1993 Ranger Battery Cable Question

[Freshmeat]

Hey guys- I finally replaced the ground cable in my Ranger (1994, 3.0, 4x2, manual) with an OEM style replacement cable and there’s an extra ground coming off the lug at the block, but I didn’t have it on the generic cable that had been put in the truck before.

Anyone know where it’s supposed to go? As it is, the truck runs substantially better despite the old cable looking fine internally, but I’m a nut for over-grounding my vehicles.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[Uncle Gump]

I don't know exactly...

Perhaps one cable part number fits a few different model years.

That said... my gut says frame ground.

@ericbphoto probably knows...

 

[ericbphoto]

Oh, no. I have been summoned. I don't know. But let me go out to the garage and look at a 93.

 

[Freshmeat]

If I don’t get any good confirmation I’ll make it a frame ground. Just figured I’d see if anyone knows for sure.
Thanks for helping!

 

[ericbphoto]

I just looked at mine. I only have one thick wire at the engine block end of my negative cable. Coming out of the battery end of that cable, I have 4 wires.

1. The big thick wire going to the engine block, near the starter.
2. A smaller (10AWG?) Black going from the battery clamp to the body/radiator support just above the driver side headlight.
3 & 4. Two black wires (12AWG?) Coming from the battery clamp and going to a connector under the fuse/relay box. On the other end of that connector, two black/white stripe wires go into a large wire bundle. One appears to go forward, where it most likely travels around the engine compartment and enters the cab on the passenger side, under the heater blower. The other appears to head aft toward (maybe?) the firewall penetration connector near the clutch. An EVTM would confirm all this. But I don't have one yet and it could be slightly different from your vehicle.

That pigtail appears to have a crimp connector on it that might connect with a starter ground wire on some trucks or it might connect to one or more of the other grounds I mentioned above.

 

[Freshmeat]

I think I’m going to connect it to the frame.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Josh B]

My 93 ground has a second wire on the battery end that grounds to the frame near the headlights.

The original starter had a bolt on wire(from the fender solenoid) that a replacement starter included a slip on connector to, and had an insulator that resembled the one on your cables second wire.

My first thought was it was maybe meant to go to a starter solenoid ground, but don't know why it would need it