Okay, so I just got the new engine built a couple weeks ago... I start priming the oil pump and the ground wire from the battery to the chassis gets so hot that the insulation starts to melt... no biggie. started it up and it got cold, u know how that is...

ANYHOW, I decided since the grounds on the g2 were old anyways I was going to change them out for some wild looking braided stainless thing-a-ma-bobs that the stereo installer guys use. lol. (I don't do much car audio work) So anyhow, I changed 2 of them out... the one on the valve cover/chassis at the headlight and the tranny/chassis one and just fixed up the one on the battery because I realized once I started working that I couldn't exactly use that cable on the battery terminal (8ga or something like that) Anyhoo, I saw an INSANE better idle... WTF is up with that? It always idled nasty and I thought it was just the motor mounts (window-weld trick) Anyhow, WTF? I guess I should go ahead and make one for the IM and one for the block if I get happy with ground wires any time soon.

Anybody else ever seen replacing ground wires make a HUGE difference in idle (both cold AND warm) ???

Ratliff

 

I haven't seen huge improvements, but I have heard of people saying they helped. I don't know how big of an improvement. Were the existing ground wire really shitty? If they were trashed, I suppose it could help a lot.

 

The only time those aftermarket "racing" wires will work better than stock is if the stock ones are or have corroded/broken/damaged connections. The oem cables are plenty adequate. Any manufacturer that makes power or whatever improvement claims is just another shyster.

On occasion, even a supposedly reputable manufacturer mey resort to chicanery. A good example of that is the AEM V2 intake. I don't know about the current ad, but the one I saw about a year ago (dyno comparison) sure threw up the bs flag!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ****** &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Were the existing ground wire really shitty?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well I wouldn't say really shitty but they were old and worn, frayed on one end, the copper was very dull looking, etc.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybrid2nr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The only time those aftermarket "racing" wires will work better than stock is if the stock ones are or have corroded/broken/damaged connections. The oem cables are plenty adequate. Any manufacturer that makes power or whatever improvement claims is just another shyster.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Someone had a bad experience with ground wires I take it??? Nobody said anything about racing wires... Nor did we say anything about advertisement, or companies selling anything... The stereo guys GAVE them to me... FREE.

Lol... Thanks for the input man, but I'm talking about how changing old ground wires to new ones affected MY car... Witnessed... First hand... No "chicanery" here, I'm not trying to sell anything. Thanks though. ;-)

Ratliff

 

Proper preventive maintenance of grounds should be on everyones check list - this is a prime example of why. There aren't but a handful of grounds that are relatively easy to get to, clean, and retighten.

The thing is, you didn't gain anything above and beyond what the stock system was capable of producing. Your original grounds were just THAT bad and you have restored things back to normal.

Moral of the story: "Keep your grounds clean and tight".

 

Mine made a difference. I was having odd elec. problems, like my temp gauge would go up and down with any kind of power draw. my headlights barely worked and a couple other problems. I even tested the grounds that were on the car and they checked out good. then I moved the battery to the back made all new grounds and I have 0 problems now, none. I used 2 gauge battery wire for my valve cover/frame and trans./frame and a 4 gauge from intake manifold to body. and the 2 gauge from the battery to the chassis.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BIG RICH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Mine made a difference. I was having odd elec. problems, like my temp gauge would go up and down with any kind of power draw. my headlights barely worked and a couple other problems. I even tested the grounds that were on the car and they checked out good. then I moved the battery to the back made all new grounds and I have 0 problems now, none. I used 2 gauge battery wire for my valve cover/frame and trans./frame and a 4 gauge from intake manifold to body. and the 2 gauge from the battery to the chassis. </TD></TR></TABLE>

, and the good thing is that once you do it, you don't have to worry about it anymore

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by aut0tek &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whoa, whoa, whoa... Someone had a bad experience with ground wires I take it??? Nobody said anything about racing wires... Nor did we say anything about advertisement, or companies selling anything... The stereo guys GAVE them to me... FREE.

Lol... Thanks for the input man, but I'm talking about how changing old ground wires to new ones affected MY car... Witnessed... First hand... No "chicanery" here, I'm not trying to sell anything. Thanks though. ;-)</TD></TR></TABLE>

My only intent here was to clear some misconceptions (not yours necessarily) about the "racing ground wires" hype., seeing how other folks may read this. That's all.

 

HEHEHE, I see... I was just bein funny ;-)