Nationwide Insurance finally paid for the damage to my truck resulting from a fire on July 22nd. An electrical overload ruined the main wiring harness and caused a fire in the fuel system. D-C special investigator could not find the cause. Dodge dealer removed all the wiring from the truck and could not find the cause, so Nationwide refused to cover the loss. My own investigation revealed that the wiring harness ground circuits were overloaded because the starter was faulty and the engine is not bonded to the body or chassis by a heavy strap as on most vehicles. The ground wire to the tank sensor was burned, and as the guage is now erratic, this may have caused an explosion in the fuel tank. My state insurance commissioner was very helpful in insisting that Nationwide conduct a proper investigation. Nationwide hired an engineering firm which confirmed my findings, and Nationwide paid $4500 for the repairs. D-C still maintains that a ground strap is present. Can you find your own?

 

Last year I had starter troubles....in the long run I added a ground strap and it fixed my starter troubles :-[

 

Good job Neal!

 

So, four months of battleing your insurance company huh?<br><br>Im glad you got it paid for.<br>I plan to look for a grounding strap, or put one on, my next oil change.<br>Its good information like this that really helps the rest of us out. <br>Hopefully, with you sharing this information, many of us can prevent the same thing from occuring to our trucks.<br><br>Thanks for the information and your willingness to share it with us.<br><br>Rich.

 

Kudos Neal! Glad you were able to defeat that insurance Goliath!<br><br> Sad that you have to fight to get the coverage you pay for, But I am glad you got it finally paid for.

 

Glad you won the fight.<br>I to will be putting one on mine<br>Congrats again<br><br> : Eddie : 8)

 

time to find a new insurance company &gt;

 

Where are you installing the ground strap to and from?

 

Haven't looked yet.<br>I'll find a place somewhere along the side or rear out of the way.<br>Maybe I'll use a bellhousing bolt if there is a frame hole close.<br>I'm not going to do it untill next oil change.<br>Opps that will prob be right after xmas.<br><br> : Eddie : 8)

 

There is an extra hole on the driver's side of the block forward of the one used now for the negative battery cable. The thread is the same. I used the wiring harness ground point at the front of the cylinder head and added a NO.2 battery cable from Pep Boys which I ran along the top hose to a bolt at the corner of the fender and the radiator frame. The purpose of this bonding strap is to protect the wiring harness, so it doesn't need to be as heavy as your negative cables, and it should go to the body, not the chassis, as that is where the wiring harness grounds are attached.

 

Thanks Neal,<br>Thats good info.<br><br>I think I'll take a look at doing this next weekend.<br><br><br>Rich

 

Good to hear that neal,Nationwide is my Ins co.haven't had to make any claims,good to know how they are!Guess low rates aren't everything.