grafx

Feels like static electricity when I touch the car door. What causes this??

Stekman

That is exactly it. Static electricity. Same theory basically as scooting around in socks on carpet and then touching a lamp.

grafx

I was getting shocked good today. Could a bad ground cause your car to shock you??

Stekman

The shock has nothing to do with your cars electrical system. The shock you recieve as you touch a metal part of your car (usually after getting out) is caused by a static electrical discharge. Is the car shocking you? No. You are shocking the car. As you move around in your seat electrons are transfered from the seat to you. This gives your body a negative charge. As you get out of the car and you reach for an object, usually your door as you shut it, the negative charge in your body looks for a way to ground out or balance out. By touching the door, or any metal part for that matter, you lend a way for the negaitive charge to escape from you and go somewhere else. The shock you experience is merely the electrons that you aquired, from moving around in the seat, transfering from you to the door. Ever see the signs on gas pumps that give a warning about static electricity? Thats the same reason. If the first thing you touch after getting out of your car is something such as fuel, it could ground through that and cause a spark which could ignite fuel. Its a very uncommon occurance, but it happens every once in a while i suppose.

This is a perfectly normal happening. It is how nature works. Its the exact same principal as lightning, but on a much smaller scale. It has nothing to do with your vehicles grounding system. There is absolutly no reason to get worried.

vpStein

this has always happened to me, I've just learned to touch a metal part on my car, such as the door frame, before putting my foot on the ground, you know, ground yourself... after your foots on the ground you can let go, you're discharged.

You can also shock the guy in the car next to you if you time it right and ground yourself

Petes 84Z28

Ever notice under the back of some cars, there are one or two rubber straps hanging down far enough to contact the ground when the car is at rest? They are grounding straps designed to prevent the static discharge (and possibility of explosion).

CaysE

No? A rubber strap isn't going to ground anything. I've never seen this on either of my Camaros...

MrDude_1

the solution is for you to toss a anti-static dryer sheet in the dryer when you're washing your clothes.:lala:

thirdgen88

Make sure you don't forget to put the ground strap deal back in when you change coils on a large cap hei. If you don't, when you go to adjust the timing, you might end up shocking the hell out of myself..

Apeiron

They're aftermarket.

MrDude_1

uhh, actually whenever i do anything with the engine running where i might touch a plug wire, i make it a point to NOT ground myself to the car.

that way, i dont complete the circuit and i dont shock myself.

ME Leigh

The static electricity is caused by the tires "rolling" on the road, picking up a static charge. When you touch the car you provide a direct path for that static charge to flow.

BTW this has only started occurring in the last 10 years or so, with the different designs and compounds used in tires today.

PyRo9862

Don't get curious as to what happens if you pull the coil wire with the car running either. It isn't fun, I learned the hard way

Stekman

ME Leigh, while this may be possible, lets look at this (assuming all things possible). Your tires pick up static electricity from rolling on the pavement. The electrons are then transfered from the tires to the doors and the other parts of the body. You get out and touch these parts and get shocked. Yes that sounds feasable. But why would the chassis grounds not ground out the electricity as the car is in motion? The firewall is connected to the body in a few places. Theres a big ground strap on the firewall that grounds to a cyl. head.

Besides, my physics book in both high school and college, as well as my teachers/prof told me that it is most common as i stated it.

TheMysticWizard

iTrader: (1)

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

Atleast it wasn't on my car, because I think the coil I have is a lot hotter than a Dodge Mini-Van.

It smarted... not a first tho.

When I was young, my dad got me to grab the spark plug terminal on a 8 horse power briggs and straton engine on a rotor-tiller while it was running. He was a crule man, but I guess it was to learn me a lesson, as he said it.

Come to think of it, I've been shocked so many times... maybe I am slow...

Back on topic... My car shocks me (or I shock my car as it was said earlier) all the time. I usually get out, standing up, then go to close the door, and get a nice little zap. It's kinda fun, strange thing is it doesn't happen to my passangers, only me... hmm... I fear that one day I'm going to attract lightening to myself.

dangerousd89

this used to happen to me every once in a while in my 70 rs/ss camaro. the doors were all steel and had half door panels. the bottom was exposed metal. it so happend my speaker wires were rubbing on the door and would sometime shock me when they made contact. maybe an idea for you. speakers in door. maybe grounding or arcing in some way

MrDude_1

you need to define a object.
the car, as a whole, can hold a charge because the tires insulate it from the ground. ground as in earth, pavement, ect....

so you walk along, building a static charge... you are insulated from the ground because of your rubber soled sneakers.

now, you might be building a charge because your clothes are rubbing together, you might be building it because you rubbed a balloon on your hair a billion times, i donno.

but you arnt electrically connected to earth, therefore you are holding your charge.

when you stand next to your car (also insulated from earth by the tires) you and the car have a diffrence in charge.

there is ALWAYS a diff. however, if the diff is large enough it will "jump" between the gap of you and the car, and you get a shock.



Apeiron:
not to be a dick but, rubber does not conduct electricity.

Petes 84Z28:
frankly thats a stupid idea, even if it did conduct electricity.

plus if the problem is his clothes, it wont even help. he still has a diff in charge between him and ground.

if its to solve the gas station fire "problem", the solution is, dont be a idiot and get back in the car while pumping gas... or if you do, atleast touch the cars chassis or the metal ground of the pump casing.

ME Leigh

Exactly!

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

Static electricity... heard on the news you guys had extreamly low humidity like 9% down there so that'll make it all the worse.

Air_Adam

Don't touch the coil on a Ford Flathead V8 when its running... that was a shocking experience (that was bad I know..)

I could hear the 'snap' from the current too, lol

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I think you all have got it all wrong.

It's from looking at newer cars.

We all know cars are feminine, and we all know how jealous women are. So, you check out other cars, your car sees you doing it, the next time you touch it, it responds accordingly.

It's all so simple, really....

TheMysticWizard

iTrader: (1)

LMAO!!! That's good! Never know... I think my car has it's own mind.