I have an extra ground wire left over from some parts I thought were associated with the factory A/C on Aaron's '74 Dart Sport. It is a 6" long, black, insulated wire with eyelets on each end and has this white number printed on it: 2857741 496555. Anyone have a parts manual that you can check for me?

Thanks,
Jerry

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

what gauge?

better yet, got a picture, it might jog somebody's memory.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

I'm not going off of the part number, but I think your describing the ground wire that goes between the dash and steering column. I can't remember the exact bolts it hooks to but I know its somewhere under hte dash to the column.

I agree with Pierre. One side goes through one of the bolts coming down from the "frame". Where you put that strange spacer washer and nut on. And the other side to one of the 3/8 bolts that you screw in to hold up the column.

By George, I think that man has it!!
I could not recall any wire by that description under the hood of my A-bodies and forgot about the steering column ground wire.

Yes, connect one end to the stud (with a second nut) where that funny washer and the plastic/nylon rectangular thing-a-ma-do-hickey is that holds up the steering colum. The other end goes to one of the 4 stubby bolts that fastens the bracket to the column itself.

FYI- anyone with a 1976 A-body (and maybe late production 1975 A-bodies) there were some changes made and they did away with that ground wire. IN ITS PLACE....... they use a little metal "Z" clip to provide the ground path. I forget exactly how it's fitted, I think it fits into that rectangular plastic/nylon part and it bridges from the metal of the dash to the metal of the steering column mount bracket. This bracket is now welded to the column instead of attaced with 4 stubby bolts as used previously.

This ground is important to make your horn work. It is the ground path for the horn button in the steering wheel. Remember the column is mounted to the plastic parts at the dash, there is no ground at the toe kick plate, and the "pot" coupling to the steering gear, nor the moving parts in the steering box do not provide a ground either. So that little "Z" clip or ground wire (which ever you may have) is very important.

Another side note, before you tighten the nuts that old the steering column to the dash, pull the column/steering wheel up toward the seat as far as you can against those rectangular plastic bushes.
That is part of the collapsible steering column feature, notice that you can push the steering column away from you (such as when you drive in to a brick wall and your body slams against the steering wheel) and it is not supposed to let it come back toward you.

Thanks guys, I'll take a look at the steering column.

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.