Ground faults are probably the commonest DC circuit fault, but they're
pretty easy to troubleshoot. Just get about 15 feet of 12 gauge wire,
connect one end to the battery, and touch the other end to the negative
terminal (you're not in the UK so remarks about positive ground don't need
to be made) of the thing that doesn't work. If it works (dome light lights
with switch on), you've isolated your problem.
Maintaining a good ground isn't so easy. Let me say right now that my
electrical system is self installed and not OEM, but it works. From the
battery (-) terminal, I have a 10 gauge black wire that goes to a terminal
bar mounted inside the stove cabinet up high. This brass terminal bar has
10 screw connections for separate circuits. From the terminal bar, I can
route ground wires to where ever. That's ground as far as I'm concerned,
since a P19 doesn't have a permanently installed engine block or keel to
bond to.
I try to wire everything by going (+) battery terminal to fuse, fuse to
switch, switch to (+) side of load, (-) side of load to terminal bar, and
terminal bar to (-) battery terminal to complete the circuit.
Hope this helps,
Mac Davis, Kelpie, WWP19#804, Aripeka, Fl
<snip>
Will someone please describe the "ground" system on a P19? Is
>everything supposed to be grounded back to one spot, and what is this
>"spot", or are the individual (running) lights grounded somewhere near
>the light? I've seen some electrical diagrams that show only one
>battery terminal hooked into the electrical system, and the circuit's
>other end terminates at "ground", is this really how it is done, or is
>this just some kind of representation of closing the circuit back at the
>battery?
>
>All I am trying to run off the battery now is the lights.
>
>Thanks for any and all responses.
>
>James Fauver
>P19 Southern Star
>Lake Conroe, Texas