How To: Ground Wire Replacement For Your Civic

bad6as

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ok i still dident notice any difference in my car after doing this. am i missing any thing?
could some one just say like trans to starter then so on and so on because im starting to think im stupid and im doing every thing back wards
 


green

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okay.....I'll try to do this the right way.

This is my setup. I tried to copy the universal diagram I posted ahwile back. (see attachment )

(1) I went from chassis to valve cover (next to right headlight.) (stock location)
(2) Then I went from top left valve cover to transmission ground.
(3) I then went from transmission ground to stock chassis ground. I have a gold plated piece mounted there, where I can connect multiple ground wires.
(4) From the gold plated piece, i go to negative battery ground. (stock location)
(5) Then lastly, I have a single wire going from my Intake Manifold to negative battery ground.

Total: 5 wires.

Gains: Torque Increase, HP increase (very noticeable for me)
Smoother Idle. (at a light, It sounds like my car is off)
Smoother acceleration.

Before you ask questions about this setup I'll try to answer some.

FAQ:

1. Q : Why did you set it up this way?
A: I set it up this way with my primary goal to hide the wires as much as possible. I hate the look of wires running all over the engine bay. For the most part everything is hidden. I copied the diagram I posted as much as possible without having wires all over the place.

2. Q: Why do you have two grounds to the valve cover?
A: If you look at the diagram it grounds the intake manifold to the chassis, I didn't want to string a wire across the bay, so I used the stock ground location (lower right corner) to complete the ground loop.


3. Q: Why do you have gold plated stuff?
A: I got the "earth" kit in Japan, and it is high quality. This may be a big factor in why i experienced gains.
I paid more than you guys, but I am extremely happy with the results. The connections of the wires are also gold plated.

4. Q: Why "daisy chain" the ground wires?
A: When I first got the kit, I just replaced my stock ground wires. Barely any difference at all. My research concluded that the chassis is not the best conductor of electricity, and if you can route it through your high quality wires, it will make a significant improvement over just replacing stock wires in stock positions. I then changed my setup, and my car feels completely different.

5. Q: Can I prove my gains?
A: I wish I had a dyno to prove my gains, but I don't. I did race my friend who has a gsr hatch, and was able to keep up with him the whole night. I usually get pretty schooled. my friend was shocked that I was keeping up with him. It's not proof, I know, but I drive my car an hour a day, and I know there is a big difference with the kit.

That's all I can think of guys, If i had a digi I would take pictures, but I don't have one. I am no way a grounding expert, I just tried to research and use trial and error. Please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm very happy with my results, and hope you can experience some gains as well!
 
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bad6as

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so you did not do the starter or alt. hum...maby i dident notice any thing because i have more then 5 wires
neg on batt to stock ground
ps pump mount to factory ground (above headlight)
ps pump mount to im
alt to im
starter to im
factory groung (where teh ned from the battery goes) to trans
trans to starter
im prety sure thats it
 


green

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I don't think its the amount of wires I used, its the placement.

I'm sort of confused on your set up, maybe I need to draw it out to picture it, but it seems a bit complicated? I think you are missing the valve cover ground which is important. Is there a wire from your IM to neg-battery ground? Definitely look into those two issues.
 

RiceburnerRyan

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ok so is there any one out there who only touched the chassis once ? cuz it soudns like that works the best.. if people could put up more diagrams that would be effin awesome .. thanks guys
 

green

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There is tons of info in this thread, and search clubcivic, you'll be suprised what you can find....
 

anekin007

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having a multimeter will be very helpful to test for correct grounding.. having too much ground wires can be bad because it can cause a ground loop...
 

wdwalker

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i just did this with 8ga. amp wire and gold plated stereo connectors, i did this combo.
chassis to valve cover
valve cover to alternator
alternator to intake manifold
intake manifold to starter
starter to tranny
tranny to battery

it felt like it gave it a little torque, but more than likely its just my imagination.
what it did do, though, is make it better about my lights dimming when my subs hit. it made it smoother, both in acceleration and in start up. that's probably what i'm feeling and my butt dyno interprets as torque. tell me if yall want some pics and ill get them for you sunday, im goin to nopi tomorrow.
 

krazykoncept

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The thermostat housing and alternator needs to be grounded. On my car Trans to body- 1-0 welding cable (as big as 4 pieces of 4 gauge wire put together). Head to radiator support- 4 gauge. Alternator to battery ground point-8 gauge( I have a 150 amp alternator) Thermostat housing to battery ground point-8 gauge. I put the ring end with the 2 black wires bolted to the housing. These wire black wires go to the ECU. ( this is a really good one to do) Then I changed the wire from the battery grounding point to battery to a 1-0 welding cable. I did all this REALLY because I had a slight whinning noise in my stereo system, But like they say the car felt better more punchy, And my 5000w system sounded better. (by the way I also run 2 gell battires in the trunk with 1-0 wires) I found the noise, it was the MSD system. One more thing, for the people running full metal radiators (not the ones with plastic tanks) run a small wire from the radiator fan mounting bolt to the radiator support. This will cut down on coolant electrolysis. (corrosion of the engine cooling system) What I heard is by ground these points, it will send groud more efficiently through the wire then the engine block and body. Making most engine electrical work better and more precise.
 

Mawk

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just an added note.. if you have access to a welder (mig preferably) weld the connectors to the wires.. not the insulation though.. IMO it would help the connections a bit (prolly not noticable) 8)
 

FhCRubarb

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I can find any of those battery terminals on ebay for a 4 guage wire. Any helps guys?
 

Bobo_686

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goto an audio shop, they got em cheap usually...ive got mine grouded all to the negative terminal...it seems to do just fine
 

vejita1283

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sup man. i got a prob. once i did what u said to my '97 civic, my engine like came on and my engine began to run rough. any reason why??
 

Noeladams

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vejita1283 said:
sup man. i got a prob. once i did what u said to my '97 civic, my engine like came on and my engine began to run rough. any reason why??

did you check the ground wires you made with a test meter? also make sure you have a good connection to where you bolted them. I had to redo mine once b/c of a bad connector.
 

RiceburnerRyan

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ok so i still dont kno what way is workin the best for people .. sounds like... greenlx has the best one so far..
 

1999stockaccord

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i'm gonna give this a shot cause i got nothing better to do today

yeah the pics dont work anymore
 


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