where did the idea about the 4th gen having bad grounds get started?

I also own a toyota and there is no mention on the Toyota forums about bad grounds.

However I owned a 1979 vw that the engine ground would break and the only electrical path was thru the speedometer cable- that did not last long.

where/when did this maxima 4th gen forum reported "problem" start?

 

Not quite sure what you're asking, but the 'problem' starts whenever a ground wire gets corroded to hell, or is rubbed through to the point there's only a single strand for a connection, etc.

Some cars are prone to grounding/electrical issues, some aren't.

 

Not that I am disagreeing with you phmor. But the I don't think many people here really understand what a ground does and they blame bad grounds because they don't really understand electronics. Properly grounding a vehicle is not that complicated. As long as the negative terminal of the battery is properly grounded all the other grounds on the vehicle generally will not fail.

Every circuit requires a good ground to complete the circuit but that can be easily obtained by contacting almost any clean bare metal surface on the car, Unless a ground wire is attached somewhere where it can easily corrode due to salt or rust there are usually no problems.

The OP is correct most cars do not have grounding issues and the Maxima is no different. Although there are times where an added ground wire may actually fix a problem this is not the norm. I for one would never purchase a grounding kit for my car.

 

The car comes with a grounding kit. Most would try to clean the one installed rather than buy a fancy one and install it on top of the one already there.

 

All vehicles are vulnerable to grounding issues. All starters ground through the engine block. I think its more about environment than vehicle type. I live on the Oregon coast and corrosion is a common problem here. Salt on winter roads is bad as well. If you drive a car with a rusted core support and all your aluminum parts showing white corrosion, you can bet your @$$ that grounds will be an issue. Just grounding to the body is not good enough, you motor/trans is isolated from the body with rubber mounts and you need to have at least the stock grounds between the motor and body.

If you want every light, coil, relay, motor, led, audio device to work you need good grounds. that means grounding your battery to your motor, and your body. Your harness has grounding points as well, and is necessary for your relays, and coils, and solenoids to function. A little bit of rust or corrosion will cause a bad circuit and possibly many dollars chasing a problem that could be fixed in 15 minutes with a little elbow grease.

Don't waste time and money with grounding kits, just clean your stock grounds. Visual inspection is not enough.

 

. Also, OP, this is not a "Nissan" problem as you describe it.

 

I ♥ my Grounding Kit. Changed my headlight and my stereo output.

 

then there is the guy in the classifieds selling "ground kits" aka pieces of random wire , what a joke

 

Why is it a joke? Have you seen what the grounds look like? They aren't isolated properly (exposed copper) and over time will corrode faster (weather dependent). To many it’s a convenience to just buy a kit for $50 bucks and be done with it.

On a side note, I have not purchased the grounding kit. Also it might be a "joke" to you but to others not so much...bad grounds suck and as was posted above a visual inspection just doesn't cut it.

 

When he said 'visual inspection doesn't cut it,' I believe he meant you need to unscrew the ground, not just look at it screwed on, to see if it has corrosion. NOT, 'buy the grounding kit because corrosion on ground wires is invisible.' There are a few instructive sentences before the one you misquoted.

The way I look at it is if I am to spend 50 bucks on "extra" grounds, I also have to spend time screwing them on, and buying them, all that shyt. One can just as well spend THAT time cleaning the existing ones, and still have $50 for a beer or two.

Now if there was major work done to the car, and you know there are ground wires missing because it was not all put back together, then I see the need for it. But generally, it's just eye candy it seems.

Afterall, the "grounding kit" will also corrode at some point, and do you buy another kit to put on top of those? At some point you'll need to take out the wire brush and clean and coat them with some petroleum jelly.

 

One other thing. I've seen pictures of engine bays with this giant red octopus of wires sitting on top; I would hate to have to remove it, and put it back on when something needs work.

But, I am a bit lazy.

If someone has a need for it, I can respect that.

 

Yes, I meant unbolt connections, clean surfaces and reassemble. With properly cleaned grounds, kits should not be needed.

Also, when replacing a starter make sure the mounting surface is clean, its the ground point for the starter.