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my grounding kit results

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Old 11-10-2006, 06:35 PM
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Does grounding the coils actually appear to help?
Old 11-11-2006, 03:04 PM
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MazdaManiac, thanks for the great DIY pics. I might add one more ground wire later, but I am pretty much done...
Attached Thumbnails my grounding kit results-center.jpg  
Old 11-12-2006, 09:32 AM
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Actually I notice a drawback to the car since the grounding kit was installed.

When the AC turns on, the car will shutter a bit, and when I had the overhead map light on, it dimmed. This never happened before, so I wonder if I screwed something up.

I also did a complete ecu reset and installed the int-x shortly before, so it's possible I'd have this new issue without the grounding kit being installed...
Old 11-12-2006, 11:37 AM
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I am going to attempt this as soon as I get off work today. I see alot of you are have some problems with random stuff after the install. I would stick to where the stock grounding kit is located. From the pics I see one on the engine and several around the body of the engine bay. Im going to take some measurments during the install to see what I find. Maybe some of the places where terminals are being grounded (that showed high ohm loads) are causing static to build because they are not ment to have a stable ground, Maybe they are grounded through some other system causing ground noise in the system? I will see what I can find when I do mine. Im just hoping for a smoother idle and a little less lag from starting from a stop. Wish me luck!

Ps: When ever a red wire is turned into a ground, baby jesus crys
Old 11-12-2006, 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by mysql101
Actually I notice a drawback to the car since the grounding kit was installed.

When the AC turns on, the car will shutter a bit, and when I had the overhead map light on, it dimmed. This never happened before, so I wonder if I screwed something up.

I also did a complete ecu reset and installed the int-x shortly before, so it's possible I'd have this new issue without the grounding kit being installed...
dont to forget to do this after an ecu reset..

https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...54&postcount=8

beers
Old 11-12-2006, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by aerospacediver
Ps: When ever a red wire is turned into a ground, baby jesus crys
Just ordered a similar kit from eBay... with blue wires.
Old 11-18-2006, 09:50 AM
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I just made my own grounding kit from 4 ga rockford fosgate ground wire from an amp kit, and I have been impressed by the results. The engine Definitely runs a lot smoother especially at idle and it a little bit faster on its response time. I tested the grounds on the car before and after and was getting some insane ohm loads from the engine. The only thing grounding the engine was a 12 ga large strand copper wire. I only grounded the intake ground to the chassis where it was grounded to before, and then from that that point straight to the battery. I did find that all the ground do have paint on them which sucks. We use star washers at work when making grounds. I basically scrapes the paint away from the connection when you tighten down the bolt, but not enough to cause corrosion. I am going to add some star washers whenever I get a chance. The ones that I had werent big enough.
Old 11-18-2006, 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by olddragger
you have to ground the coils individually --the plate does nothing
olddragger




.
Attached Thumbnails my grounding kit results-coilwire.jpg  
Old 11-18-2006, 11:56 AM
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and ?
OD
Old 11-19-2006, 07:04 PM
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I just put my ground wire (5 wires) and I was wondering if I have to connect from AC Compressor to driver side chassis. I followed lurch519's instruction and I don't have enough wire to connect from AC Compressor to the driver side chassis. I connected from AC Compressor to the battery (-) directly. Is it gonna do anything bad or it woudn't really matter?
Thanks in advance!!!
Old 11-21-2006, 10:23 AM
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nothing bad.
OD
Old 11-26-2006, 04:46 PM
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I installed my eBay kit when home over the weekend in Houston and was very surprised with the results. I opted to only use 4 wires, 1 to near the reservoir on the left side of the engine bay like MM, one to the belt-tensioner on the alternator (couldn't get the bolt to come loose where MM installed it), one to the intake manifold, and one to the right side of the body near the coils.

I live in Dallas in Highland Park, and it's 255 miles door to door to my home in Memorial in Houston. Usually my gas light comes on somewhere near my home going in either direction.

The trip from Dallas->Houston last Tuesday was done at an average temperature of 44*F at 73mph on cruise control nearly the entire duration of the trip. The AC was off for the entire trip. I filled up when I got to my neighborhood, and calculated my gas mileage as 21.03 mpg, which is better than the 20-ish I get on a normal trip from D to H.

I installed my grounding kit on Friday morning. I was not pleased at all with the initial results, my car felt/feels more sluggish than before installing the kit. However, I've learned not to trust the butt-dyno.

I returned today (Sunday) and topped off on the way out of town. I left at 8AM, and the temperature was 64*F. It warmed up to 68*F when I finally arrived in Dallas. We'll say the rough average temperature was 66*F, which is 22* warmer than the initial trip. When I got to Dallas this afternoon, I filled up before parking at campus, and the tank was at 3/8 full. I averaged 24.86 mpg on the trip to Dallas in significantly warmer weather. Sluggishness feel or not, I'm elated with these results, against the weather, at that.

I do have a hinting suspicion that the improved mileage has something to do with disconnecting the positive terminal of the battery for an extended period for the first time since my emissions recalls a month ago. I am, however, very quizzical about why I'd get 3-4mpg better in such warmer weather (I was under the impression that colder denser air would improve gas mileage).

The icing on the cake is that the AC blows a lot harder now at the 1 setting (it was pitiful before) - mind you I didn't say it blew colder.

Ciao- I'll post a pic of my setup in a little while.

Last edited by Michael; 11-26-2006 at 04:49 PM.
Old 02-02-2007, 01:17 AM
  #163  
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Originally Posted by Michael
I installed my eBay kit when home over the weekend in Houston and was very surprised with the results. I opted to only use 4 wires, 1 to near the reservoir on the left side of the engine bay like MM, one to the belt-tensioner on the alternator (couldn't get the bolt to come loose where MM installed it), one to the intake manifold, and one to the right side of the body near the coils.

I live in Dallas in Highland Park, and it's 255 miles door to door to my home in Memorial in Houston. Usually my gas light comes on somewhere near my home going in either direction.

The trip from Dallas->Houston last Tuesday was done at an average temperature of 44*F at 73mph on cruise control nearly the entire duration of the trip. The AC was off for the entire trip. I filled up when I got to my neighborhood, and calculated my gas mileage as 21.03 mpg, which is better than the 20-ish I get on a normal trip from D to H.

I installed my grounding kit on Friday morning. I was not pleased at all with the initial results, my car felt/feels more sluggish than before installing the kit. However, I've learned not to trust the butt-dyno.

I returned today (Sunday) and topped off on the way out of town. I left at 8AM, and the temperature was 64*F. It warmed up to 68*F when I finally arrived in Dallas. We'll say the rough average temperature was 66*F, which is 22* warmer than the initial trip. When I got to Dallas this afternoon, I filled up before parking at campus, and the tank was at 3/8 full. I averaged 24.86 mpg on the trip to Dallas in significantly warmer weather. Sluggishness feel or not, I'm elated with these results, against the weather, at that.

I do have a hinting suspicion that the improved mileage has something to do with disconnecting the positive terminal of the battery for an extended period for the first time since my emissions recalls a month ago. I am, however, very quizzical about why I'd get 3-4mpg better in such warmer weather (I was under the impression that colder denser air would improve gas mileage).

The icing on the cake is that the AC blows a lot harder now at the 1 setting (it was pitiful before) - mind you I didn't say it blew colder.

Ciao- I'll post a pic of my setup in a little while.
and so the pic?

-Cody
Old 02-02-2007, 01:34 AM
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Everything you could possibly need to know about the installation is discussed and illustrated in depth and detail in this thread.
If there are any installation questions left in your mind after absorbing this thread, you probably shouldn't bring a wrench near the engine compartment for a while.
Old 02-20-2007, 11:17 PM
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Originally Posted by aerospacediver
I just made my own grounding kit from 4 ga rockford fosgate ground wire from an amp kit, and I have been impressed by the results. The engine Definitely runs a lot smoother especially at idle and it a little bit faster on its response time. I tested the grounds on the car before and after and was getting some insane ohm loads from the engine. The only thing grounding the engine was a 12 ga large strand copper wire. I only grounded the intake ground to the chassis where it was grounded to before, and then from that that point straight to the battery. I did find that all the ground do have paint on them which sucks. We use star washers at work when making grounds. I basically scrapes the paint away from the connection when you tighten down the bolt, but not enough to cause corrosion. I am going to add some star washers whenever I get a chance. The ones that I had werent big enough.
Dont forget di-electric grease to prevent the corrosion that those washers CAN cause.

Scraping away paint leaves bare metal..theres no halfway in bare metal & corrosion dude.
Old 02-20-2007, 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Razz1
I haven't seen a race car yet that has a grounding kit.
Kit..no..preparation in FRESH new larger guage wiring..all the time.
Old 02-21-2007, 07:21 AM
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Originally Posted by TeamRX8



.
Originally Posted by olddragger
and ?
OD
That picture means all the coils could be ground by connecting the ground kit to the plate.
Old 02-21-2007, 08:41 AM
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Question

my grounding kit is wired in a daisy chain. my question is...
if i wanted to add some extra wires, would they have to be put in b/w the existing daisy chain properly or can i just run them straight to the battery? i ask b/c my kit didn't come w/ wires for the alternator, throttle body or coils & i'd like to ground those spots.
Old 02-21-2007, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by nycgps
That picture means all the coils could be ground by connecting the ground kit to the plate.
It does? What part of the diagram says that?
Old 02-21-2007, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by dgrx8
my grounding kit is wired in a daisy chain. my question is...
if i wanted to add some extra wires, would they have to be put in b/w the existing daisy chain properly or can i just run them straight to the battery? i ask b/c my kit didn't come w/ wires for the alternator, throttle body or coils & i'd like to ground those spots.
anybody got any info on this? i'm not very knowledgable on electrical connections...
this is a pic of the daisy chain in my car

Last edited by dgrx8; 02-21-2007 at 11:51 AM.
Old 02-21-2007, 06:33 PM
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Talking

Originally Posted by MazdaManiac
Originally Posted by nycgps
That picture means all the coils could be ground by connecting the ground kit to the plate.

It does? What part of the diagram says that?

What my fellow buttmonkey brethren really means is that what you posted is not correct. All the coils are grounded back through the factory wiring harness to some common grounding point not at the coil mounting plate. Grounding the coil plate doesn't accomplish any purpose

One recommended mod aimed at addressing the coil issue is to tap into the coil ground wires near the coils (wires marked B- black), and common-wire them directly to the battery ground. If you already daisy chained the coil plate to the common battery ground then you can tap the coil ground wires to the plate and accomplish the same thing.

Last edited by TeamRX8; 02-21-2007 at 06:37 PM.
Old 02-21-2007, 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by TeamRX8
What my fellow buttmonkey brethren really means is that what you posted is not correct. All the coils are grounded back through the factory wiring harness to some common grounding point not at the coil mounting plate. Grounding the coil plate doesn't accomplish any purpose
What who posted? I never said the coils are grounded to the plate. I said I attached a ground to the plate.
Try post #109.

Reading comprehension is part of a balanced breakfast.

EDIT - Oh, I get it. I'm the buttmonkey bretheren. I need to stop skipping breakfast.

Yah - the coil plate is a convenient ground, but the coils are attached to ground at the radiator core support, which just as well could be on an adjacent car for all the impedance that will generate.

Last edited by MazdaManiac; 02-21-2007 at 07:10 PM.
Old 02-21-2007, 07:10 PM
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you = nycgps

apparently we're both malnourished

edit: timing is everything
Old 02-21-2007, 07:27 PM
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[rant]

I think, as with most "cheap" modifications, most people that will try this have no idea what they are doing or why.
Even though the tools are out there for FREE (the FSM wiring diagram is a good start), no one wants to do the leg work.
However, those same lazy f*cks will PM me to distraction to hold their hand through the whole process.

[/rant]
Old 02-21-2007, 07:52 PM
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that's what you get for being such a nice guy


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