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Ever do something really stupid? Welding ground through shock?

Wisconsinite

Wisconsinite

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
132
Messages
952
Loc
Milwaukee, WI
I was working on the jeep last night, and I messed up. I wanted to get two limit strap brackets tacked on, one on the axle and one on the chassis. I started with the axle tab and tacked it on. It was near the end of the night, I was tired and not thinking properly. I went straight to tack on the chassis side bracket, and never moved the ground. I have johnny joints on 7075 links, johnny joints on the trailing arms. No driveshaft or plumbing, but had one end of a sway bar attached. Everything I can think of should have been isolated someway or another. What would the path of least resistance be for the electrical connection? I really hope I didn't ground through my bypass. fuuuuck.

Flame suit on.
 
Diff bearings and ujounts up through the drive train to motor ground to chassis/battery. Def not ideal depending on what jeep can cook a computer
 
total newb said:
Diff bearings and ujounts up through the drive train to motor ground to chassis/battery. Def not ideal depending on what jeep can cook a computer
Click to expand...

He said no driveshaft.
 
This is pretty much how it was sitting.

PXL_20210217_205032137.jpg
 
You might have gotten lucky if the shocks were at full droop as the piston shim washer might have transferred to the top out spacer and to the seal head to shock body.
If your joints were twisted enough they could have touched metal to metal.
 
Is there bushings in the sway bar? There shouldn't be metal to metal in the shock. The shaft rides on seals and the piston has a wear band.

Edit: unless the shock was at full droop....then, oops
 
What heim joints do you have on the sway bar?

If there isn't a plastic liner in them that may have been the current path.

Same question for all the shocks - what joints are on them?
 
Heims on the sway bar are standard Currie kit. But the bar is mounted in a poly bushing?

Shocks are standard COM-10 fox parts. 2.0 coil over, 3.0 bypass. Again, they are mounted on poly bushings (JJs at each end of the trailing arm).
 
extend the shock, look for marks on the shaft. no marks and you got lucky. marks, mean a new shaft.

could be worse, you could be a noob and weldout a pipe cap on your diff grounded via your SS brakelines. it ruptured coming to a red light, was able to think fast and shut the truck off before rear ending the excursion in front of me.
 
Last edited:
Wisconsinite said:
Heims on the sway bar are standard Currie kit. But the bar is mounted in a poly bushing?

Shocks are standard COM-10 fox parts. 2.0 coil over, 3.0 bypass. Again, they are mounted on poly bushings (JJs at each end of the trailing arm).
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, trailing arms... So the current would have had to go through the Johnny Joints, then to the shocks.

Personally, I would give all of the joints a thorough inspection along with everything on the sway bar to see if there is any metal to metal contact. If not there would have been an arc somewhere that there was a small metal to metal gap and you would see a burned spot.
 
Another option - grab a multimeter and start measuring resistance between the axle and the chassis with different parts bolted/unbolted. Could be a way to isolate the current path.
 
Nothing helpful to add about the shocks, but.

I've always wanted to make a double ended ground cord for this or working between a table and horses.
 
Oops look for pits on piston rod. If you have them, new shaft/du bearing. Usually thats where they arc.
 
I had my dad welding on my junk one time and when I went to move the ground to the other side he says no leave it. Ok, old man, maybe you know better than me. He didn’t.... poof went my braided brake lines with the quickness.
 
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