Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Friday March 29, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC General > Newbies & FAQs

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-02-2004, 01:55 AM   #1
skier
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 47716
Join Date: Nov 2003
Chapter/Region: VIC
Location: BC, Canada
Vehicle:
2004 Impreza 2.5TS
Aspen White

Default static electricity?

Hi all,

Here is the situation: turning the engine off, get out of the car, trying to close the drivers door and constantly getting slight "current rush". Can see some sparks even when it's dark outside. And it's becoming pretty annoying...

Is it just static stuff because of air drag ? Or may be I've got some wiring problems?

Thanks!
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
skier is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 03-02-2004, 02:04 AM   #2
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

Happens every winter....cold, dry air and static does not dissipate as well as warm, moist air.
Zap...

I use Static Guard spray on the seats, floor mats, carpet , door cards, and headliner. It helps. You can also just make sure to be touching part of the door jam while getting out of the car as this will help. Some people touch the keyhole on the outside of the door with their key so it gets the zap....
DO NOT push the door closed by the window glass...it will eventually break the lift mechanism.
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 02:05 AM   #3
Pakin
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 17315
Join Date: Apr 2002
Chapter/Region: International
Location: Date Line Denies F-22s
Vehicle:
MY95 Impreza 207C
MY05 Forester 257X

Default

It's pretty common for Scoobs to have this problem (actually on most cars). Usually on clothed seats.

In a way it is indirectly tied to the wiring. The car is not exactly grounded, in literate terms.

One may think the tires would do it, but the fact is the tires of today are compounded with silicon, in effort to reduce rolling resistance and noise. So basically your car is riding on 4 insulators.

There are a few ways to remedy this effect.

1. (What I always do) After opening the door, before placing your feet on the ground hold onto a piece of metal or touch while exiting your feet onto the ground. I usually touch the bolt near the hinge lock on the frame (not the door).

After your completely out of the car take your hand away and close the door without teh shockie


2. Get those rubber strip things that attach from your frame to the ground.


3. Buy the fancy pad-to-wire thing where you touch the pad on the way to exiting the car (basically the same thing as #1, only you don't have to touch the metal, a wire is mounted to the bolt you could touch and it connects to the pad where you may place it anywhere at your convience.)

-paK +3
Pakin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 02:38 AM   #4
skier
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 47716
Join Date: Nov 2003
Chapter/Region: VIC
Location: BC, Canada
Vehicle:
2004 Impreza 2.5TS
Aspen White

Default

basically I was trying to exclude wiring problems from the list of possible reasons. Static thing is much more easier thing to handle

Thanks for your answers guys!
skier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 10:17 AM   #5
Innov8r
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 39145
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Kansas City
Vehicle:
2003 WRX
Sonic Yellow

Default

I've read if you install a grounding kit it will reduce this problem if not eliminate it.
Innov8r is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 12:55 PM   #6
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Innov8r
I've read if you install a grounding kit it will reduce this problem if not eliminate it.
I think somebody trying to sell 'grounding kits' wants to think that
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 03:51 PM   #7
armand1
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 10309
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:
'02 OBS 2-tone!
White

Default

Uncle Scotty is right; the static has nothing to do with tires or the car, other than the seats -- it's your back 'n butt rubbing on the cloth seat. Any of the fabric anti-static sprays should help you out.
armand1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 04:02 PM   #8
MrBaggio
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 35375
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: VA
Vehicle:
2003 Wrx
WRC Blue

Default

I heard people having good results with rubbing the seats down with one of those dryer bounce sheets.

Or you could just get out of the car like an old person (pull yourself out by the door frame)
MrBaggio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 06:59 PM   #9
JIN
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 27731
Join Date: Oct 2002
Default

Yeah man, I get them all the time. So tempted to leave my door open till I return ...

Jin
JIN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 07:09 PM   #10
Voltron
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 27347
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Northern Illinois
Default LOL

Quote:
Yeah man, I get them all the time. So tempted to leave my door open till I return ...
Lol maybe this is why I see car doors left open in parking lots ---- M I K E
Voltron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 07:23 PM   #11
AzSandSlinger
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 32684
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: Maricopa, AZ
Vehicle:
2015 STi
Ice Silver

Default

I used to work as a radar technician in the marines... I learned from other folks there that MOST vehicles have this same problem. It has to do with static electricity the car naturally accumulates (environment, people, seats, etc...). What I did is connect some ground braid to a bolt underneath the car and allowed it to "drag" along the ground. This allows a path for current to it's home (ground ). I used the same crap the Marine Corps used, it was basically raw cable shielding for a 1" cable.

-Shane
AzSandSlinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 09:19 PM   #12
armand1
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 10309
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:
'02 OBS 2-tone!
White

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by AzSandSlinger
...What I did is connect some ground braid to a bolt underneath the car and allowed it to "drag" along the ground. This allows a path for current to it's home (ground ). ...
That would fix the problem if the problem were sparks between car and ground; however, the problem is sparks between people and car, so unless you want to strap a ground braid to your leg or sit naked in an unupholstered metal seat , I'd stick with the anti-static spray.
armand1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 10:11 PM   #13
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by armand1
That would fix the problem if the problem were sparks between car and ground; however, the problem is sparks between people and car, so unless you want to strap a ground braid to your leg or sit naked in an unupholstered metal seat , I'd stick with the anti-static spray.
Static electrical charge is just that....by eliminating the charge in the body of the vehicle you eliminate the charge on yourself and guess what??? NO spark!!!....rocket science at its best.....I tried to convince people of this a long time ago and got flamed....
I haven't been zapped since I installed a ground strap as described by AzSandSlinger....happy zapping
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 11:24 PM   #14
AzSandSlinger
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 32684
Join Date: Feb 2003
Chapter/Region: SWIC
Location: Maricopa, AZ
Vehicle:
2015 STi
Ice Silver

Default

I'm sorry you got flamed Uncle Scotty.. I could have went into more detail for the electrically-challenged (like floating grounds, current flow, Ohm's law, Physics, etc...) to stray a little... current finds the path of least resistance to ground and if you allow it to flow to earth (ground braid), it will not go through a human (resistor). I'm glad I am not the only one who has done this with dramatic results. I know what I know of electricity and current flow, and I also know that what I did works!

-Shane
AzSandSlinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2004, 11:39 PM   #15
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by AzSandSlinger
I'm sorry you got flamed Uncle Scotty.. I could have went into more detail for the electrically-challenged (like floating grounds, current flow, Ohm's law, Physics, etc...) to stray a little... current finds the path of least resistance to ground and if you allow it to flow to earth (ground braid), it will not go through a human (resistor). I'm glad I am not the only one who has done this with dramatic results. I know what I know of electricity and current flow, and I also know that what I did works!

-Shane
Yeah....I get tired of getting too technical sometimes 'cuz it gets frustrating.

My fix is a 2 foot piece of regular 6ga. copper power cable, with a soldered and crimped ring connector dragging on the ground under the car from a body bolt. I removed the insultion from the end about 8" and used some safety wire to keep it from fraying too much towards the end.
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2004, 10:19 PM   #16
armand1
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 10309
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:
'02 OBS 2-tone!
White

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Scotty
Static electrical charge is just that....by eliminating the charge in the body of the vehicle you eliminate the charge on yourself and guess what??? NO spark!!!....
I'm glad the ground-strap approach has worked for you guys.

Not trying to flame anyone, my point was just as follows:
We're dealing with 3 "bodies" here, the car, the driver and the "ground". Any one can in theory build up an electrical potential relative to any of the others. A spark will only happen between two bodies with very different electrical potentials. Since the main problem is people sparking when they get out of cars, they must have acquired an electrical potential vs. the car. This could happen in two ways: (A) by the car changing its potential and the driver, insulated from the car while driving, remaining the same or (B) by the driver changing his potential and the car, insulated from the driver while driving, remaining the same. The ground strap mod fixes (A), the anti-static fabric spray fixes (B).
In my car (and many others, see for example http://autonet.ca/EdmontonDrive/stor...?storyID=11140), the problem is (B). There are a couple of easy ways to test if (B) is the problem in a given car: (1) when getting out of the car, be very careful not to touch on or near metal, so as not to discharge any electric potential; then go touch a different car's door, a metal pipe, etc and see if you get a shock. If so, it's case (B). (2) With the car parked, touch the metal on the door to discharge any potential, then rub yourself around on the seat for a minute or so. Touch the car door on your way out and see if you get a shock. If so, it's case (B), because the car wasn't on or moving or doing anything to create case (A).
armand1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2004, 10:45 PM   #17
skip4343
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 15643
Join Date: Feb 2002
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: Fairless Hills PA
Vehicle:
2013 TDI Wagon
KTM 950 ADV

Default

i get shocked almost every time i get out of my truck. ZAP
skip4343 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2004, 11:06 PM   #18
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

The ground is just that, and you can not develop a static charge between it and yourself.

armand1, I'm sorry that it is confusing, but If you ground the vehicle properly you won't get a spark.
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 12:27 AM   #19
Timex
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 49317
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Virginia
Vehicle:
2003 WRX Wagon
Yellow

Default

"I've read if you install a grounding kit it will reduce this problem if not eliminate it."

No, it surely won't.
Timex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 02:08 AM   #20
ilara72
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 24047
Join Date: Sep 2002
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: Southern California
Vehicle:
2009 STI
2002 WRX

Default

armand1
I agree with what you've said. I encourage others to read it more carefully.
ilara72 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 10:51 AM   #21
JIN
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 27731
Join Date: Oct 2002
Default

Or ... get the Lambo door mod. Thunderhawk one sounds good too man!

Jin
JIN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 03:07 PM   #22
Prairie Dawg
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 16598
Join Date: Mar 2002
Chapter/Region: TXIC
Location: the Katy prairie
Vehicle:
'09 Civic Si
Redline Orange

Default

I have an interesting/alarming video clip (from Conoco/Phillips) concerning static electricity and filling up at a gas pump...if anyone can host it for me. *s*
Prairie Dawg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 06:02 PM   #23
armand1
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 10309
Join Date: Sep 2001
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Seattle, WA
Vehicle:
'02 OBS 2-tone!
White

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Scotty
The ground is just that, and you can not develop a static charge between it and yourself.
If this were true, then how could lightning exist?
Quote:

armand1, I'm sorry that it is confusing, but If you ground the vehicle properly you won't get a spark.
No need to apologize -- I'm not confused.
armand1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2004, 10:27 PM   #24
Uncle Scotty
*** Banned ***
 
Member#: 16200
Join Date: Mar 2002
Vehicle:
OK buy Nates beans
westcoastroasting.com

Default

Who said anything about GD lightning...???
Uncle Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2004, 12:25 AM   #25
skier
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 47716
Join Date: Nov 2003
Chapter/Region: VIC
Location: BC, Canada
Vehicle:
2004 Impreza 2.5TS
Aspen White

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Prairie Dawg
I have an interesting/alarming video clip (from Conoco/Phillips) concerning static electricity and filling up at a gas pump...if anyone can host it for me. *s*
how big is it?
skier is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
I hate static electricity!! Sephro Off-Topic 32 12-10-2008 11:26 PM
How do i get rid of static electricity? StopSweatinMe Off-Topic 34 01-25-2007 12:35 PM
Static electricity and gas pump don't mix....... RoadRashed Off-Topic 38 03-24-2004 12:32 AM
Static electricity problem dead-eye General Forum Archive 36 12-08-2000 09:40 PM
Static electricity!!! dead-eye Newbies & FAQs 7 11-07-2000 12:19 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:40 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.