains electricity and go to “ground” through you if you touched it. Maybe your house earth tripped for safety because that wire is or isn’t connected to ground, but I’d definitely want to know for sure first.

You have answered your own question without realising it, perhaps you do not have an understanding of electrics and the dangers therein, in which case instead of trying to ridicule what I say maybe try to learn from it.

 

Any metal framed electrical appliance should be earthed for safety although there are far too many modern appliances like metal bathroom heaters that save the cost of one wire by using the double insulation cop out.

 

You ask why would the vehicle mains heater be connected to the vehicle ground, to be clear its the house mains Earth connection that is connected to the vehicle metal frame.

 

To answer your question I can simply quote your further text, you give a good explanation.

 

4 hours ago, classic said:

If anything shorted out or became live from the engine heater and was connected to the vehicle ground then the car frame could be live to your house mains electricity and go to “ground” through you if you touched it

 

It would not electrocute you because the short to the house supply earthing  would blow the fuse or MCB, on a modern system the RCD should trip in 30ms before the MCB would trip, often its both.

 

If this dangling terminal were not connected then a fault causing the vehicle body to be at 240vac would likely kill someone touching the vehicle (especially if it was raining or the ground wet) if the house fuseboard was not RCD protected.

JR, I don’t know what the wire is. I know it isn’t an OE ground wire. I wouldn’t bolt it to the vehicle frame until I knew what it was. Test, don’t guess.

7 hours ago, classic said:

I would personally want to know rather than guess.

I understand, respect and agree with your caution given your lack of knowledge regarding mains protection.

 

But please dont enforce your views on someone experienced and qualified in this field, by encouraging the OP to leave the mains earthing wire disconnected you are putting him at risk if there were a fault condition.

Guys, I really appreciate you. This forum has been a fantastic place for me to learn and share. We all want to help each other. 

 

 I am almost sure that the cable is from the external heater and I would ground it today but I was unsure where to bolt it to. There is a very visible ground point that i can see the vw brown cable is bolted , beside the expansion tank.  I am unsure of bolting it there or another spot. I will ask the technician next Wednesday when I am the dealership.  I have plenty of time until November, I usually start to use the heater in winter. 

I made a video about the cable , so you can see what I mean 

https://youtu.be/Rxpebjj9g5A

36 minutes ago, BerkCo said:

I made a video about the cable , so you can see what I mean 

https://youtu.be/Rxpebjj9g5A

You can see it’s a defa system. Looks like this is the cable in your video with the earth and a description about connecting it.

https://www.defa.com/content/uploads/Documentation/Downloads/Technical-information/Electrical-preheating/1920254.pdf

I apologise if I’ve been over cautious but I stand by my belief that you need to be sure before connecting wires direct to ground or live.

2 hours ago, BerkCo said:

There is a very visible ground point that i can see the vw brown cable is bolted , beside the expansion tank.  I am unsure of bolting it there or another spot.

 

That would be the obvious place if it is within reach of the lead.

2 hours ago, classic said:

I apologise if I’ve been over cautious but I stand by my belief that you need to be sure before connecting wires direct to ground or live.

 

But leaving an uninsulated ring terminal hanging free that you fear is at 240v mains voltage is ok?

Sorry fella, I do not believe I have said any such thing. You made your point earlier. I would politely suggest you don’t over play your hand disingenuously twisting what I have put on here whilst I was genuinely trying to help a fellow member.

Edited 30 July, 20232 yr by classic
Grammar