Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Does my car leak electricity?

After I drove the Contour, parked it,
switched the key, and closed the door
with my hand, I was always shocked by
the static electricity from the door.

At first, I doubted maybe it is due to
the dry weather in some days. But after
I drove recently for over a month, it
happened each time. Now I have to prepare
a piece of cloth before I am going to
close the door to prevent shocked again.

Does my car leak electricity somewhere?
If it does, where maybe the cause?

Thanks for your suggestion.

It is just static electricity. There is nothing other than the ignition system that can produce voltage anything like that in the car's electrical system. It is physically impossible for the car's electrical system to be the cause of something like this.

It's seasonal phenomena common during winter months. when the humidity gets higher, it'll stop happening.

or you could wear alumimum foil pants hehe..

Don't worry, it's nothing major as the others have already stated. Static charges build up on the car as it moves through the dry winter air. It is a common problem with aircraft, hence those little stick-looking things on the trailing edge of the wings. They are static dischargers, or static wicks. You can buy an alternative for cars at most automotive stores, a rubber strip braided with copper wire that hangs down from the car. They look tacky, but work rather well.

I get shocked everytime I get out of my tour! I also have the strip at the back of the car. I'm sure it touches the road all the time but I will have to double check.
The weather is a factor as mentioned above, as it is cold where I am.

My questions are, is it possible that the static charge can cause bulbs to blow or sensors to not work? Also, if the strip is touching the road, why would I be still getting the static charge?

Stephen

I doubt that it is hurting anything on the car. If it were, it would be causing warranty costs for Ford and they would do something about it. If you have the strip and it is contacting the road, I'm guessing that it doesn't have a good electrical contact with the vehicle.

FWIW, When I replaced my stock tires, the problem wasn't as bad. The stock Firestones seem to be particularly bad at providing an electrical ground. Several tires have a strip of moderately conductive tread to help take care of this issue.

Another (cheaper) option is to hold the body of your vehicle as you are stepping out. Then the ground path is completed between your foot and the pavement (rather than between your hand and the door as you reach to close it) and you are less likely to feel it.

The material your pants are made of has a lot to do with the creation of the static charge.

As you turn in your CLOTH seat to get out of the car,
your pants rub the seat and you build up a negative charge.
When you touch the METAL of the door,
this charge is discharged into the body of the car.
Simply spray the seats and carpet with STATIC GUARD,
and the problem should cease.

A trend in tire design lately is toward reformulated compounds, usually with increased amounts of silica and lesser amounts of carbon black.
In doing this, the average tire has become a poorer ground path to the road causing an increase in static build-up in the car.

I agree with Diodeboy - find a nice clean surface to remount the static strip to. You'll need bare sheet metal (no paint) to mount it to in order to get a good contact. After it's installed again, repaint the area to keep rust away.

Thanks to all for the answers, I will try to relocate or correct the no ground of the strip.

Stephen