Hello,

About 6 months ago I traded a car I had for my Dads 1992 Ford Ranger. He had work done on it and it runs extremely well. Up until about 2 1/2 months ago my volt gauge has started to bounce periodically. Lights will flicker and cause a rough idle now. Alternator is fine, it's only a year old. Had the battery tested twice, came back fine both times. So I decided it might be a ground wire. Today I took my multi meter out to the truck to test grounds and stumbled upon this one (see photo). It looks old and does not look oem at all, although I could be wrong. I tested it and it's giving off crazy readings, thinking this might be the culprit. But my question is, is this a oem wire? I'll be replacing it anyway but it's the weirdest looking wire!

 

Flat bare conductors are common for factory grounds. I'd say it's factory. I recall them connected to the hood to provide a perfect ground.

 

That is a factory ground that I believe goes to the bolt you can see on the wiper motor. Yours bolt looks rusty so clean it up so it makes good electrical contact.