Elect Grounding Kit: Classic Aurora - Review

[JimW]

After dealing with some lousy weather this winter, I finally found some time and decent temperatures to hook up with a member from OldsmobileForums that lives about 45 mins for me to do the custom grounding kit installation.

He provided the materials for free in the hopes of assessing (if any) benefits of adding an electrical grounding kit to the Classic L47 engine.

Here is the theory

All electrical circuits consist of a source and a ground. The chassis is the ground for cars and all electrical circuits are tied to it. Engine performance relies on how well electronic components are connected. OEM systems are adequate for the job but use small gauge wiring which over time, tends to deteriorate. Grounding kits are meant to guarantee a clean ground to the battery and a better electrical circuit, letting sensors and electronics operate quicker and without as much resistance or noise.

With that in mind, I decided since the Aurora is an electronic wonderworld, this may be beneficial to restoring any power lost to old electrical connections.

Naysayers are everywhere when it comes to this kinda thing, I recall Letitroll98 refering to this project as a "feel good" project, as in, it will make you feel good that you think you did something....however, its important to realize the modification (I use the term loosely of course) will not create more power, only make what you have more efficient.

Testing procedure.

1. Make sure the car is off. Open up positive battery terimal and take a voltmeter, ensure contact with the positively charged bolt and make a connection with any other metal object in the engine comparment. If you hit something that has current flowing through it, the voltmeter should read 12.55V. If so, you have a good piece of hardware to start locating a ground line.

2. Ground kit material: Bobby supplied me with high quality oxidize copper cable (technical term escapes me) and double heat shrunk the end, and added a liquid sealer to ensure no moisture will penetrate the cable end where the terminal is located.

Following that we laid out where we could connect and made measurements of each cable. We found the optimal points of connection where:

a) Passenger strut tower to wiper motor located on the firewall.

b) Wiper motor to Engine coil pack support bracket.

c) Throttle body to ETCBM, since the ETCBM is attached to the Driver side strut tower no additional wire was necessary.

Ease of installation. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being easiest, it rates a 1.5, its dead easy, we now know the length of ground wire required to make the connections based on the model established in my Aurora. However, you may find better ground points in which to attached. But thats not the issue here, I had a general idea of what I wanted out of this...and initially it was not much, knowing how decent the Auroras electrical components are, how would a grounding kit help?

Well, some have touted increased HP/TQ numbers, smoother shifting, brighter headlines, easier start up and better throttle response.

On my car, the single number one change has been.....Throttle response. The throttle used to feel mushy on the car, now its much more responsive, the accelerator pedal feel has improve dramatically. Light output from the Silverstars is not really noticeable however the foglamps (stock) are brigther as well as my rear running lights. Interior dash lighting output is also a bit better( I always have the rotary control dial turned to max). Ignition seems easier, but that could be due to warming temperatures, I'll have to wait for another deep freeze before I can accurately say anything more.

Is it worth it? Yes, it is frankly, Its been a great, simple way to recover some lost power and improve the output of my car.

Pics shortly...

[JimW]

Installation was so clean you cant even notice it.

[Aurora40]

JimW said:

On my car, the single number one change has been.....Throttle response. The throttle used to feel mushy on the car, now its much more responsive, the accelerator pedal feel has improve dramatically.

What do you mean, the feel of the pedal to your foot? Or how the engine feels when you press it?

[JimW]

Its hard to explain without experiencing it. At times when I would start the car, the response on the throttle just felt awesome, the slightest push on the pedal and it would just feel nice and strong, sometimes it felt kinda mushy...something just wasnt right...now, everything feels more... snappy, more response to the pedal, the feel of the car its just more responsive. uhh...

I wish there was a better way to word it...

Passengers, those who have been in it before and after have felt it as well, the feel of the car has changed.

[omegaic]

I don't understand how connecting the engine to the strut tower with a copper cable will improve your throttle response.

[JimW]

That was insightful

Anyhow, the wire is connected from the strut tower to the wiper motor to the coil pack/engine. Then another wire is connected to the throttle body to the ETCBM which is attached to the strut tower.

Its like people commenting on traction control or ABS, you dont give a crap about it until you have it....then you see, feel and enjoy the benefits.

[omegaic]

I'm not being facetious, I'm just wondering how grounding the engine would be an improvement.

EDIT: NM, I just read this: www.oldsmobileforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=540&hl=grounding

I see that it is very likely that improved throttle response would be there seeing as how there is less electrical resistance in the ignition system.

[JimW]

I'm not an electrician and the science behind it all eludes me, however, it was an improvement based on feeling, sometimes that gets lost in the words.

Yea. W3rk5 is Bobby, good man to get to know and work with....but I was worried you were getting cynical on me, and that doesnt seem to be your style.

[stevensolds]

how much $ jim i gonna do it

[JimW]

stevensolds said:

how much $ jim i gonna do it

Working on that...lemme get back to you.

$20- $25 CAD...less then 20 bux USD

[SupaStealth]

hmm, i have about 20 ft of 8 ga. wire, maybe i'll do it after i put my engine back together

[w3rk5]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and this is my first post. Glad to be here.

I've had the pleasure to work with JimW on a grounding kit for the Classic L47 engine. I'm happy with the improvements gained from the "grounding kit".

Faster throttle response, brighter lights, and faster start up are some of the benefits of this mod. Some of the other improvements I've been told or experienced were smoother shifting, smoother running engine, and even a cleaner sounding radio. Go figure.

I don't claim to know how this kit does what it does, but I do know that it works. What JimW wrote above is basically as much as I know too. I've made and tested these kits on lots of cars. Everyone noticed some improvements. I've even made a kit for a 2004 Toyota Camry (4 cyl.). The owner had it for less than a month and noticed faster throttle response, smoother shifting, and a smoother/quieter running engine.

I'm sure some of you will make your own. All the best to you. I'm also sure there's some of you who couldn't be bothered and would rather just buy one. That's kewl too. Just a word of advice if you plan on buying one. See how it looks installed. I've seen kits with wires running all over the place. Also check out the quality of the parts, and construction of the wires.

I use 10 gauge tin platted copper cable, tin platted copper terminals, liquid sealant, double and single walled heat shrink tubing. I've had my kit on for over 8 months now and driven for thousands of km's. The wires are holding up well, and should last me a long time. ;D

Oh yeah! Don't be fooled by the gauge of the wire, the strand count or how many grounding wires the kit has. I've spent a lot of time and money to test my theories. My first kit was 4 gauge cable with 1666 strands and gold plated terminals (for my 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue). I had 6 grounding cables. That kit was pretty expensive to make and it didn’t perform any better than my current setup. 10 gauge wire, tin platted copper terminals, and 4 grounding wires.

I hope this will give everyone a better idea of the engine grounding kit.

[Letitroll98]

Hi w3rk5, welcome to the board. If it's ok I'll address my questions to you because between you and JimW, you seem like the brains of the outfit. ;D Proper grounding paths ARE very important to a well running engine and I want to explore this further for my car. However I have some questions.

Was the ground potential between the OEM grounding points and the positive terminal measured first as a base line? If so, was it below the stated 12.55V? If not, we really can't go any further in assesing the validity of this mod. Perhaps one need only apply a wire brush to gain the same benefits?

Were there ground loop potentials measured at the points being grounded, i.e. blower motor located on the firewall, engine coil pack support bracket, and throttle body to ETCBM? And how did you come by these points as the ones needing extra grounding?

I agree with the tinned copper and well sealed connections. There were some ridiculous posts about using six 9's copper or audio grade wire that I was dismissing. Why did you choose the gauge you are now specifying?

Was there any baseline for performance claims? i.e. before and after time trials? We can all recognize the power of the placebo effect, it happens every time I wash my car. Runs so much better after being cleaned, I think she just likes showing off.

Thanks in advance for the answers and again, welcome aboard.

[erw38]

I think I should get some of the credit for this. After all, I brought it to Jim's attention but I have just been to lazy to do it. Welcome Bobby! I hope you come back to this forum often.

And no I have not done it yet

[JimW]

Tis true Elan, however erw38 and w3rk5 dont know each other...lol, but I know you both.

[w3rk5]

Hi Letitroll98 and ewr38. Thanks for the warm welcome. Again let me remind everyone that I'm not an electrical expert. I don't make a living making and selling these kits. I mainly do it for fun, and have sold a kit here and there. By the way......I'd sell this kit for $20 USD + shipping if anyones interested? haha.

I'll try to answer your questions. All the points we found had a reading of 12.55v (engine off). So I guess in your point of view, "We really can't go any further in assesing the validity of this mod."

I guess you can take a wire bursh to "every factory grounding point" on you car. You might get the same results. I can't say for sure cause I've never done that. Besides, that would be very tedius and time consuming for me to do every 6 months or year.

Regarding ground loops.........how can you tell if you have a grounding loop issue (I told you I'm no expert. )? As to why I gounded these areas is easy. They were good grounding points, and cleanest looking way to route the grounding cables.

I use 10 gauge cable because I didn't notice any performance loss compaired to the 4 gauge I was using before. Also, 10 guage is the smallest size of cable you can get before your choice of quality terminals will be very limited should you decide to use gold platted ones.

Baseline for performance claims? Before and after time trials? Huh?! LOL! Just kidding. I don't think I have that type of info for you. I know what you mean about the "placebo effect", but I don't think so in this case. I've tested it on my papa's car. After I made a kit for him I asked him to take the car out for a spin. I didn't tell him what the gains were but he told me what most people said. Faster throttle response and smoother shifting. I've even made a kit for a friend who doubted it too. He noticed a smoother running engine and faster throttle response in his 98 Subaru Forester.

Like I mentioned earlier, I can't explain how or why it works. I just know that it does. I have no reason to lie to anyone about my results nor do I have a need to convince anyone that it works cause that would involve too much. ;D It's like trying to convince someone why AMD is better than Intel or vice versa.

I hope this helps you out a bit Letitroll98. I'm sure I haven't answered your questions as detailed as you'd like. It's the best I can do without making up things. haha.

[Letitroll98]

Oh contrare w3rk5, I thank you very much for your honest and well thought out answers, as well as the time you've put into this. I'll hold forth with some thoughts here.

Yes I can, and have, nitpicked most every facet of this mod. However we do have one very important fact here. A completely ad hoc grounding kit with no research into any electrical mapping or testing and no real reason why it should work is providing benefits in performance that many people feel are real and significant. If this is true we can ask two other questions. How good could a well researched kit perform, and how bad is the OEM grounding path in our cars presently?

I think we can make some general assumptions here. One, almost anything will help. The stray electromagnetic currents are probably generalized throught the engine bay and will follow any solid connection to ground that has less inductance than the engine block. Two, the systems most likely to benefit are the engine mangement, ignition, electrical lighting, and radio systems.

So therefore with a little common sense we should be able to identify the best points to add a grounding wire to. These may not be the easiest to connect to. We could make this job easier by tighter tolerances in the wiring and connections. Everyone please dive in here and correct me, but off the cuff I'd imagine 12V potential with maybe 5 ma current, or about .5 watt of power being drawn off at any one point, 16 guage wire should be fine for drawing off stray currents from say, the coil pack mounting block, the EMC, throttle body, etc, in other words anywhere we are dealing with only stray fields. This would of course be ammended for any grounding from devises like alternator, battery, voltage regulator that handle high power where w3rk5's kit seems prudent.

Boi, this could really be a project. I'm tired now.

[w3rk5]

LOL! You just contradicted yourself. ;D “However we do have one very important fact here. A completely ad hoc grounding kit with no research into any electrical mapping or testing and no real reason why it should work is providing benefits in performance that many people feel are real and significant.” Yet you also said, “I think we can make some general assumptions here. One, almost anything will help. The stray electromagnetic currents are probably generalized throught the engine bay and will follow any solid connection to ground that has less inductance than the engine block.”

I have to correct you. This is not a completely unplanned or improvised grounding kit. My intentions were to ground the engine to different areas in the chassis (the passenger side, fire wall, and driver side). The installed cables have to look clean and almost factory like. Ease of installation was also a must. Also, there better be some gains. As you can see from JimW post, the goals were met.

Testing has been carried out by JimW. The only results I wanted or cared about were what gains he will notice, and if he was satisfied with it. From his post he mentioned there were gains in the throttle response, brighter lights, and possibly stronger startup. Let’s not forget the important thing; he’s happy with the results of his grounding wire kit (I think. lol). ;D

I’m sure 16 gauge cables will work. Good luck trying to find a 3/8” ring terminal in a 16, 14, or 12 gauge. Also, 16 gauge cable will look weird in you engine compartment. I think anything smaller than 10 gauge will look out of place because of how the cables will be routed. Don’t believe me? Duplicate the kit above with 16 gauge and compare.

One other thing…………on my Intrigue, the battery is located in the engine compartment. I have grounded the alternator and passenger side shock tower to the negative terminal. I’m starting to question the value of the connection from the negative terminal to the alt. I was told there’s a 0-4 gauge wire from the factory that runs parallel to the one I installed (you can’t see the factory one in this picture).

Anyway, do and use what you want and try to have fun with it. If you can come up with a better kit, with better results that anyone can install, and still look clean............let us all know.

[Letitroll98]

I'm sorry w3rk5, I didn't mean to attack your well done installation. Ad hoc just means formed for or concerned with one specific purpose, improvised and often impromptu. There is no negative connotation implied or expressed, just a description of what you did. My point is that I'm giving in to the idea that the installation works, so there is no contradiction here. I'm just wondering if greater minds with more ambition for the subject than I might improve on your lead work. And I made some poor few suggestions on where that might go.

You've done good stuff here and I hope you keep improving the design. I'll even finish up one of your arguments for you when you mentioned that you didn't think it effective to recondition the OEM grounding wires. If they might be corroded now, how fast would they gunk up again even if cleaned?

Hey, there's an idea. What about replacement OEM grounding wires? The engineers at GM must have some brains about where they routed these connections (Ok, maybe not, but they might). How about mapping these out from the shop manuals, apply some common sense about what mods would help, and where new ground connections should be made. (That would be something we wouldn't call ad hoc ;D )

Thanks again for the posts and for the great work you've done with JimW's car. I think you've really started up a great topic on this mod and I hope it really takes off.

[w3rk5]

No worries Letitroll98. I never felt threaten nor attacked. Now everyone knows why I type with so many "smiley faces". If I didn't, I sure a lot of people will think I'm "freaking out on them". I guess it doesn't work. lol. ;D

Oh yeah! Regarding your question about how long reconditioned grounding wires will last.........................I don't know.

I hope if and when you do make your kit you'll see improvments also.

[w3rk5]

Anyone else try it yet?

[scottydl]

I would really like to, but gathering/assembling the correct materials and waiting for some decent weather are holding me up. Do you really have more of these wiring assemblies (ready for install) available for sale? Maybe I will go that way to save some trouble... post or PM me!

[w3rk5]

Of course I do scottydl. I'll PM you.

[dred98]

I was looking under the hood of my '98 to see where all the wires went, and I notice that Jim's car has 3 bolts coming up through the strut mounting with nuts on them.
I have three bolts the other way round, presumably with the nuts underneath instead of on the top, if you see what I mean.
I really don't want to loosen any bolts if I can't tighten them again without taking the front wheel off.
Opinions? Is there a problem here or not?

P.S. I'm putting together a "write up" for my website, I hope that's OK with you guys?

[w3rk5]

Sorry dred98...........I just want to get this right......your bolts are inside? Not on top of the shock tower?

Do you, or anyone have a pic of the 98 Aurora shock tower? What year did they start doing this? Thanks in advance.

[dred98]

I didn't explain it very well - when you look at Jim's car you can see three bolts with nuts on them. You just took off the nut to fasten your wire.
When you look at my 98 you can see the heads of the three bolts - like they're upside down compared to Jims, and rather than just taking off the nut I'd have to remove the bolt completely. Can you put it back easily without getting underneath?

[w3rk5]

scottydl...........is yours the same?

[scottydl]

I'm going out to look RIGHT now... standby, and I'll update this post in a few minutes.

EDIT: yep, my '99 is the same as dred's '98. I've got bolt heads on top, but no nuts. I suppose they are on the bottom, which would change (and complicate) the whole installation.

[w3rk5]

I wonder if the bolt threads into something that's fixed.

[JimW]

That is probably due to the suspension upgrade on the 98+ Aurora.

I'm at a loss, we need to see a 98+ Aurora ASAP.