Project Cabriolet's charging system was in need of something, but we weren't really sure what. We had been through three batteries-the folks at the battery store checked out the charging system and said it was okay, and they were certainly scratching their heads at the number of battery replacements we had needed. Other that the failing battery, we had only one clue: a voltmeter that refused to read above 12 volts. Under load, it dropped to 10 or 11 volts.

New Dimensions offered a possible solution for our problem. He recommended a supplementary ground. According to ND, "Early cars and 16Vs alike seem to have the same group of ground-related problems. The real source of the trouble is the way VW ran the original ground, counting on the upper transmission mounting bolt to transfer the current from the battery to the engine."

Solutions for Elusive Problems
A ground problem can manifest itself in many ways. On our Project Cabriolet 16V, as we mentioned, the volt gauge had a consistently low reading. Our battery was always coming up dead. Even turning the headlights on pulled the voltage way down.

Other symptoms of a bad ground may include gauges flickering at idle or even an oil temperature reading that pulsates with each flash of the turn signal (especially common on 16V Sciroccos). If the problem is severe enough, a bad ground can have the same symptoms as a bad Hall sensor in the distributor. The car is hard to start when hot and may stall with the tach dropping quickly, indicating an electrical problem.

VW addresses the problem with a wire harness for 16 valvers, which goes from the battery to the 16V head to the alternator. It's easy to fabricate your own cable or you can buy one of ND Products new supplementary ground made from high strand count, U.S. -made copper wire for a super flexible cable. Gold-plated terminal ends reduce corrosion and German sheathing is a duplicate of stock wiring. Like all ND products, it features direct fit installation. For $12.95, we sure wouldn't bother making our own!

Why Need Special Wiring?
We were grateful to Tim for sharing his expertise on this one. The problem on Project Cabriolet had been persistent, and irritating. Installing the ND Supplementary Ground made our voltage gauge jump up to 13.8 volts like it was supposed to. No more batteries have failed, and we've not yet been stranded with a shortage of electricity. We went on to replace the positive battery cable and alternator with ND's Massive Overkill goodies.

Massive Overkill Wiring Accessories is a part of ND Products, a new venture for New Dimensions. Besides the supplementary ground, there are two other cables/harnesses: replacement positive battery cables, and alternator harnesses with high current capability. We installed both on Project Cabriolet at the same time we upgraded the alternator to assure that we would get the juice we needed into our system. The ND Products wires are a great fit, super quality product, and like the name says, are massive overkill-if there's a problem, it won't be with the wiring.

ND Products High Current 4-gauge Positive Battery Cable: Recommended for 90-amp and up alternator installations. The proper length for correct fit-surprisingly, factory replacement cable are not necessarily the correct length. The ND cable uses a full contact battery clamp design, with a gold-plated starter terminal. The 4-gauge, U.S.-made cable has 1665 strands of copper (Count them to be sure, okay?) and is extremely flexible. Priced at $19.95.

ND Products High Current 4-gauge Alternator Cable: Recommended for 90-amp and up alternator installations. U.S.-made, 1665 strands, 4-gauge copper wire. This high strand count makes the cable super flexible. Gold-plated terminal ends, German sheathing and an OEM plug end make for easy, direct fit installation.