Can you use the negative battery terminal as a ground?

Active member. Re: Is battery negative and \'ground\' the same thing? The short answer is yes, you can just connect the ground to 0 Volts.
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Is car battery terminal ground negative?

The ground strap is the heavy black wire which connects to the car battery's negative terminal to the chassis of the car. Some other names for the strap include: negative battery cable, ground wire, or ground cable. The ground strap is the foundation of the entire vehicle's electrical system.
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Can you ground an amp to negative battery terminal?

The best way to ground your car stereo components is to run a 10 or 12-gauge wire from the amp, and 12-gauge from all other components, such as head unit and active crossovers, to a central location. Then run a single ground to the best source of ground, the negative terminal on your car's battery.
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Can a negative be grounded?

So by definition, ground is at 0 potential and it is neither positive or negative. Conventional current flows in the opposite direction to the flow of electrons.
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Why is the negative terminal considered ground?

When you use the negative terminal of the battery as a "ground" it is really just the common node (return) of the circuit. A circuit has to have a closed loop for current to flow, and using the negative terminal ensures that all of the components have an identical reference point.
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automotive electrical grounds explanation DIY



Where is the best place to ground a car battery?

A basic ground system is as follows: Always use a heavy ground cable and connect one end to the negative battery terminal, and the other end to the starter motor or engine block as close to the starter as possible. This will insure the correct ground path to the starter motor.
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Can you ground directly to the battery?

If you do ground directly to the battery, I'd recommend fusing your ground wire. The reason for this is that if the stock ground strap from the battery to the body were to come disconnected or get pinched/cut somehow, the amp chassis and ground wire become the new ground path back to the battery.
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Is it better to ground to battery or chassis?

Despite common belief, the battery ground is NOT the best place to ground accessories. The battery ground to body/engine/chassis is certainly required in order to complete the circuit which makes up the vehicles ground path.
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Will an amp work without a ground?

a bad ground (or no ground) would prevent an amplifier from turning on. not connecting a 12v+ remote turn on wire, would too, prevent an amplifier from turning on. a blown fuse from a spark will prevent an amplifier from turning on. just a personal note: take off the ground (from the battery) first before installation.
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What can be used as a ground in a car?

Alternative ground points can be bolts, studs and screws connected to your vehicle's frame. Most bare metal on your vehicle's body can be used as an alternative ground point. There's also the option of manually installing your own ground point if you don't feel like searching your vehicle for an open ground point.
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Does a 12v battery need to be grounded?

Yes your - wire should be grounded to the chassis, you can use some #8 wire for that, find a good place when there is a screw, or you can put one in. You need to scrape off some paint for a good connection, and then scew down one end, connect the other to the battery - terminal.
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What happens if ground wire is not connected?

The appliance will operate normally without the ground wire because it is not a part of the conducting path which supplies electricity to the appliance. In fact, if the ground wire is broken or removed, you will normally not be able to tell the difference.
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Are most cars negative ground?

Positive ground was very common, especially on 6V system on work machines. Today almost all vehicles are negative ground.
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Do you need to ground 12v system to chassis?

Generally for automotive 12VDC systems, good clean connections from the battery, chassis and engine are sufficient and the chassis should be fine for use as your ground buss. That has been my method for many years and have never experienced a problem.
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What is a negative ground system?

On a negative ground system, the black wire is grounded to the vehicle chassis and the positive wire of the pump goes to the positive side of the battery.
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Where do you ground negative battery cables?

The negative (black) cable should have one end attached to the negative terminal of the dead battery, and one end grounded. The safest order to attach the jumper cables is as follows: Attach one red jumper cable clamp to the positive terminal on the dead battery.
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What happens if you ground a battery?

Batteries are not electrically charged. If one terminal of a battery is connected to an ideal ground (a perfect sink for electric charge) and charge were to flow out of (or into) that terminal to (from) the ground, the battery would become electrically charged.
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Why do people have negative ground jumper cables?

The reason for connecting the negative cable to ground rather than to the negative terminal of the dead battery is to minimize the chances of a spark near the battery, where there may be potentially explosive gasses.
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How many grounds does a car need?

There should be 3 grounds from the battery negative.
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What is difference between ground and negative voltage?

the "ground" terminal is always the zero-volt reference point. If you have a mixed signal circuit, you may find that you have a ground terminal, along with a positive voltage, and a negative voltage. In that case, the negative voltage terminal is at a lower voltage than "ground".
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