Need engine ground wires clarification please

See my "reply" below please! Forum didn't let me post my original post, said it was spam.

 

Hi all ~ long time lurker, rare poster. Many of y'all have saved my butt so many times you don't even know. Thank you for all the detailed information on this site!

1982 XJ550 Maxim

The problem I have is I do not know where (for lack of a better term) the "secondary" ground wire that forks away from the battery ground wire is supposed to be attached. I wish I was kidding. Even though this is my *third* XJ550, this is the only one I recall with this wire. And unfortunately, when I was disassembling prior to the last brief storage I put her in, it popped out from *somewhere*, and I did not see from where, and I never figured it out.

Below:
Alien blood green - the battery ground. Got it. No problem.
My daughter's favorite tutu color - where. the f. does it go?

image: http://www.weo3.com/xj/XJ550_Maxim_engine_grounding.jpg

Either I do not actually know how to read a wiring schematic like I think I do, or everyone knows where it goes when they buy the bike, or I am seriously not seeing the solution right in front of me. Knowing the Japanese, it is exactly the length it needs to be; no more, no less. So I do not think it goes at the frame underneath the negative battery side, but I am so willing to be wrong.

Sub-question: do the metal washers under each battery post go on top of the rubberized pad, or below? Or, are there actually supposed to be two washers for each post?

Latest very brief history of bike and behavior:
• after cross country move in back of moving truck, she wasn't running same; I did a mechanical tune-up, but not an electrical tune-up
• started showing symptoms of possible bad connection somewhere, only after long rides
• one day would not start at all. started to diagnose
• life got in way, had to put in storage for a few months
• upon out of storage, did an electrical check of connectors and found harness connector for rectifier burnt on positive wire
• rectifier also dead
• battery barely sticks at 12.2; can only charge it to 13.5

What has been done during the period of trying to figure electrical out:
• new brake lines (wish I had found the brake line thread YEARS ago!!!)
• new rear brakes installed
• clutch refurbished
• disassembled and cleaned starter motor; jumps with battery test
• installed new solenoid, clicks with battery test
• new battery purchased, tested and ready to install
• new rectifier arrived, tested and ready to install

I do not want to get all this in line and installed, only to discover that I have the bike grounded wrong, and cause my rectifier to blow out again.

Thanks all for your time and responses.

BillyO

 

the neg of the battery goes to a bolt on the engine and that smaller wire goes to the frame somewhere, anywhere

 

+2

 

actual location is the under right bolt in the bottom of the battery holder for the small wire

 

But the reality is, any Engine or frame bolt will be a usable ground

 

the 550 battery ground wire has 3 connectors on it, frame on small wire, battery on large wire and the engine connector has both wires connected to it .
it would be useless to hook the small gauge wire to the motor , its intended purpose is to make a solid ground from frame to motor then to battery
the wire is all ready connected to the engine
and the handy bolt location on frame is right there

 

you don't really even need the small wire if you have good clean connections with your motor mount bolts and that's a good practice anyway. the small wire is just insurance

 

Bu

but remember ..... Some XJ's have hard mounts while others have rubber insulators in the engine mounts, so the extra ground wire is like a bridge....