A friend of mine recently changed his grounding cables, by stripping out the OEM ones (he drives a Kia Sorento SUV) and replacing them w/thicker cables (that carry higher ratings).
He tells me he's seeing smoother starts, better acceleration and overall engine improvements.
I'm wondering if getting better quality grounding cables will make a difference to our Insights? Worth the trouble?
A friend of mine recently changed his grounding cables, by stripping out the OEM ones (he drives a Kia Sorento SUV) and replacing them w/thicker cables (that carry higher ratings).
He tells me he's seeing smoother starts, better acceleration and overall engine improvements.
I'm wondering if getting better quality grounding cables will make a difference to our Insights? Worth the trouble?
No.
The grounding cable supplies a completed circuit to the electronics and to the starter. The electronics barely draw any power, so if it's good enough to run the starter, it's DEFINITELY good enough to power the electronics. Everything INSIDE the cabin is not affected by the grounding straps.
If you're referring to your 12V battery cables, again NO.
Most of the power in the car comes from the DC-DC converter which (again) is INSIDE the cabin. The 12V battery is used as a buffer and also to initialize the system.
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2000 MT #4227 175K miles - Citrus Yellow, BetterBattery
I was wondering about that ground cable, looks too small.
I guess I will do something about it when the New England road salt eats the connection (8years+). Then I will replace that cable with another, but to additional points like the engine block too. I have had many of my old Japanese cars stop working because of salt corrosion, poor ground.
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2010 Insight, Since 05/11 39-65. MPG OD 2400Mi.
MODS:
2. IMA Bat exhaust temp monitor, from Radio Shack,
3. Foam insulation on cold AC pipes.
4. 12V and 100V bat insulation.
5. Inside radiator airflow improvements.
6. Engine belly smoothing.
7. Leading tire skirts enhancements.
PREVIOUS HONDAS: 72 N600, 85 CRX-SI
i went ahead and got my grounding cable replaced - since my mechanic had a nice, fat extra cable lying around, and he was going to poke around my car for a HID main lamp installation.
grounded the cable from 12V batt to 2 points - the chassis and the engine block itself (there's a mount point conveniently located near the CVT dipstick... where you can screw on the cable).
guess the improvements (if any) will kick in only long-term. if it helps, my friend who has a 7-yr old Toyota Altis swears his ignition was smoother/quicker, and FC went up right after his old grounding cable was swapped out w/a new, thicker one.
Seriously, if you like it and you're not spending my money, go for it!
Just in case you want the truth, the stock wire is fine. It's weakest points are where human hands mess with it. That would be the ends where humans stripped the wire, the connection for the terminal lugs, and the connection to the battery or to the grounding point.
And if you want to know what's wrong with your installation, the insulation was stripped back for an additional "inline" grounding lug. Your situation is that you have two more openings for contaminants to flow under the insulation, create resistance, and reduce the efficiency of the ground. The likelihood of additional contaminants is exaggerated by the crimp of the inline lug that disturbed the tight winding of the wire.
Ask your mechanic about that. I'd love to hear his response.
Your system should work fine for a few years, give or take a few years. There are a gazillion external factors that will affect the outcome. I would mainly be concerned about moisture getting around the inline ground lug and getting between the wires and insulation. Not only water, but car wash oxidizers and engine cleaners will accelerate the decline of the cable.
There are spray insulation products specifically for electrical usage that will help, but it isn't a cure all. If you are going to keep this installation, it might be worth checking out.
If you have enough slack cable (and it looks like you do), you could cut the cable downstream of the inline splice and hook the battery connector to that new end so that you have a solid insulated piece of thicker wire going from the battery to the real ground. That would save you money in the long run and accomplish your goal of a bigger ground cable. If you do take out the splice, the sooner the better, as the more heat cycles the cable gets, the more brittle it becomes.
Again, it should be fine for a while, but I promise it will fail much sooner than a stock cable. New ground cables are cheap, so it's not a big deal. Your biggest challenge will be recognizing the problem when it first starts going bad and not sending a mechanic on a wild goose chase.
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Do better grounding cables make a diff?
