Radio interference stops when brake depressed.

[Mister Luck]

Thank you everyone who replied. After further searchs on Google it appears this is not really an uncommon problem with Ram trucks of my vintage. One fellow claimed to have cured it by sanding the grounding location of the antenna. I tried this - no luck. And to answer a question about the ground strap I replaced it was from the engine head to the body. Possible that the alternator is the problem. I will try disconnecting that and see if it cures the problem. As to why I listen to am - I am old cranky and set in my ways. I like a specific talk radio and I dont want to Bluetooth my phone every time I get in the truck for a five minute trip. Out in the boonies where I live lots of am stations are crystal clear. If I want music I use Bluetooth cause I am fussy about what I listen to.

I want you to rethink this strategy of grounding an aluminum cylinder head to the body of it’s chassis
Electrolysis exist because of electrical conductive current ( engine coolant ) flowing inside two dissimilar metals the softer of the two is the aluminum
And it is almost always commented because this is not readily observable but I always advise against it because I have seen the worse case scenario. The additional path for electrical current to travel is not necessary because of the vehicle’s ignition system..
I thought you actually meant the entertainment system as calling it the head .. which I also wanted to ask
“ is it the original radio because in 2016 RAM still referred to connected devices as iPods “

 

[RamDiver]

Thank you everyone who replied. After further searchs on Google it appears this is not really an uncommon problem with Ram trucks of my vintage. One fellow claimed to have cured it by sanding the grounding location of the antenna. I tried this - no luck. And to answer a question about the ground strap I replaced it was from the engine head to the body. Possible that the alternator is the problem. I will try disconnecting that and see if it cures the problem. As to why I listen to am - I am old cranky and set in my ways. I like a specific talk radio and I dont want to Bluetooth my phone every time I get in the truck for a five minute trip. Out in the boonies where I live lots of am stations are crystal clear. If I want music I use Bluetooth cause I am fussy about what I listen to.

Unfortunately, many different types of problems often get confused to be similar or the same when in fact they're not even distantly related.

Unless you heard both faults yourself, I wouldn't be so confident that they're the same.

If a bad diode in the alternator's rectifier circuit is to blame, the only method to isolate it from the truck would be removal of the offending module or circuit board.

RFI or radio frequency interference is a form of EMF that is difficult to block and will continue as long as current flows through the rectifier board of the alternator.

Pulling a fuse from the output side of the alternator will have no effect on current flow through the diodes. It might be a good test to try but if you still hear the buzz, it's because of what I described above.

Does that make sense?

.

 

[Wild one]

I want you to rethink this strategy of grounding an aluminum cylinder head to the body of it’s chassis
Electrolysis exist because of electrical conductive current ( engine coolant ) flowing inside two dissimilar metals the softer of the two is the aluminum
And it is almost always commented because this is not readily observable but I always advise against it because I have seen the worse case scenario. The additional path for electrical current to travel is not necessary because of the vehicle’s ignition system..
I thought you actually meant the entertainment system as calling it the head .. which I also wanted to ask
“ is it the original radio because in 2016 RAM still referred to connected devices as iPods “

Ma Mopar grounds the aluminium heads to the body,you should tell them they've been doing it wrong for years.

 

[RamDiver]

Ma Mopar grounds the aluminium heads to the body,you should tell them they've been doing it wrong for years.

Galvanic corrosion be dammed. Too many electronics on these engines to worry about a little electrolysis.

.

 

[GTyankee]

reading all of this, reminds me about driving along railroad tracks.

The trains wheels rolling along the steel tracks, makes its own electric current.
That electric charge eats the metal in the railroad tracks & metal in the bridges & trestles.

So along the tracks, they connect something like a thin copper wire to the tracks & to an coil of wire & spinning shaft.
If you look at the power poles next to the tracks, you might notice little spinning umbrellas

 

[RamDiver]

reading all of this, reminds me about driving along railroad tracks.

The trains wheels rolling along the steel tracks, makes its own electric current.
That electric charge eats the metal in the railroad tracks & metal in the bridges & trestles.

So along the tracks, they connect something like a thin copper wire to the tracks & to an coil of wire & spinning shaft.
If you look at the power poles next to the tracks, you might notice little spinning umbrellas

That's quite fascinating about the railroad tracks.

I've been walking along the tracks out here recently and noticed that periodically they have these sets of ground wires connected to a common grounding post or maybe it's something else. I'm going to have to check again next Monday.

The gauge of wire looked far too small for any serious current but that makes sense now. A large steel car rolling on steel tracks would have a transformer effect and induce current into the tracks. Cool!

If I had to guess, the wear on the tracks is more likely to be from friction than the electrical potential, unless you have more data on that.

I have a buddy who's an engineer/physist, I'll quiz him the next time that I see him.

.

 

[Mister Luck]

reading all of this, reminds me about driving along railroad tracks.

The trains wheels rolling along the steel tracks, makes its own electric current.
That electric charge eats the metal in the railroad tracks & metal in the bridges & trestles.

So along the tracks, they connect something like a thin copper wire to the tracks & to an coil of wire & spinning shaft.
If you look at the power poles next to the tracks, you might notice little spinning umbrellas

Tire manufacturers add a coloring ingredient to make the rubber in tires black this ingredient is actually electrically conductive.

 

[RamDiver]

Tire manufacturers add a coloring ingredient to make the rubber in tires black this ingredient is actually electrically conductive.

That's interesting but... I've always been taught that the tires would insulate a car from conducting electricity. Do you have a link or any further details?

IIRC, several of the driver training safety courses I've taken have directed us to never step out of a vehicle that has become energized by a fallen electrical wire. Your first choice is to stay put but circumstances such as a fire, could require immediate evacuation. They always said to jump away, landing flat on both feet and then move away by sliding both feet across the ground.

Were all of them nuts?

The whole idea is that the vehicle body (they used to be mostly metal) would be energized at a different potential than the ground. If you were to be a conductor between the two, and complete the circuit to ground, you would be toasted.

The group of companies I worked at for several decades had mandatory driver training safety courses every 2 or 3 years.

.

 

[GTyankee]

As you mentioned, cars used be all metal in the vehicles interior.

They changed over to plastic to cut down the odds of being electrocuted inside of the vehicle.

Another thing, the rubber is only approximately 4 to 7 inches from the Hub to the Ground.
LIGHTNING just traveled several yards, from the clouds to the Vehicle, Do you really think that that same Lightning can't jump another foot to the ground ??

If you think the vehicle is charged with something like a Power Line. Stay in the vehicle, unless you have no other choice.

 

[Mister Luck]

Ma Mopar grounds the aluminium heads to the body,you should tell them they've been doing it wrong for years.

You need to provide proof for that one no MOPAR or Chrysler's I ever owned had a dedicated ground strap from an aluminum cylinder head to the body… no one would stop you of course from starting your own thread telling everyone what a great idea it is.

 

[Wild one]

You need to provide proof for that one no MOPAR or Chrysler's I ever owned had a dedicated ground strap from an aluminum cylinder head to the body… no one would stop you of course from starting your own thread telling everyone what a great idea it is.

Apparently you've never pulled the heads on a 5.7 then, or worked on a 2.2 or 2.5 4 cylinder,and you've definitely never worked on an early smallblock or big block Mopar
Here this should make you happy,if not,get off your ass and go crawl under the hood of your truck and feel around on the back side of the heads

Cylinder Head Ground Wire

So I'm doing my dad's cam and lifters on his 2015 and when removing the heads I noticed there was only one grounding wire attached to drivers side head at the back and it was wires coming from the harness. My 2014 had a metal grounding strap that wyed off to BOTH heads. Is this normal?

www.ramforum.com

Ground Strap On Back of Heads

www.ramforumz.com

Ground strap on head

www.dodgetalk.com

Ground wires - DodgeForum.com

2nd Gen Ram Tech - Ground wires - I did an engine swap on my 98 dodge ram 1500 5.2L. My truck wouldnt start but I found out I had an issue with a ground wire that went to the frame but I got that figured out and the truck ran for about 10 seconds before I shut it off due to enclosed space and no...

dodgeforum.com

Dodge Ram 1500 Strap. Engine. Ground - 05064814AB | Mopar Parts Overstock, Lakeland FL

Strap. Engine. Ground. Dodge Ram 1500. Genuine Dodge Part - 05064814AB (05064814AA). Ships from Mopar Parts Overstock, Lakeland FL

www.moparpartsoverstock.com

Start watching this video about the 2 minute mark.

Hemi 5.7 Bad Grounds And Leaking Gaskets On My 2010 Ram 1500

It's another episode of What the F is wrong with my truck!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Scott_RodsFacebook - www.facebook.com/groups/scottrods/Amazon Wis...

www.youtube.com

'

Loose Ground Strap

www.chargerforums.com

 

[GTyankee]

Aluminum, may not be the best conductor of electricity,
BUT back in the late 1960s, almost every Mobile Home, & quite a few regular homes were wired with Aluminum.
Once a year, all the junction boxes had to be opened up & the screws had to be tightened, especially if the climate had a large swing in temperature

 

[crash68]

You need to provide proof for that one no MOPAR or Chrysler's I ever owned had a dedicated ground strap from an aluminum cylinder head to the body… no one would stop you of course from starting your own thread telling everyone what a great idea it is.

Not only are the aluminum heads grounded but the drive accessory.brackets and/or alternator housings which also made of aluminum are grounded to the body and battery.

I'll stop you in your tracks, don't go attacking another member for proving you wrong.

 

[Mister Luck]

Not only are the aluminum heads grounded but the drive accessory.brackets and/or alternator housings which also made of aluminum are grounded to the body and battery.

I'll stop you in your tracks, don't go attacking another member for proving you wrong.

Ok but he didn’t so no need to worry.

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process where two different metallic materials are connected electrically through an electrolyte [1]. Accelerated electrolyte drives corrosive ions to reactive sites faster than motionless electrolyte (erosion or flow-accelerated corrosion) [2]. These types of corrosion are mixed during electrolysis since applied external voltage produce electric current that heats the electrolyte near electrodes. It is possible to calculate metal weight loss into the electrolyte from an anode by Faraday's law of electrolysis

The electrolyte heated layers move near electrodes from bottom to surface with different velocities, so such type of corrosion can be called as electrochemical corrosion.



Stray currents energize all underwater metals.

The higher electrical potential seeks a path to ground through the weakest metals, starting with the least noble metal, zinc, and moving up the scale of nobility.

The culprit is mainly direct current, because alternating current needs to be converted into dc before it can cause metallic corrosion.

Electrolysis can accelerate the process of corrosion exponentially compared to galvanic reaction alone.

The rate of metal deposition will vary depending on the voltage and current applied.

• Select components carefully to avoid using those made of dissimilar metals.
• Carefully monitor any dc electrical functions incorporated in the system to locate and resolve any poor grounding or other source of leaking voltage. (I.E. in electrical direct current DC voltage this can be through either positive + or negative - current because current flows both ways)
• 
  
• The fluid is the single most important component in any hydraulic system, so regularly analyze it to monitor the overall health of the system.
• 
  
• Consider using additives to decrease the electrical conductivity of the fluid.

The following video outlines electrical current flow and how decreasing resistance increases current flow , which by adding of additional grounding wires to an aluminum cylinder head increases the likelihood of electromechanical corrosion.

Noted the outlined above gives solutions or steps to take in order to help prevent additional risks of bimetallic electrolysis and galvanic corrosion within the cooling system.



https://youtu.be/qdaOSiScEu8?si=32GWo4va3y2pRMts

 

[crash68]

Ok but he didn’t so no need to worry.

He proved you horribly wrong..here I cued it up for you..

Hemi 5.7 Bad Grounds And Leaking Gaskets On My 2010 Ram 1500

It's another episode of What the F is wrong with my truck!Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Scott_RodsFacebook - www.facebook.com/groups/scottrods/Amazon Wis...

youtu.be

Or are you another non-believer in YouTube videos that they're just a sales gimmick..

I'll give you a hint, give up while you can just walk away

 

[Wild one]

Ok but he didn’t so no need to worry.

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process where two different metallic materials are connected electrically through an electrolyte [1]. Accelerated electrolyte drives corrosive ions to reactive sites faster than motionless electrolyte (erosion or flow-accelerated corrosion) [2]. These types of corrosion are mixed during electrolysis since applied external voltage produce electric current that heats the electrolyte near electrodes. It is possible to calculate metal weight loss into the electrolyte from an anode by Faraday's law of electrolysis

The electrolyte heated layers move near electrodes from bottom to surface with different velocities, so such type of corrosion can be called as electrochemical corrosion.



Stray currents energize all underwater metals.

The higher electrical potential seeks a path to ground through the weakest metals, starting with the least noble metal, zinc, and moving up the scale of nobility.

The culprit is mainly direct current, because alternating current needs to be converted into dc before it can cause metallic corrosion.

Electrolysis can accelerate the process of corrosion exponentially compared to galvanic reaction alone.

The rate of metal deposition will vary depending on the voltage and current applied.

• Select components carefully to avoid using those made of dissimilar metals.
• Carefully monitor any dc electrical functions incorporated in the system to locate and resolve any poor grounding or other source of leaking voltage.
• 
  
• The fluid is the single most important component in any hydraulic system, so regularly analyze it to monitor the overall health of the system.
• 
  
• Consider using additives to decrease the electrical conductivity of the fluid.

The following video outlines electrical current flow and how decreasing resistance increases current flow , which by adding of additional grounding wires to an aluminum cylinder head increases the likelihood of electromechanical corrosion.

Noted the outlined above gives solutions or steps to take in order to help prevent additional risks of bimetallic electrolysis and galvanic corrosion within the cooling system.



https://youtu.be/qdaOSiScEu8?si=32GWo4va3y2pRMts

So apparently you never checked the back of your drivers side head for the factory ground.
Here's the part number for the ground strap they used up till 2014,then they switched to a ground through the wire harness,but it's still a ground,i already gave you this link,but it appears like you missed it.You'll notice it's a ground strap bolted to both heads,then it has a clip on the end that attaches to the heat shield under the truck,or on some trucks attaches to the firewall,my 14 had it attached to the firewall. Get ahold of Mopar and tell them they've been doing it wrong for years,as they apparently aren't hearing you here , but if i was to hazard a guess,their engineers probably know more about galvanic corrosion then you do,and if they're grounding the heads,there's probably a good reason,they aren't really prone to building additional parts that aren't required like say a ground strap to the heads,if they didn't think it was beneficial. Throw in the fact the exhaust system is also grounded,and is another ground path to the heads,just crawl under your truck,and you'll see the ground strap that grounds the exhaust,and last time i checked the exhaust is basically stainless steel and cast iron,with steel bolts that go into the heads,so that's 2 ground paths to the heads.
BTW the aluminium heads are the weakest metal in the engine,and compared to the cast iron block,would become the anode metal. I'm no engineer,but common sense would tell me,you'd want to ground the heads,so they don't become the anode metal in the system

Dodge Ram 1500 Strap. Engine. Ground - 05064814AB | Mopar Parts Overstock, Lakeland FL

Strap. Engine. Ground. Dodge Ram 1500. Genuine Dodge Part - 05064814AB (05064814AA). Ships from Mopar Parts Overstock, Lakeland FL

www.moparpartsoverstock.com

This product fits 1280 vehicle variants.
Dodge: 3 models, 246 variants between 2008 and 2010.
RAM: 3 models, 1034 variants between 2011 and 2014.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Yeah, big difference between "grounding" and "bonding". Take it from a looooooong time boater (salt and fresh), bond all metal components together through a common bond (green or braided S/S wire on boats) to prevent stuff from disappearing, due to electrolysis on dissimilar metals..

 

[Wild one]

Yeah, big difference between "grounding" and "bonding". Take it from a looooooong time boater (salt and fresh), bond all metal components together through a common bond (green or braided S/S wire on boats) to prevent stuff from disappearing, due to electrolysis on dissimilar metals..

Used in that context everything on a car/truck is "bonded" as nothing goes to an actual ground rod stuck in the dirt,lol

 

[RamDiver]

Used in that context everything on a car/truck is "bonded" as nothing goes to an actual ground rod stuck in the dirt,lol

I would call it bonded because everything shares a common ground connection not to be confused with earth ground but because everything is bonded together, a potential difference between any metal components is almost impossible.

I say almost because common grounds occasionally fail and then we could see a potential difference if the circumstances were right. Not too likely, though. LOL

.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Used in that context everything on a car/truck is "bonded" as nothing goes to an actual ground rod stuck in the dirt,lol

I have encountered some rotating equipment that have "static brushes" on them. These are whisker like components that bond / ground the rotating assy to the stationary assy by resting the whiskers on the rotating components shaft while bolted to the stationary side. Not uncommon in industrial and military applications.

Purpose is 2 fold:
1. Stops radio interference caused by the static and
2. Stops roller bearing pitting caused by stray electrical currents thru the bearing rollers.

Grounding vs: Bonding are almost, but not exactly the same thing. Not all components are connected to the vehicle chassis through a suitable solid connection. Some of those items may contain dissimilar materials and when introduced to water / road salts (or what ever), can cause galvanic action. Those items that do not have an "electrical component", but still connected to the chassis through a "bonding wire" are considered technically bonded.