I broke down on the way to work this morning. The car started misfiring and eventually cut out & wouldn't restart. Luckily while fiddling/checking multiplugs etc, with the car 'on', I noticed sparks coming from the air filter bracket where it was resting against the plate. I've not had this bolted in for the last couple of years, but quickly realised this was the car's main earthing point! Obviously some enthusiastic driving had slightly dislodged the bracket so was only making intermittent contact with the chassis. Luckily I had enough tools in the tool roll to bolt it in properly and get me to work -it ran fine. Surely this can't be right and I'm missing an earth strap somewhere? The small one from alternator to chassis is there, then a couple from the battery to the gearbox, but I can't see any on that side to the chassis?
My 3 have a strap from the alt bracket to the P/S res bracket mount and another smaller one from the bellhousing to the LHS strut tower next to the Air filter. I'd fit a thick cable from the earth point to the bellhousing or block in your case
Cheers, I checked it properly this evening and you are correct. Large earth strap from battery neg to bellhousing, medium size from battery neg to chassis, tiny one from bellhousing to n/s shock tower. I'll make up some nice earth straps but obviously am concerned that I may be concealing a problem as the stock ones are not broken as such. I can only think that the AFM itself needs a good earth?
the AFM has an earth. make sure you have the stock ones. then add one from the alternator bracket to the strut tower. should be fine.
