This is an automotive question

[Cliffy777]

Hey,
As I have gone on record - I am not mechanical. This question is about a car.
Now that I have to drive a cage now and then (Michigan winter and all) I went and bought one. It is a Mercury Sable and I have noticed lately that when I open the door there is a lot of static electricity build up and I get a good pop from the door.
Someone told me that is normal for a car with cloth seats. (My last car had leather...)
Izzit so? Cloth seats = static electricity?
Or could it be something else.
SUCK UP PART - I only ask cuz there is a lot of knowledge floating around on this forum and I wanna tap into it.
Thanks in advance.

[kbasa]

Oh man.

I remember that whole thing.

Our Accord used to get me pretty good.

[knary]

Originally posted by KBasa
Oh man.

I remember that whole thing.

Our Accord used to get me pretty good.

Our civic does it nearly every time. If you time it right, you can zap your spouse as she's climbing out.

[Cliffy777]

okay, so i won't worry about it. i was thinking the whole car was becoming charged and that it might burst into flames....well, maybe not all that.
if i do have a passenger, which is rare, i will be sure to let them get out first so they can start their day with a tingle!
thanks.

[James O]

If I remember correctly, that static electricity that you are describing has been blamed for a few ugly accidents at gas stations over the last few years. People (women primarily ) will hop back in their car as it is filling up and will get back out after the pump clicks off or if they think it is close to filling up. If they fail to ground themselves on some part of the car away from the fill nozzle they can start a nasty fire if they generate a spark close to the tank around all those fumes. When this has happened in the past some people have panicked and pulled the nozzle out of the tank compounding the problem. Serious stuff. Be careful especially during the winter months when more static electricity is generated. Other than that feel free to zap the people you love.

James O

[Cliffy777]

I will not pump gas until AFTER I zap myself. Thanks for the heads up.

[riderR1150GSAdv]

Remembering that zapping in my old cage I decidesd to get a grounding strap that attached to the bottom of the car and touched the ground when parked or sloweing down. It helped some but with the humidity low when cold you will still get zapped a little.
I found the strap in a carparts shop but don't recall where but a piece of heavy welding cable ought to do the same. It was mounted underneath the car on a piece of bear metal away from where it can get caught or cause damage.
Safe zapping!!:rofl

[Cliffy777]

I am kinda gettin' to where I like the little zap. I am not a coffee drinker, so this provides that little boost we all need in the morning.

[The_Veg]

Back in January my then-employer sent me up to Saginaw to inspect a hospital. DAMN cold up there and I had some fun run-ins with static electricity. I got into a conversation with an elderly gent in an elevator at the hospital about it and I'll never forget how, in his thick midwestern accent, he described a strong static shock as "a good poker." I've used that one myself a few times since.
But the worst was the Lincoln Town Car my stepdad had in the mid-'80s. We took it up from Alabama to Connecticut one holiday season and after spending the better part of the day rubbing around on that thick velour the resulting discharge was painful and unforgettable, including the very loud and sharp POP sound.

[Win3855]

If the shock is bad enough, when you get out take the key and hold on to it and touch the end of it to ground. The charge still happens but between two metal pieces, not flesh.:bliss

[lorazepam]

Aw heck, just bolt a big section of logging chain to the frame, it will keep you from falling asleep at the wheel, the sparks will amuse other drivers, and the zaps will disappear.

[crvalley]

I wonder if that is why they always suggest you fill a gas can on the ground than in the trunk or pick-up bed...

This is also why they "ground" a plane prior to refueling with an actual ground cable...

Something to think about, I think...

[eljeffe]

What's a car?

[The_Veg]

Yes that's one reason about filling cans, I think it's also good to avoid chancing a spill/overflow in your vehicle.

We always used ground straps with trucks in the army too. The fuel truck would be grounded to whatever it was fueling, or when parked would be grounded to a big long copper-coated steel stake driven into Earth.

[donkey doctor]

Hello; I bought my wife a PT Cruiser in '01, it zaps my wife just about every time she uses it, she hates it because of that. Funny thing is, it doesn't bother me at all, I only rarely get zapped. Our other car (s) don't do that.

I thought that the worry about fueling a tank on your pickup bed was something to do with the static electricity build up between the pickup box and the box liner. Certain box liners were worse then others.

[widebmw]

I think you run a # 6 ground wire from your seat to the chain that drags on the ground at the rear of your car.
:idea

[Cliffy777]

I ran the wire from the chain to the chain that holds my big ass leather wallet in my pants so people know i ride a motorscooter.

[jgr451]

Hey how long should that logging chain be to make the best sparks?I love those,especially at night.I follow those guys,just watching,and hoping the chain will fall off.COOL!!

And hey Cliffy,how long does that chain coming out your back pocket have to be for it to be a official biker thingy?

And if that chain is wired to the logging chain....doesn't that kinda get ya right in the ass every time?Or at least slow ya down when you are trying to get out of the car?

[lorazepam]

I have a 6 foot chain on my vehicle, modified with a cast iron window weightat the end, so I can go really fast.