Fuel Tank grounding

[aschwartzenburg]

I noticed on my fuel fill line there is a wire connected to the metal spout, which I'm guessing is a ground but the other end of the wire is not connected to anything. If this is a ground, where is the best place to ground the other end?

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Fuel Tank grounding

Any place that winds up at the battery ground. This is to prevent static electricity which can ruin your day.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Fuel Tank grounding

yep, very important. You fuel gauge will read empty if not grounded correctly.<br /><br />cheers

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Fuel Tank grounding

Welcome to the board, DrFracMan. <br /><br />As was mentioned, static electricity can/will build up with the friction of fuel flowing thru the fueling hose. It needs some place to go without creating an arc (aka spark) that can ignite gas fumes. If it does spark, that would be the part that ruins your day.<br /><br />In reality, the entire fueling system for gasoline pumps, hoses, and nozzles are grounded. There are multiple gnd lines running inside the fuel hose. It’s the result of federal regs that have been in place for years. If it weren’t we’d hear a lot more about gas stations going up in flames while cars are fueling, particularly in the winter months. It is possible to still find some 55-gal barrels with hand-cranked pumps deep in some swamp areas that are not grounded. But as long as you are getting fuel from a place that has fuel delivered by one of the big tanker trucks you have nothing to worry about.<br /><br />A ground for the fuel gauge sensing was also mentioned. That typically happens at the fuel measuring/sending unit. The sending unit has a gasket that seals against the tank that would isolate it from the tank’s grounding, except for those 5 weirdly spaced screws that hold it in place. Those screws should provide continuity to a grounded tank but maybe not depending on how the shebang was assembled, so the sender often has it’s own gnd tab.