How to upgrade your grounding system for cheap. (5 HP gain)
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From: Lude Town, TN, USA
How to upgrade your grounding system for cheap. (5 HP gain)
This is taken right out of the Import Tuner issue #92 November 2006.
I know this was tested on a K24 and the pics are from that, but this will help any vehicle.
1) Although results may very, we found the K24 wedged in the wagovan to already have good grounding points. A stock vehicle may have additional advantages of performing this modification.
2) Longer 2 1/8 inch 10mm bolts are needed to accommodate the 1 1/4 inch spacers that will be placed between the col-over ingnitors and grounding plate. The spacer was fabricated using a metal pipe.
3) For this project, we will be using eight butt connectors.
4) Make sure to properly crimp the connector to prevent it from coming loose in the near future.
5) A close-up of the K-series wires. Notice there are two black wires one sporting the white stripe. We will be cutting the black wire only as the main ground.
6) Carefully cut the ground wire. In the case of the K24 engine, the black wire located in the middle is sectioned off. It is up to the owners discretion to ground both sides of the wires to the bar plate or just the plug-ignition. We simply left the wire harness ground alone.
7) Using a set of crimpers, secure the ring-terminal connectors to each of the cut wires for grounding.
8) Place the new cut spacers onto the valve cover and carefully overlay the plate on top.
9) Sandwich the newly established ground wires from the plug-ignition between the plate and spacers.
10) Here's a close-up of the grounding plate and the wire setup, using ring-terminal connectors.
11) Attach one of the grounds from the bar plate setup directly to the battery to maintain proper grounding.
12) When drilling the holes for the grounding plate, distance each of the three holes 3 11/16-inch apart from one another. The fourth and final hole has no set spacing as it is used for the main grounding setup. try experimenting with copper plates, or if your really blinging, use gold for superior electrical conduction.
13) Testing an assortment of metals, we opted to go with an aluminum grounding plate.
14) Call the owner of the vehicle a cheap skate, but the car was dynoed using 87 octane fuel filled prior to our testing. Even with a tank filled with crappy fuel, the K24 managed to muster our a gain of 5.1 horsepower.
15) Now there's something you don't see everyday. A wagovan smoking a tire too the tune of 221 hp.
I know this was tested on a K24 and the pics are from that, but this will help any vehicle.
1) Although results may very, we found the K24 wedged in the wagovan to already have good grounding points. A stock vehicle may have additional advantages of performing this modification.
2) Longer 2 1/8 inch 10mm bolts are needed to accommodate the 1 1/4 inch spacers that will be placed between the col-over ingnitors and grounding plate. The spacer was fabricated using a metal pipe.
3) For this project, we will be using eight butt connectors.
4) Make sure to properly crimp the connector to prevent it from coming loose in the near future.
5) A close-up of the K-series wires. Notice there are two black wires one sporting the white stripe. We will be cutting the black wire only as the main ground.
6) Carefully cut the ground wire. In the case of the K24 engine, the black wire located in the middle is sectioned off. It is up to the owners discretion to ground both sides of the wires to the bar plate or just the plug-ignition. We simply left the wire harness ground alone.
7) Using a set of crimpers, secure the ring-terminal connectors to each of the cut wires for grounding.
8) Place the new cut spacers onto the valve cover and carefully overlay the plate on top.
9) Sandwich the newly established ground wires from the plug-ignition between the plate and spacers.
10) Here's a close-up of the grounding plate and the wire setup, using ring-terminal connectors.
11) Attach one of the grounds from the bar plate setup directly to the battery to maintain proper grounding.
12) When drilling the holes for the grounding plate, distance each of the three holes 3 11/16-inch apart from one another. The fourth and final hole has no set spacing as it is used for the main grounding setup. try experimenting with copper plates, or if your really blinging, use gold for superior electrical conduction.
13) Testing an assortment of metals, we opted to go with an aluminum grounding plate.
14) Call the owner of the vehicle a cheap skate, but the car was dynoed using 87 octane fuel filled prior to our testing. Even with a tank filled with crappy fuel, the K24 managed to muster our a gain of 5.1 horsepower.
15) Now there's something you don't see everyday. A wagovan smoking a tire too the tune of 221 hp.
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From: Lude Town, TN, USA
Re: How to upgrade your grounding system for cheap. (My292Ludes)
just replace every ground wire with new. I will do this to my new lude prolly within the next 3 weeks. going to buy it this weekend plan on dropping it in next weekend, but i posted mainly b/c madcitylude wanted me to.
Ill take some pics when i do mine.
Ill take some pics when i do mine.
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i thinks a couple ponies from ground wires can be passed up if youre saving for turbo town....youre gonna need the $$.....
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
if you want to do this on a prelude, youre gonna need to replace the transmission to body ground, the battery to body ground, the valve cover to body ground, and the valve cover to motor mount (driver side) ground, those are the only main underhood grounds, though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
in oem configuration, the battery-body-transmission ground is all together as one wire, but you can replace it with two....
and always make sure to wire brush the crap/paint off of anywhere you plan on grounding on....
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
if you want to do this on a prelude, youre gonna need to replace the transmission to body ground, the battery to body ground, the valve cover to body ground, and the valve cover to motor mount (driver side) ground, those are the only main underhood grounds, though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
in oem configuration, the battery-body-transmission ground is all together as one wire, but you can replace it with two....
and always make sure to wire brush the crap/paint off of anywhere you plan on grounding on....
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Re: (flipwhip)
i learned how to drive stick in a civic like that.........
and while i don't doubt their results.......i find it hard to believe it would be a common occurance on every car out there.
they are partly trying to sell magazines here.
and while i don't doubt their results.......i find it hard to believe it would be a common occurance on every car out there.
they are partly trying to sell magazines here.
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From: dirty jerzzzz
Re: (bb4ever)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i thinks a couple ponies from ground wires can be passed up if youre saving for turbo town....youre gonna need the $$.....
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
if you want to do this on a prelude, youre gonna need to replace the transmission to body ground, the battery to body ground, the valve cover to body ground, and the valve cover to motor mount (driver side) ground, those are the only main underhood grounds, though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
in oem configuration, the battery-body-transmission ground is all together as one wire, but you can replace it with two....
and always make sure to wire brush the crap/paint off of anywhere you plan on grounding on....</TD></TR></TABLE>
for the LIFE of me, i can't find my valve cover to body ground on my H23.
i THINK i found the valve cover to motor mount, but its like a puney 20 gauge wire. is this right?
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
if you want to do this on a prelude, youre gonna need to replace the transmission to body ground, the battery to body ground, the valve cover to body ground, and the valve cover to motor mount (driver side) ground, those are the only main underhood grounds, though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
in oem configuration, the battery-body-transmission ground is all together as one wire, but you can replace it with two....
and always make sure to wire brush the crap/paint off of anywhere you plan on grounding on....</TD></TR></TABLE>
for the LIFE of me, i can't find my valve cover to body ground on my H23.
i THINK i found the valve cover to motor mount, but its like a puney 20 gauge wire. is this right?
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wow my mistake man, preludes dont have one stock, the valve cover to motor mount also goes to the body, so it functions as a 2 way ground.....
stock it is a puny *** 20ga wire....put some 8ga in there.....
stock it is a puny *** 20ga wire....put some 8ga in there.....
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From: DFW, TX, U.S.A
Re: (bb4ever)
well according to import tuner dyno tests show the prelude 5th gen didnt gain anything http://www.importtuner.com/pow...elude/ infact we lost some 
this depended on placement of the wires no substancial gains
Modified by Lude_Nation at 6:08 AM 9/20/2006
this depended on placement of the wires no substancial gainsModified by Lude_Nation at 6:08 AM 9/20/2006
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From: Lude Town, TN, USA
Re: (Lude_Nation)
how did you lose some it says base hp was 178.2 and 150.5 tq then after ground system was 179.1 and 150.3. thats almost 1 hp gain to the wheels. gotta understand the 5.1 hp the civic made was corrected and at the flywheel. that wasnt whp
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Re: (M2B4)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by M2B4 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how did you lose some it says base hp was 178.2 and 150.5 tq then after ground system was 179.1 and 150.3. thats almost 1 hp gain to the wheels. gotta understand the 5.1 hp the civic made was corrected and at the flywheel. that wasnt whp</TD></TR></TABLE>
Dyno notes: We played with many different grounding points and still weren't able to make any power. Most of the power differences you see on the graph are so minimal we aren't even sure if the wires made a difference. One thing we did find out was not to ground the wires by the coil. We actually lost power there, so we moved them to the intake manifold and bumped power back up to our baseline figure.
Dyno notes: We played with many different grounding points and still weren't able to make any power. Most of the power differences you see on the graph are so minimal we aren't even sure if the wires made a difference. One thing we did find out was not to ground the wires by the coil. We actually lost power there, so we moved them to the intake manifold and bumped power back up to our baseline figure.
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Re: (Lude_Nation)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lude_Nation »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dyno notes: We played with many different grounding points and still weren't able to make any power. Most of the power differences you see on the graph are so minimal we aren't even sure if the wires made a difference. One thing we did find out was not to ground the wires by the coil. We actually lost power there, so we moved them to the intake manifold and bumped power back up to our baseline figure.</TD></TR></TABLE>
You only bolded the part that would help your arguement...You neglected to bold the part before that, that says...
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lude_Nation »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dyno notes: We played with many different grounding points and still weren't able to make any power. Most of the power differences you see on the graph are so minimal we aren't even sure if the wires made a difference. One thing we did find out was not to ground the wires by the coil. We actually lost power there, so we moved them to the intake manifold and bumped power back up to our baseline figure.</TD></TR></TABLE>
No one is saying that this is going to make a HUGE difference in the performance of the car, But what can it hurt to have your engine better grounded? Plus what M2B4 was saying is that from the dyno it gained .9 whp. But on the other hand...It looks like it lost .2ftlbs... So this is a topic that is up in the air.
You only bolded the part that would help your arguement...You neglected to bold the part before that, that says...
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lude_Nation »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dyno notes: We played with many different grounding points and still weren't able to make any power. Most of the power differences you see on the graph are so minimal we aren't even sure if the wires made a difference. One thing we did find out was not to ground the wires by the coil. We actually lost power there, so we moved them to the intake manifold and bumped power back up to our baseline figure.</TD></TR></TABLE>
No one is saying that this is going to make a HUGE difference in the performance of the car, But what can it hurt to have your engine better grounded? Plus what M2B4 was saying is that from the dyno it gained .9 whp. But on the other hand...It looks like it lost .2ftlbs... So this is a topic that is up in the air.
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From: DFW, TX, U.S.A
Re: (AnthonyG2003)
did you see the first post where i said the placement of it matters but for a 5th gen prelude it doesnt make sense came with good grounds i dont care about any others cars,thats what i drive and thats all i care for.
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From: SLC, ut, 84118
Re: (M2B4)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
</TD></TR></TABLE>
I did this with some leftover 8g I had laying around. 
though custom grounding the distributor and the vtec solenoid would not be a bad idea at all.....
</TD></TR></TABLE>
I did this with some leftover 8g I had laying around.
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Re: (tacticalcustoms)
and .9 hp is such a minimal number on a dyno. sometimes ppl think dynos are these scientificly accurate pieces of equipment. they aren't.
runs can vary like this all day and the only thing you might have changed was whether your windows were down or not.
all the little hp here and there. you only worry about these little things when you have gone and done EVERYTHING. which is why i wouldn't even bother, unless yours was like corroded / cut / nonexistant
runs can vary like this all day and the only thing you might have changed was whether your windows were down or not.
all the little hp here and there. you only worry about these little things when you have gone and done EVERYTHING. which is why i wouldn't even bother, unless yours was like corroded / cut / nonexistant
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for those with access...I dont remember if you have to be a member to read posts....read up on this thread on PO about grounding kits for the Prelude
its long but worthwhile..and if your not a member...ask yourself why, and /yourself
http://preludeonline.com/showt...dburn
its long but worthwhile..and if your not a member...ask yourself why, and /yourself
http://preludeonline.com/showt...dburn
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From: Morton, IL, USA
Re: (hella_usdm)
Just ground body, head, tranny, and distributor and call it a day. Make sure your harness to thermostat housing ground is clean also. 1 or 2 hp is only for bragging. You won't notice a difference at the track or on the street. You could gain or lose the same amount by putting new or different plugs in.
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From: DFW, TX, U.S.A
Re: (madcatz)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by madcatz »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">for those with access...I dont remember if you have to be a member to read posts....read up on this thread on PO about grounding kits for the Prelude
its long but worthwhile..and if your not a member...ask yourself why, and /yourself
http://preludeonline.com/showt...dburn</TD></TR></TABLE>
from reading that pretty much grounding kits/wires are B.S
its long but worthwhile..and if your not a member...ask yourself why, and /yourself
http://preludeonline.com/showt...dburn</TD></TR></TABLE>
from reading that pretty much grounding kits/wires are B.S
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Re: (Lude_Nation)
I think in the case of the K24 in the Wagovan it was certainly a useful upgrade
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well said
In most our cases the gains will be minimal if at all. But it will not hurt either.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
also.....keep in mind this is a 1989ish civic with a grounding system designed for a 1.6 sohc...
your prelude's system was designed for a 2.2 liter or bigger motor....and it is a good couple of years newer than this car....
im not saying this isn't a good thing to do...because it is, but dont expect 5hp from it on every car...
</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well said
In most our cases the gains will be minimal if at all. But it will not hurt either.
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From: Lude Town, TN, USA
Re: (soundbomber)
this thread was not made for people to argue whether or not its "smart" or "stupid" to do. simply put it on here because i was asked to. minimal gains are better then no gain...just something for you to do to help out your car if you choose.
