Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 .Hello all love all the great info on this site. I recently picked up a 1953 Chrysler Windsor and was told it was the 6 volt posititive ground type however when I look under the hood it the negative cable running to ground. Just curious if this can cause issues the car seems to start and run fine. I do have some grinding when shifting into gear but I still have to crawl under and check linkage and oil etc. But didn't know if the reverse polarity could cause issues. Thanks in advance. Quote
Doug&Deb Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 Dumb question but is it a 6 volt battery? Many people convert to 12 volt negative ground. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 Yep 6 volt. I'm just not sure about the positive negative ground thing or if it really matters or.not. Quote
keithb7 Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 Welcome to the forum. I too own a 1953 Chrysler. Which type of tranny do you have? Manual 3 speed or semi-auto with torque converter and clutch? Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 I have the semi auto with torque converter. Quote
Los_Control Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 Welcome aboard ... tough question. It would be positive ground originally Not many people would bother to convert it to negative ground, without also switching to 12 volts. Just no benefit to switch. I am not very good with electricity, pretty sure your radio will not work negative ground, I am not sure what else would not work ... gas gauge, heater would not care, starter motor ... Just thinking to myself, if I see a black battery cable on a car, that is the ground and on our old cars that means it goes to + side of the battery. the - is the power side. Just opposite of everything we were taught growing up I also have a red cable for my ground, only because it was only color available in the big 00 size wire, or I would have bought black and connected it to the + side of the battery. Quote
keithb7 Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 Regarding the transmission. You have some clashing of gears it would seem. There are a few things going on when you shift. Likely not related to the battery ground question you asked. Idle speed should be set to spec. It makes a difference. Tranny oil type and proper level makes a difference too. Suggested reading includes an original shop manual. Also the Chrysler Master Mechanic series on troubleshooting and repairing the M6 tranny. Double check for sure that the battery cable from the negative post goes to the ground. As mentioned, not just the black cable goes to the ground. It could easily have cable colors mixed up. I know mine are. I have a black 00 battery cable from the positive post to ground in one of my cars. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 Hi and thanks everyone for the info. Ya i think the po had it converted to 12 volt and then went back for some reason maybe had issues like previous posts mention. It seems to run fine and I have some rewiring of components because wires where cut when they went back to 6volt. Im going to look at fluid levels and wiring to transmission today see if any issues there. As for the positive or negative ground I'm thinking as long as everything is wired the same way which is negative ground at this point it should be fine. We ll see if I run into issues. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 Yep I plan to check all that today and looks like I got some reading to do as well. I have verified neg cable to ground. The y have it grounded to the block which is painted wonder if i should loosen and scrap that off for better connection? Any thoughts. Quote
49WINDS Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 I have a 49 Windsor that was also wired with negative grounded when I got it. Even though I thought it started well, once I switched it back to positive ground it started way easier. Another way to tell if they correctly switched it over to negative is to look at your ammeter while the engine is running. If it goes negative when you rev the engine and/or positive when you put a load on it like turning on the lights then the PO probably didn't actually convert it over. 1 Quote
49WINDS Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 7 minutes ago, Hghspd50 said: Yep I plan to check all that today and looks like I got some reading to do as well. I have verified neg cable to ground. The y have it grounded to the block which is painted wonder if i should loosen and scrap that off for better connection? Any thoughts. Mine is also grounded to the block but I did clean the connections when I installed the thicker battery cables. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 Hi 49winds ya ill prob go ahead and try that and scrap that paint off the block in that area. I have noticed it is slow to start also when turning on lights while running they are dim. I'll have to do the amp guage check. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 I wonder if I was to switch the battery cables so positive went to ground if it would harm anything also if id need to switch wires on any other components when doing so. Anyone done this before? Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 when swapping polarity on these cars one must be prepared to polarize the regulator...be sure you have this procedure at hand to remedy the possible no-charge condition....consider the radio and what may or may not have been installed that made it necessary to go negative ground. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 28, 2020 Author Report Posted August 28, 2020 OK ya that makes since looks like I have some investigating to do on this wire setup. Thx. Quote
Los_Control Posted August 28, 2020 Report Posted August 28, 2020 I think looking at your amp gauge is maybe easiest clue to see if it is correct. .... it is possible I believe, ??? you will destroy the original positive ground radio if you have it installed and turn it on. I know nothing about the transmission wiring, above someone said it should not matter. The story goes, positive ground was superior for a few reasons, less corrosion on wires, they had less frame rust ... was a few reasons and almost all auto manufacturers used positive ground. Except for 1, that was gm ... they never had a positive ground system. In order to get some uniformity and everybody going the same direction for new doo dads like aftermarket radio's, air conditioning etc .... GM won out, and everybody else went negative ground. This was in the early to mid 50's, GM came out with the sbc, they brought out the corvette, Ford introduced the Edsel. So even though positive ground is better, today's cars are negative ground. .... No reason to be ashamed of a positive ground system. 1 Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 30, 2020 Author Report Posted August 30, 2020 Well I'm sure I found part of my shifting issues. I removed the interior panels to check fluid levels and noticed there's no wires connected to governor or solenoid dont know why that would be but looks like i need a new wiring harness. Anyone know of good parts place to order one? Quote
Dodgeb4ya Posted August 30, 2020 Report Posted August 30, 2020 Rhode Island Wiring or Y and Z Wiring. Quote
Hghspd50 Posted August 30, 2020 Author Report Posted August 30, 2020 I'll check them both out. Thanks Quote
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