forgot to put ground back on when replacing starter...do i HAVE to

[greathuskie]

ok the gronud that goes to the top right bolt that holds the starter on, well i forgot to put it back on when replacing it

can anyone tell me if i HAVE to replace it, the car started fine without it however that bolt is a huge pain in the ass and if i dont have to redo it then im not gonna

 

[luv2rallye]

Yes you need to (or at least somewhere on the engine block that the starter is bolted to). Otherwise you will have 80-100 amps, when starting, going through whatever wire/braid/cable that connects your engine to your car body (since the battery negative connects to the car body). And that wire/braid/cable will not be big enough to handle that much current and will eventually melt/break (not to mention drop significant voltage).

 

[greathuskie]

getting to that bolt is such a PITA, oh well ill do it tonight