How To: ETB Grounding

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Just did this mod this morning before the drive into work. At first i was a little skeptical as to the effectiveness of this mod on the driveability of the car; however, after reading the numerous pages about this on mazda3forums and mazda6tech, i decided to give it a try - afterall, people who were once skeptics are now believers.

well, i can say that i\'m a believer now and it isn\'t the placebo effect either. i echo what others have said in that the car is much more responsive and the rpm drop between shifts is smoother.

i used 4ga power wire (blue to match my car :D ) with gold ring connectors. i connected the cable to the factory ground point as opposed to the negative terminal.

steps:

1. using a 10mm socket, disconnect the negative battery cable (be VERY careful not to bridge the negative and positive terminals with anything metal...mazda CHEAPED out and didn\'t include a plastic covering over the positive terminal like most other cars out there). cover the negative terminal with something non-conductive (i.e. a paper towel).

2. use an 8mm socket to remove the bolt on the throttle body. this bolt is rather long and will take a while so be patient.

3. insert the TB bolt into the ring connector and screw the bolt back into the TB.

4. (if connecting to the factory ground point) use a 10mm socket to remove the bolt holding down the factory ground cable.

5. place the other ring connector over the factory ground\'s ring connector and screw the bolt back on.

6. reattach the negative cable to the terminal.

7. start the car and take it out for a spin. when the car is at operating temp, go WOT to redline a few times so that the ECU can relearn the fuel maps for how you drive (if you drive like me ;) ).

8. you\'re done.

pics to come later.

[wtom]

I am a skeptic... nothing comes without a price so what are you sacrificing or putting at risk by doing this \"oh so easy\" mod? Apologies if explainations have already been given to this side of the issue (you can kindly provide the link, I\'d appreciate it). Answers such as \"spending money to buy the required tools/hardware\" will be frowned upon. :( :( :(

hehehe

[bluntman]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN


Just did this mod this morning before the drive into work. At first i was a little skeptical as to the effectiveness of this mod on the driveability of the car; however, after reading the numerous pages about this on mazda3forums and mazda6tech, i decided to give it a try - afterall, people who were once skeptics are now believers.

well, i can say that i\'m a believer now and it isn\'t the placebo effect either. i echo what others have said in that the car is much more responsive and the rpm drop between shifts is smoother.

i used 4ga power wire (blue to match my car :D ) with gold ring connectors. i connected the cable to the factory ground point as opposed to the negative terminal.

steps:

1. using a 10mm socket, disconnect the negative battery cable (be VERY careful not to bridge the negative and positive terminals with anything metal...mazda CHEAPED out and didn\'t include a plastic covering over the positive terminal like most other cars out there). cover the negative terminal with something non-conductive (i.e. a paper towel).

2. use an 8mm socket to remove the bolt on the throttle body. this bolt is rather long and will take a while so be patient.

3. insert the TB bolt into the ring connector and screw the bolt back into the TB.

4. (if connecting to the factory ground point) use a 10mm socket to remove the bolt holding down the factory ground cable.

5. place the other ring connector over the factory ground\'s ring connector and screw the bolt back on.

6. reattach the negative cable to the terminal.

7. start the car and take it out for a spin. when the car is at operating temp, go WOT to redline a few times so that the ECU can relearn the fuel maps for how you drive (if you drive like me ;) ).

8. you\'re done.

pics to come later.

I\'ll scratch your back and you can scratch mine. ;)

I\'ll do the door panel thing and you can ground my TB.

**scratching his noggin**

You just used one wire? It\'s just that I see all of those grounding kits at Pacific Mall and they include several wires for several grounding points.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom


I am a skeptic... nothing comes without a price so what are you sacrificing or putting at risk by doing this \"oh so easy\" mod? Apologies if explainations have already been given to this side of the issue (you can kindly provide the link, I\'d appreciate it). Answers such as \"spending money to buy the required tools/hardware\" will be frowned upon. :( :( :(

hehehe

i had the grounding mod done on my maxima. it was an autotragic and the extra ground points (2 from the engine to the body and one from the negative battery terminal to the body) lowered the idle rpm but also make it rock steady. before the additional grounding, you could see the tach needle moving ever so slightly; and the max was a cable actuated TB with coil-on-plug ignition.

over the 2 years that the extra ground wires were on the max, nothing adverse happened to the car. there are \"hyperground\" and \"earthing\" kits out there that do basically the same thing, except for $100s more. manufacturer\'s will cheap out on certain things

in the case of the ETB, the theory behind it is providing a \"cleaner\" ground, which will improve the quality of the signal from the ECU (rather than having the ground be the ETB harness ground wire, which is of thinner gauge and is grounded at the ecu, which is grounded at the battery). in my case, i did notice all that was foretold :hoho

here\'s the link to the m3f discussion. (http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=8848&start=240) the mazda6tech links are within that link (kinda like a \"Choose Your Own Adventure\" book with links within links, but i digress and will stop showing my age).

for the ~$5 and 10 minutes it costs to do it, it can\'t hurt to try it out.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman

I\'ll scratch your back and you can scratch mine. ;)

I\'ll do the door panel thing and you can ground my TB.

**scratching his noggin**

You just used one wire? It\'s just that I see all of those grounding kits at Pacific Mall and they include several wires for several grounding points.

i just used one 3ft wire (more than enough). the ix-nay has been put on the speakers but i\'ll still scratch your back if you wanna give the grounding a try ;)

the idea behind all those grounding kits is to attach to multiple points on the engine and then bring them back to a distribution block on the negative terminal, and then add another grounding point from the negative terminal to the chassis.

the kits would go from the distro block to the intake manifold -> to the valve cover -> to the block -> to the alternator -> and either back to the distro block or to another chassis ground - this is an example and it varies depending on the kit. this would spread out around 4-5 different areas. the first grounding kit that i remember was sold by Sun Auto and was translated to the effect of \"Circle Earth\" (probably coined from the circular distribution block it came with).

VaBoom on m3f, wrote this:


A big upgrade is the infamous Big 3 mod. Main ground to body (usually at least 1/0ga), main ground to engine, main power to alternator.

i\'m assuming this is what they do in the car audio industry to provide better grounds.

reading about grounding back when i had my max, people on maxima.org were grounding the ignition coil screws to provide a better spark. it was insane...whether or not that did anything was anyone\'s guess.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

pics

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_img_a/337094_44_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_img_a/337094_45_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_img_a/337094_46_full.jpg

[bluntman]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN


...kinda like a \"Choose Your Own Adventure\" book with links within links, but i digress and will stop showing my age).



I remember those books, for some reason I never got to a satisfactory ending. Where did you buy the wiring? Was it specifically a ground wire or can I use some left over power cabling? Did you simply crimp the ring connectors onto the wire and then shrink wrap the ends? I looks interesting, I might try this on the weekend.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman

I remember those books, for some reason I never got to a satisfactory ending. Where did you buy the wiring? Was it specifically a ground wire or can I use some left over power cabling? Did you simply crimp the ring connectors onto the wire and then shrink wrap the ends? I looks interesting, I might try this on the weekend.

i picked up the wiring from an audio shop in scarlem. it was labeled \"power wire\" but any copper strand cable will work.

the ring connectors were crimped but it wasn\'t by hand tools ...that thing was so hard to crimp i had to use a table-mounted vice. crappy tire sells 10, 8, and 4 gauge copper ring connectors which are MUCH easier to crimp, if you don\'t have a vice, but the ends also corrode easily. i had copper connectors on the max and the ends corroded, which is why i went with gold ring connectors this time around.

yup, the end was just shrink wrapped....although i coulda wrapped it with electrical tape ...the red kinda stands out more than i like.

[MazdaTree]

does it do anything to autos?

[Xenon]

My auto tranny now has seemless shifts from 1st to 2nd. There used to be a jerk, but now shifts are noticably smoother...

As for the rest of the car, there is no more miniature vibrations throughout the cabin. The engine is smooth and it feels more refined. And that engine vibration that Fabian was talking about is nearly gone in my car.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Xenon


My auto tranny now has seemless shifts from 1st to 2nd. There used to be a jerk, but now shifts are noticably smoother...

As for the rest of the car, there is no more miniature vibrations throughout the cabin. The engine is smooth and it feels more refined. And that engine vibration that Fabian was talking about is nearly gone in my car.


You\'ve just \"sealed the deal\", I\'m doing this mod this weekend.

[firstmazda]

does it matter wether you ground it to the regular ground, or the negative battery terminal??
I\'v seen it done both ways. is one better/smoother?

Ray

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by firstmazda


does it matter wether you ground it to the regular ground, or the negative battery terminal??
I\'v seen it done both ways. is one better/smoother?

Ray


for all intents and purposes, it doesn\'t matter which one you ground to...both do the same thing.

when you ground to the -ve battery terminal, the flow goes to the -ve terminal first then to ground. some people like grounding it to a body point since it\'s a direct path to ground.

hope that helps...cheers

[firstmazda]

I have some \"Lightning Audio BOLT\" 8 AWG ire left over from my old system,
I know it\'s not as conductive as 4Gauge, but is it good enough?

Where can I get it cheap? (in the Mississauga/Etobicoke area)
Best Buy had this 4AWG grounding kit from Rockford (I think)
and it was likt $25 + tax
I really liked it pcause it was silver and would look REAL good with my Titanium!

Ray

[Xenon]

Originally posted by firstmazda


I have some \"Lightning Audio BOLT\" 8 AWG ire left over from my old system,
I know it\'s not as conductive as 4Gauge, but is it good enough?

Where can I get it cheap? (in the Mississauga/Etobicoke area)
Best Buy had this 4AWG grounding kit from Rockford (I think)
and it was likt $25 + tax
I really liked it pcause it was silver and would look REAL good with my Titanium!

Ray

4 AWG, 8 AWG, 10 AWG.... for a current this small as grounding the throttle body... it doesn\'t matter.

A reminder that the ETB is already grounded. Adding the wire just helps it ground better. But with all do respect, any guage wire will work. I\'m using 10 AWG.

I got my wire from the scrap bin at Future Shop, the Wire cost me nothing. I paid $3.99 for the connectors.

Spending $25 is just unnecessary. IMO, not worth it. Why spend $25 when you can just spend $4?

[MazdaTree]

Xenon you did it to your auto?

[bluntman]

I did it to mine (auto tranny) after reading what Xenon experienced after doing it to his (also an auto tranny). Throttle response has indeed improved after the mod and I have also noticed a decrease in vibrations throughout the car. Not bad for only $5 worth of parts.

[firstmazda]

So it\'s done,and yes I definitely felt a greater throttle response, and much smoother shifting (both in auto and man) and a MUCH lower idle RPM.

But did anyone else hear a QUIET high pitched murmur when idling after this mod?
or is it just me?

Ray

[///M]

If this is such a cheap and effective mod to do why don\'t the cars come like that from the factory?

[bluntman]

It\'s so they can charge you an outrageous amount of money afterwards.

http://www.japanparts.com/Pic/pic143/013-084.JPG

[MazdaTree]

how long does the wire gotta be guys?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


how long does the wire gotta be guys?

2ft should be more than enough...i\'m using 3ft and it\'s got quite a bit of slack

[MazdaTree]

thanks im prolly gonna try and do it tomorrow if i got time
how come there are so many more wires goin around in the picture on japanparts? what else did they ground or what is that other blue wire on the left?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


thanks im prolly gonna try and do it tomorrow if i got time
how come there are so many more wires goin around in the picture on japanparts? what else did they ground or what is that other blue wire on the left?

for the 2.3L, looks like they went from the TB to the battery to ground on the driver side (or directly to ground). then on the passenger side, they went from somewhere on the engine to a ground point.

the passenger side ground is probably to provide another, quicker path to ground for the engine.

[MazdaTree]

so i was lookin on ebay seeing if they got anything new nothing really the only things i like for the 3 is the side sills wit the blue light that says mazda 3 but then i saw the ground wire set and it says what else hooks up to the negative i found it interesting but it would probably be a pain to go find where to hook up the rest of the wires
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7927165749&catego ry=33692

[Xenon]

sw0rdfish and I were looking at the light-up door stills.... we were going to buy them, until we figured out how we wire the lights...

You have to wire one wire from each door to the dome light (ie. if you want to hide all the wires, you have to tear out all the roof paneling) and the other wire to the fuse box.

Here lies the problem. The side stills were designed for a Mazda6, not a 3. They just changed the logo. The 6 has these handy plugs in the roof that you take out and the whole roof panel comes off, very easily. The Mazda3 lacks those plugs. And, in regards to the fuse box, the Mazda6 fuse box is right beside the driver\'s left leg, whereas the Mazda3 Fuse box is under the hood...

After thinking about it for about 4 days, I decided NOT to get the stills because I think it would be very hard to hide the wires without taking off the roof panel. And it would be very hard to take off the roof panel without damaging it since we don\'t have clips like the 6 does. And the fact that our fusebox is OUTSIDE of the main cabin of the car makes it very hard to feed electrical wires to it. Not to mention that the four wires have to brave the elements of weather and heat form the engine.

I think sw0rdfish bought the non-illuminated stills. He says the adhesive that came with it (same ebay seller btw) were far too inefficient. His stills fell of the next day. So if you do decide to buy these illuminated door stills, be prepared for a full day\'s job and disassembling your interior... and buying some heavy duty 3M adhesive.

[MazdaTree]

some1 told me the fuse box is where the passengers feet are
im not sure tho

[wtom]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


some1 told me the fuse box is where the passengers feet are
im not sure tho

Umm, not the best pic to show this but here\'s a pic of my wrecked 3 showing the fuse box location. :)

copy and paste URL to open, please, sorry;

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p23c77284262afd0498b28946d4426b20/f6ba50f0.jpg.orig.jpg

[Xenon]

Yup, that\'s it, in the bottom right corner of the photo with all the pretty colours.

I look inside mine the day I decided i eventually wanted HIDs. I was looking for a way to rewire the DRLs. my brother did it on his lexus... i was kinda hoping that i could do it in my car... but no.

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by Xenon

... i was kinda hoping that i could do it in my car... but no.

So are you still going to put in HIDs? What are you going to do about DRLs?
They\'re required by law i think right??

If I get enough money to burn i\'d like to get a kit put in.

Ray

[wtom]

Originally posted by firstmazda


If I get enough money to burn i\'d like to get a kit put in.



Dude, C$305 shipped for me;
http://www.torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=765

hehehe

As for DRL\'s ... do you have fog lights? Just manually turn on your fog lights while leaving HID\'s off (bypass DRL and install an independant HID switch if you have fogs).

And to stay on topic... if I had my 3, I\'d done the ETB grounding by now...

[MazdaTree]

I did the mod you can tell the difference shitfting and everything

[Xenon]

Originally posted by firstmazda
So are you still going to put in HIDs?

Yes, I plan to. But not until Spring 2005, when i have the money. I plan on buying them and getting them installed at SpeedStar. My brother is interested in a set, so I will see if I can get a deal since I\'m buying two sets and not just one.


Originally posted by firstmazda
What are you going to do about DRLs?

I am going to get my Mazda Dealer to re-route them to my Highbeam bulbs. Apparently they will do it for about 30 mins of Labour.


Originally posted by firstmazda
They\'re required by law i think right??

They are required by law to be delivered to the customer with them enabled. There is no law saying they can\'t be re-routed or disabled by the owner after delivery.

[Newlook]

Originally posted by Xenon


Originally posted by firstmazda
They\'re required by law i think right??

They are required by law to be delivered to the customer with them enabled. There is no law saying they can\'t be re-routed or disabled by the owner after delivery.



It\'s for your own safety to have DRLs anyways.

[Xenon]

DRLs are a very good safety feature. That is the reason why i prefer to re-route them then disable them all together.

[firstmazda]

Spring 2005 huh? Hmmm... how much? Let\'s get a BIG group buy!!!
and get them all installed together!

Ray

[mEtH]

mmmm...cheap prices awhhhhhh

DISCOUNT!!!!! :hoho

[keving]

Well I\'m resurrecting this discussion. I bought a wire and inside there are two 14 gauge wires and one ground. Can I just twist them all together and shove it into the end of the ring connector, crimp it and attach it to the TB and ground? I\'m not an electrical engineer so I\'m scared of short circuits, electrocuting myself and the works. Thanks.

[bluntman]

It will work, just make sure that your connections are tight.

[keving]

Thanks!

[billyfo]

as many of you did the grounding, but all are ATX:p , is there any good for MTX?

and will someone help me to install the wire :D ? what parts I need?

thanks.

[bluntman]

We can do it at the meet if it isn\'t too cold and too dark. You\'ll a length of wire, I used 4 gauge (I believe) 3 foot in length which is more than enough, two ring connectors which you can buy at Canadian Tire and, at the very least, some electrical tape (I use heat shrink tubing for a cleaner look).

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by billyfo


as many of you did the grounding, but all are ATX:p , is there any good for MTX?

and will someone help me to install the wire :D ? what parts I need?

thanks.

MajesticBlueN who is the originator of this thread has a 5 speed manual and chaser who also has a 5 speed has done the ETB mod. You can ask them how its working for them on their manual cars.;)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by billyfo


as many of you did the grounding, but all are ATX:p , is there any good for MTX?

and will someone help me to install the wire :D ? what parts I need?

thanks.

it is probably the best mod for the MTX.

1) no more bucking in 1st gear while travelling in a parking lot or crusing in stop and go

2) shifts are now imperceptible when compared to before the grounding

3) idle is smoother and less vibrations

[majic]

should i do it right away or should i LEARN how to drive stick and THEN appreciate the change? :D

[keving]

I couldn\'t find any 4 gauge wire, let alone 10 gauge wire. Canadian Tire isn\'t all that it\'s cracked up to be! All I got was 14 gauge, do you guys think it\'s thick enough? I plan to do the install on it tomorow. Also, does my car need to be cold for me to take the bolts off the throttle body? Will I burn myself if I attempt this while the engine is still warm? Thanks. I haven\'t done the mod yet and I feel such a buck when driving around in a parking lot in 1st gear, and there is a very perceptible delay from when I press the gas to when the engine revs. I have a 5MT btw. From what I understand, the ETB mod should benefit MT more so than AT, but I guess it varies.

[chaser]

You can hardly find wire lower than 14 gauge at CanTire. You can find low gauge wire and low gauge connectors at most audio stores. If you\'re lazy to look for audio store, you can grap a grounding kit at Best Buy for $19.99 at the car audio section.
I picked up a couple of gold connectors because MajesticBlueN mentioned that copper connectors corrodes easily. But be aware, the gold connectors are very hard to crimp!

Majic, i played with the 5sp for a while before I installed the wire because I wanted to feel the difference. But too bad, I don\'t experience a huge difference :sarc . But that\'s ok since I\'ve heard that not everyone who put it the wire experiences the even-zoom-zoom effect like MajesticBlueN does.;)

[majic]

thanks.. it\'s not like i am expecting a 30hp boost (although it would be nice.. hehe) :D but most of it would be a placebo effect (normal effect intensified) so i guess i\'ll do it a bit later.. now MUST hunt dealer for info on car whereabouts :D

[keving]

I did this mod today and I feel the smoothness, but the delay is still there. However, when I drove around for 15 minutes and checked under the hood again, the part of the wire closest to the TB was quite warm, and the electric tape was kinda mushy. My question is is my 14 gauge wire providing too much resistance, so the wire warms up, and how hot does the area immediately beside the throttle body get? The electrical tape I used says it\'s suitable for use at not more than 80 degrees C. I\'m paranoid of hurting my car, as I\'ve had bad experiences.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by keving


I did this mod today and I feel the smoothness, but the delay is still there. However, when I drove around for 15 minutes and checked under the hood again, the part of the wire closest to the TB was quite warm, and the electric tape was kinda mushy. My question is is my 14 gauge wire providing too much resistance, so the wire warms up, and how hot does the area immediately beside the throttle body get? The electrical tape I used says it\'s suitable for use at not more than 80 degrees C. I\'m paranoid of hurting my car, as I\'ve had bad experiences.

14 ga wire *might* be too thin. try 10 ga.

if you\'re worried about electrical tape getting too mushy, try some heatshrink tubing.

[Newlook]

Humm... I used regular electrical tape on one end (close to the throttle body) as well cuz I dropped the original tubing in the engine bay (grrrrr). Perhaps I should check and see if it got mushy.

Regarding the wire, since you only need 2ft at most, go to the audio installation dept at Future Shop/Best Buy and ask for a scrap wire. I picked mine up (8 ga.) from the garbage bin and it\'s more than enough for me to do the mod.

EDIT: typo

[Xenon]

majic:

Try driving your car for a month or so without the ETB mod... learn how your car sounds, feels and drives. Then once you are used to it, do the ETB mod.

That way you will be able to notice the difference. If you do it right away, you won\'t appreciate the mod as much.

[s_h_a_o_l_i_n]

I did this grounding mod today. Went out and got myself a 2 1/2 ft 4ga power cable, and reusable ring connectors u screw on with an allen screw (so I wouldn\'t have to crimp it, whatever crimping means anyway). Took me a whole hr cuz I lost one of the sockets in the engine for half n hr. But its done.

BUT then I realised i made a mistake. I skipped step 1 and 6. I didn\'t disconnect the negative battery cable before doing the mod. I just screwed hte cable onto the Throttle boday and then the factory ground point. Will that cause me any problems? But my car sure ran smoothly, especially when idle, there was less vibration. And I checked under the hood after taking her out for a spin, and nothing seemed out of order. did i do anything rong?

[bluntman]

There\'s nothing wrong with anything you did.

[majic]

crimp (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=crimp) :D
tr.v. crimped, crimp·ing, crimps

1. To press or pinch into small regular folds or ridges: crimp a pie crust.
2. To bend or mold (leather) into shape.
3. To cause (hair) to form tight curls or waves.
4. To have a hampering or obstructive effect on: Supplies of foreign oil were crimped by the embargo.


but anyway.. the steps 1 and 6 are more for your safety than anything.. so if you are alive and i assume it wasn\'t your soul who posted here then u\'r ok. but just FYI the battery that mazda3 (2.3L) uses is 12V 80D26L battery that\'s got a rating of 55AH / 5 hrs - i would say this is an 11A battery (and that\'s a LOT of current going through your body if you short something out accidentally) but their rating is a little different than standard.. anwyay.. 50mA going accross your heart is enough to kill you.. just a fun fact of the day..

[s_h_a_o_l_i_n]

Originally posted by majic
the steps 1 and 6 are more for your safety than anything.. so if you are alive and i assume it wasn\'t your soul who posted here then u\'r ok..

Haha then I guess I was just lucky... and it was snowing/raining too here in waterloo... there was a couple inches of snow on my car when I first saw it...

[ronk21]

I picked up a \"starter to ground\" cable from Canadian Tire. It\'s 3 feet long and has the connectors on it already. $7

It works great. It only comes in grey but that\'s fine as my car is silver

[///M]

I finally got my HKS Circular Grounding kit (refer to this (http://torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=1148) for my rant about it).

It comes with lots of wire and a circular distribution cap, with gold plated connectors. What else can I ground (and where) apart from the ETB to make full use of the kit? Also, does it hurt to leave the battery uncovered? The distribution cap goes on the negative battery terminal and there\'s not enough clearance with the plastic cover on.

[///M]

I just did mine and it doesn\'t seem to do very much. In fact, if I don\'t feel any difference after more driving I might be taking it back off in a few days. I don\'t like how I have to leave the battery cover open.

http://individual.utoronto.ca/cc_706/etb_01.jpg
http://individual.utoronto.ca/cc_706/etb_02.jpg

It does look nice inside the engine bay though.

[bluntman]

Are you sure you connected the wires properly? I was under the impression that the single wire goes to your negative battery terminal and all of the other wire go to several grounding points in the engine bay. I may be wrong, but that\'s what several other people have done with their home made grounding kits.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe


I just did mine and it doesn\'t seem to do very much. In fact, if I don\'t feel any difference after more driving I might be taking it back off in a few days. I don\'t like how I have to leave the battery cover open.

It does look nice inside the engine bay though.

did that kit come with instructions as to where to put the wires? the way you have it, it is wired up in an \"overkill\" fashion. it has 4 wires going to the -ve terminal and one to the TB... from what i\'ve seen with kits like that, people put a wire on different parts of the engine (i.e. valve cover, intake manifold, etc) and then bring one back to the -ve terminal or to a body point.

cliff\'s notes: change the way your kit is wired

[majic]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

cliff\'s notes: change the way your kit is wired

lol!! love the cliff\'s notes :D

[bluntman]

Who\'s Cliff?

[majic]

lol.. sliff\'s notes.. shaum\'s outlines.. cole\'s notes.. bloom\'s notes..

they all take our favourite novels and textbooks/topics and simplify into all the sh!7 you actually need to know and in simple terms.. i would have never gotten through dynamic systems w.o shaum\'s.. that course (and the prof) still gives me the creeps..

[///M]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN



Originally posted by autoexe


I just did mine and it doesn\'t seem to do very much. In fact, if I don\'t feel any difference after more driving I might be taking it back off in a few days. I don\'t like how I have to leave the battery cover open.

It does look nice inside the engine bay though.

did that kit come with instructions as to where to put the wires? the way you have it, it is wired up in an \"overkill\" fashion. it has 4 wires going to the -ve terminal and one to the TB... from what i\'ve seen with kits like that, people put a wire on different parts of the engine (i.e. valve cover, intake manifold, etc) and then bring one back to the -ve terminal or to a body point.

cliff\'s notes: change the way your kit is wired

I wired it up as per the instructions of the kit. I also thought it was overkill to have 4 wires going into th negative terminal, but that\'s what the instructions of the kit said.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe

I wired it up as per the instructions of the kit. I also thought it was overkill to have 4 wires going into th negative terminal, but that\'s what the instructions of the kit said.

http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/eek.gifthat\'s nuts...sell the kit and make your own ground wires for 1/4 of the price

[bluntman]

But remember, you bought that kit from Japan.

I Japan they drive on the other side of the road, so you should reverse the instructions so it will be suitable for North American cars.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

here\'s a pic of a HKS Circular Earth system wired up on an RSX. you\'ll see that the circular distribution block is connected to the negative terminal.

the wires then spider out from there to different points of the engine. you\'ll notice that there\'s one in the front of the pic going to the intake manifold, one going to the A/C compressor and where ever else the others go.

then, the distribution block is then connected to a body ground point.

bottom line, rewire your kit (http://store1.yimg.com/I/import-store_1820_32392378)

EDIT: different ways to mount the distribution block:

Circle Plate - The HKS circle plate allows for the freedom to choose the thickness and the number of wires (up to 24 lines) to be used. Depending on the specific application, either the Separate Type (remotely located from battery terminal) or the Direct Type (directly mounted onto the battery terminal) are utilized.

[Abstraction]

Agreed -
most grounding systems (hyperground, HKS, etc) have grounds going to different places in the engine and then they tie back to a common ground on the battery.

I put ground wires on my RSX and didnt\' notice too much of a difference, but i\'ve been told that when you remove them, you might miss them. lol.

for the $35 that it cost me, i couldn\'t complain. at least i didnt\' spend $200 on Sun Hypergrounds or anything like that.

Also - i\'m curious if a voltage stabilizer would help with all the electronics under the hood of the mazda3. esp the drive by wire.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Abstraction


Also - i\'m curious if a voltage stabilizer would help with all the electronics under the hood of the mazda3. esp the drive by wire.

Neo has one of those. He was showing it to us at the last meet.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by Abstraction


Also - i\'m curious if a voltage stabilizer would help with all the electronics under the hood of the mazda3. esp the drive by wire.

Neo has one of those. He was showing it to us at the last meet.

it was Neil, and not me. :D

he drove the WB hatch with the RAV4 steelies.

[bluntman]

Now you\'re messing me up...the owner of the red hatch parked near Devin\'s car. Too many names and faces to remember...:(

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


Now you\'re messing me up...the owner of the red hatch parked near Devin\'s car. Too many names and faces to remember...:(

he had one too?

[wtom]

We only had two hatches at the meet; teambedlams, over at the end beside Kennedy Road, and then majic\'s hatch at the other end, close to TD Bank building. I thought Devin98 was either the Indigo Blue sedan with the two subs in the trunk or the Winning Blue hatch with a bunch of electronics in the cargo bay?

[bluntman]

Someone did...he had a chrome Injen intake too, unless I was drunk from all of the Robitussin I was taking.

[wtom]

You sure that wasn\'t an Orange hatch? We had two late comers... ASD AXELA and Guess, both in orange hatches... they parked in the \"middle\" parking spots (not against the curb like majority of the cars). I remember one of these two guys have an Injen, if not both.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


Someone did...he had a chrome Injen intake too, unless I was drunk from all of the Robitussin I was taking.

that was Neil with the WB hatch with RAV4 steelies :) he was under a sign that gave off red light?! :hoho

[///M]

That was the blue one with RAV4 steelies parked next time mine. Not sure who\'s it was though.

I\'m going to try rewiring it now. Too bad I don\'t have enough wire left to ground other points other than the ETB (the stupid battery connection \"harness\" I had to contruct according to the instructions used up most of the clips and wires!! arghhh!)

[bluntman]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN



Originally posted by bluntman


Someone did...he had a chrome Injen intake too, unless I was drunk from all of the Robitussin I was taking.

that was Neil with the WB hatch with RAV4 steelies :) he was under a sign that gave off red light?! :hoho

What\'s his screen name?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


What\'s his screen name?

don\'t think he\'s joined here yet.

[Saphress]

I think... I\'m definately going to try this before the snow hits. Abz is convinced that this will definately fix my problem on my car...

When doing this and it matches your driving habits.... prior to that.. the first time around, because we are having problems now with hesitation (I am) could it because I was driving it so carefully in the beginning?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Saphress


I think... I\'m definately going to try this before the snow hits. Abz is convinced that this will definately fix my problem on my car...

When doing this and it matches your driving habits.... prior to that.. the first time around, because we are having problems now with hesitation (I am) could it because I was driving it so carefully in the beginning?

definitely give the ETB grounding a try and see if that helps.

i didn\'t drive the 3 \"carefully\" in the beginning. once off the lot and the car was fully warmed up, my engine has seen redline from day one.

[///M]

After rewiring it still wasn\'t doing much for me at all :( so I took the entire thing off and returned it to stock. I guess the whole ETB grounding thing isn\'t for me. I should\'ve put the money to an HID kit or exhaust instead.

I wonder if I\'ll be able to sell my kit.

[bluntman]

I\'ll give you $5. :)

[majic]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN

i didn\'t drive the 3 \"carefully\" in the beginning. once off the lot and the car was fully warmed up, my engine has seen redline from day one.

mmm day one.. mmm redline.. :D



Originally posted by autoexe
I wonder if I\'ll be able to sell my kit.


I\'ll give you 5bux .. going once..
revised offer: $5.50CAD

EDIT: fack.. bluntman beat me to it while i was typing my answer.. so i revised my offer ;)

[bluntman]

$5.55

[Xenon]

Originally posted by autoexe


After rewiring it still wasn\'t doing much for me at all :( so I took the entire thing off and returned it to stock. I guess the whole ETB grounding thing isn\'t for me. I should\'ve put the money to an HID kit or exhaust instead.

I wonder if I\'ll be able to sell my kit.

I don\'t see how you can compare the cost of grounding the ETB to an HID kit. One is $5, the other is $500.... +tax :p

[bluntman]

His kit costs a lot more than $5.

[Xenon]

i....c.....

and what is the difference between my $5 audio wire and his $5+ grounding kit?

Performance wise that is... because my little wire that I gor from a scrap bin did wonders once I hooked it up.

[majic]

$5.56

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Xenon


i....c.....

and what is the difference between my $5 audio wire and his $5+ grounding kit?

Performance wise that is... because my little wire that I gor from a scrap bin did wonders once I hooked it up.

I don\'t know, that cool round thing, the thick wires and the gold plated connectors, the \"HKS\" logo, the packaging.


Originally posted by majic

$5.56

Damn, majic...too rich for my blood. :(

[///M]

The round distribution cap, the connectors and the mounting block are gold plated. Hey, and the purple wires look nice in your engine bay too.

Too bad it doesn\'t work as good as it looks. :(

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe


The round distribution cap, the connectors and the mounting block are gold plated. Hey, and the purple wires look nice in your engine bay too.

Too bad it doesn\'t work as good as it looks. :(

you were expecting too much from it. the ETB grounding doesn\'t boost HP in any way, nor does it add power. for me, it basically smoothed the engine out.

lesson learned: don\'t spend $100+ on a mod that can be had for $5 :p

[///M]

Lesson learned the hard way. :(

I wasn\'t expecting and perfomance boost (in fact I wasn\'t planning on doing this mod at all before seeing all the positive responses to it) but it didn\'t even seem to smooth out the engine for me. I was expecting throttle response to improve but I didn\'t notice any difference at all.

I\'ll be thinking really hard before I buy my CAI. It\'s another of those mods I\'ve been debating for a long time.

I was just wondering - what\'s the advantage of having an ETB, if any? They seem to be the cause of the throttle lag.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe

I was just wondering - what\'s the advantage of having an ETB, if any? They seem to be the cause of the throttle lag.

emissions control...

when you lift off the throttle abruptly on a cable-operated TB, it slams the throttle plate closed leaving a whole bunch of fuel and little air in the combustion chamber, which results in a lot of unburned fuel making it into the catalytic and etc.

an ETB gives the computer control over how fast to close the plate, ensuring minimal pollution.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by autoexe


Lesson learned the hard way. :(

I wasn\'t expecting and perfomance boost (in fact I wasn\'t planning on doing this mod at all before seeing all the positive responses to it) but it didn\'t even seem to smooth out the engine for me. I was expecting throttle response to improve but I didn\'t notice any difference at all.

I\'ll be thinking really hard before I buy my CAI. It\'s another of those mods I\'ve been debating for a long time.



The CAI is a completely different story. The CAI is a proven mod that works, the more air you can feed an engine (and the faster you can expel it...to a certain extent) the more effecient and more power you can get from an engine.

[///M]

Originally posted by bluntman
The CAI is a completely different story. The CAI is a proven mod that works, the more air you can feed an engine (and the faster you can expel it...to a certain extent) the more effecient and more power you can get from an engine.

I know that, but how much will I really be able to feel it? That\'s the thing with performance mods - usually there isn\'t enough gain to justify the cost. I prefer cosmetic mods (all show and no go - rice :D?) - at least I\'ll be sure that they look good and I can see them!

[bluntman]

For instant feedback (gratification), go with an exhaust...this is from my personal experience. In my first car, a 91 Integra, I had a custom exhaust installed first (followed by headers and then the intake). The extra torque increase through the addition of the exhaust was, for me, most noticeable right off the line. That and the exhaust note was music to my ears.

[Abstraction]

Originally posted by Saphress


I think... I\'m definately going to try this before the snow hits. Abz is convinced that this will definately fix my problem on my car...

When doing this and it matches your driving habits.... prior to that.. the first time around, because we are having problems now with hesitation (I am) could it because I was driving it so carefully in the beginning?

hahah, don\'t twist my words! i said that i could see how this would help in the mazda3 cuz of the driveby wire... i didnt say it\'d cure any problems :)

i have grounding wires on 5 points in my car, didnt\' notice a differenceat all :)

[Abstraction]

Originally posted by bluntman



Originally posted by Abstraction


Also - i\'m curious if a voltage stabilizer would help with all the electronics under the hood of the mazda3. esp the drive by wire.

Neo has one of those. He was showing it to us at the last meet.


really.... .like a T1R that speedstar sells or something?

did he notice any improvement?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Abstraction

really.... .like a T1R that speedstar sells or something?

did he notice any improvement?

he has something like this (http://www.sigmaautomotive.com/HVS/hvs.php)

for the record, i don\'t believe anything on that site.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by autoexe
I know that, but how much will I really be able to feel it? That\'s the thing with performance mods - usually there isn\'t enough gain to justify the cost. I prefer cosmetic mods (all show and no go - rice :D?) - at least I\'ll be sure that they look good and I can see them!

Finally admitting it eh? Your OEM Chrome Mirrors (which look exactly like the stick on chrome mirrors on Ebay) probably give you more HP than a CAI would, in your mind.

Personally, I\'m going with a \"MBN\" (MajesticBlueN) home made ETB Grounding kit. Thanks MBN.;)

[///M]

Finally admitting it eh? Your OEM Chrome Mirrors (which look exactly like the stick on chrome mirrors on Ebay) probably give you more HP than a CAI would, in your mind.

I\'ve always admitted my car was all show and no go - there isn\'t a lot you can mod to make the 3 fast. Even with a CAI and exhaust, the 3 won\'t be a \"fast\" car by any means.

Yes, from a distance, the chrome mirror caps look almost the same. A critical difference however is that the OEM ones are a direct replacement for the stock caps (i.e. you take off the stock caps and they snap into place) whereas the ebay ones go on top of the stock ones and are stuck on with double sided tape.

The fit and finish is much better with the OEM, and they sit flush with the black plastic housing. Either go the full way and buy quality parts, or don\'t buy at all.

And for the record, no they don\'t give me any HP. ;) Nor am I about to rice out my 3. Rice in my books = anything tacky and of poor quality, or lower than OEM quality.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by autoexe
Either go the full way and buy quality parts, or don\'t buy at all.


Isn\'t it this same attitude that got you into trouble with in this thread? Where you went out and bought an overpriced \"Earthing Kit\" that cost over $100 where as $25 and quick trip to an audio store would have given you the same effect?

I guess some people just never learn.:sarc

[///M]

You can go buy your Ebay parts and I\'ll stick with my OEM parts...mmmkay? :sarc

If the HKS kit doesn\'t work for me, I really doubt the home made grounding mod will be any better. No more grounding for me, end of story.

[RedRaptor]

Don\'t take a fit because you spent 10x the amount more for a fancy earthing kit.

You would never catch me with anything chrome on my car. Like someone told me...chrome on cars is \"like a \"brotha wit fronts\".

Its really sad how you\'ve given up on the idea of ETB Grounding and even doubting its \"effectiveness\" now when so many MT and AT users here have experienced the difference it makes.

I guess that comes in the territory of spending too much on something that you expected too much from and being all bitter after.

[///M]

I am not even going to waste my time arguing.

I bought the chrome mirror caps because I personally liked the way they look. If you like them, that\'s cool. If you don\'t, that fine too.

If you wish to think that I am all bitter about the kit, then so be it. I\'m not. Don\'t put words in my mouth.

[RedRaptor]

Read your own posts man...if you don\'t sound bitter, I don\'t know who does.

Who is arguing with you anyways? Don\'t play the \"Oh, you are putting words in my mouth game\" again. I\'m not interested.

I don\'t like the fact that you claim the ETB Grounding mod doens\'t work. It might have worked but you expected too much OR you actually wired your $100 HKS kit incorrectly. Have you never pondered these two possibilities even for a second?

[MajesticBlueNTO]

http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/chairshot.gif

[///M]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Read your own posts man...if you don\'t sound bitter, I don\'t know who does.

Who is arguing with you anyways? Don\'t play the \"Oh, you are putting words in my mouth game\" again. I\'m not interested.

I don\'t like the fact that you claim the ETB Grounding mod doens\'t work. It might have worked but you expected too much OR you actually wired your $100 HKS kit incorrectly. Have you never pondered these two possibilities even for a second?


I never claimed that the mod doesn\'t work. I merely said that it doesn\'t work for me. If it works for you and others, great.

If you even bother to read my previous posts in this thread the kit was wired up as per the instructions that came with it. If the instructions aren\'t the correct way to wire the kit then I don\'t know what is.

What\'s up with your consistantly negative attitude? :sarc

[RedRaptor]

dude,

I say things \"as they are\" here on TM3. If you can\'t handle that, cry me a river.

If you look stupid for buying a $100 Earthing Kit that doesn\'t work OR because you followed some instructions that were wrong in the first place, I will be the first in line to tell you that. There might be people here that would be nice to you and say \"Oh its okay\", I will bring \"reality\" to you.

Since you\'re getting personal, my question to you is: Why are you consistently \"illogical\" all the time?

Would it occur to you that the instructions that were provided were maybe incorrect? At that point, would you not use your \"logic\" and wire the kit correctly? If the instructions that came with a parachute were \"Drop from plane, land, then deploy chute\", would you not have the \"logic\" to deploy the chute first and then land?

[///M]

Read my previous posts again. After wiring it with the \"illogical\" method, I tried wiring the ground wire directly to the negative terminal. Still didn\'t do anything. Wouldn\'t the next \"logical\" step be to remove the kit and replace the battery cover to so that the terminals are covered to prevent shorting?

[RedRaptor]

sure man...

http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/images/smilies/bling.gif

[keving]

ANYWAYS... Remember as I said I did this mod? And I felt a \"smoother throttle but still the delay\". Well the other day I went out and checked out the fit of the wires again. And guess what? The wire fell off! I did a really POOR job of \"crimping\", and all of this time I\'ve been driving around with the wire broken thinking that the mod worked but in reality there was no mod at all! Well I totally removed the wire and such, so there wouldn\'t be wire hanging in my engine bay, and took it out for a spin again. I\'m the first to admit...without the grounding of the ETB anymore, my throttle still feels as \"smooth\" as when I first tried this mod out. This is very odd. I could have SWORN that the throttle was smoother the moment I put on the ETB kit, and it stayed on for a good couple of days before it fell off. Never once did it lose its smoothness. So, I suppose that all you need to do is ground it once and then your car will be smooth forever? sweeeeet

[Xenon]

Originally posted by keving


ANYWAYS... Remember as I said I did this mod? And I felt a \"smoother throttle but still the delay\". Well the other day I went out and checked out the fit of the wires again. And guess what? The wire fell off! I did a really POOR job of \"crimping\", and all of this time I\'ve been driving around with the wire broken thinking that the mod worked but in reality there was no mod at all! Well I totally removed the wire and such, so there wouldn\'t be wire hanging in my engine bay, and took it out for a spin again. I\'m the first to admit...without the grounding of the ETB anymore, my throttle still feels as \"smooth\" as when I first tried this mod out. This is very odd. I could have SWORN that the throttle was smoother the moment I put on the ETB kit, and it stayed on for a good couple of days before it fell off. Never once did it lose its smoothness. So, I suppose that all you need to do is ground it once and then your car will be smooth forever? sweeeeet

THat\'s interesting... may be? I donno...

I julst like that red wire that goes from the ETB to my battery... for someone who doesn\'t know much about cars, it makes my car look all high-tech :p Haha...

(in other words, I\'m leaving the wire there cuz it looks cool ):D

[///M]

Originally posted by keving


ANYWAYS... Remember as I said I did this mod? And I felt a \"smoother throttle but still the delay\". Well the other day I went out and checked out the fit of the wires again. And guess what? The wire fell off! I did a really POOR job of \"crimping\", and all of this time I\'ve been driving around with the wire broken thinking that the mod worked but in reality there was no mod at all! Well I totally removed the wire and such, so there wouldn\'t be wire hanging in my engine bay, and took it out for a spin again. I\'m the first to admit...without the grounding of the ETB anymore, my throttle still feels as \"smooth\" as when I first tried this mod out. This is very odd. I could have SWORN that the throttle was smoother the moment I put on the ETB kit, and it stayed on for a good couple of days before it fell off. Never once did it lose its smoothness. So, I suppose that all you need to do is ground it once and then your car will be smooth forever? sweeeeet

Placebo effect!

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe

Placebo effect!

i can tell you this much, the experience on mine was definitely NOT the placebo effect.

[///M]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN



Originally posted by autoexe

Placebo effect!

i can tell you this much, the experience on mine was definitely NOT the placebo effect.

Easy there...I was just joking! As I said, I don\'t doubt that it works for many of you.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by autoexe

Easy there...I was just joking! As I said, I don\'t doubt that it works for many of you.

:D it\'s all good

[RedRaptor]

Just got the \"MajesticBlueN\" (MBN) ETB grounding Kit ($10 CDN) installed on my car. Engine idle RPM is really low and stable now. Shifts from 1 to 2 are smooth and my car is as smooth as silk now.

http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/images/smilies/bowdown.gif and thanks MajesticBlueN!

[tommy36]

I have to agree that i also tried the mod on my 3 and there is a noticeable difference in the responsiveness of the gas pedal, it does seem to kick in faster when the throttle is touched. ;)

[black305]

i\'ll be trying this shortly but a quick question...do you bother taking it off before bringing it into the dealership? in other words, are there any warranty concerns here?

[chaser]

Originally posted by black305
i\'ll be trying this shortly but a quick question...do you bother taking it off before bringing it into the dealership? in other words, are there any warranty concerns here?

I don\'t think anyone would bother to take off the wire before visiting dealer. And I don\'t think dealers would chanllenge this \"mod\".;)

[kl7402001]

i don\'t think they mind either .. cus they don\'t mind that i have a CAI in there .. so wires should be okay

[wtom]

Finally got my lazy arse moving to give this little mod a try (thanks again to Neil for getting me the wires and being electrical-support) :p

Results - I feel nothing changed, maybe a tad bit of go throughout the RPMs

- 2100 RPM vibration still there
- 1st gear jerk still there (accelerate up to about 3K then let go of the gas)
- 3rd gear 3200RPM surge is still there

Maybe it helps a bit. I should have connected to body instead of -ve battery... (pics taken with crappy camera on my cell phone)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/ETBGrounding1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/ETBGrounding2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/wtom/ETBGrounding3.jpg


EDIT: Re-determined above results

[pigeoncamera]

Bumping an old one only because I just learned about the mod.

I\'m going to try it out on my \'05 AT to see if it smoothes out the vibrations at idle, but I have a question... Would any of you recommend disconnecting the battery completely during the install in order to reset the ECU? Or will it relearn anyway if I leave it alone?

[MAZDA Kitten]

Where are you guys getting the grounding kits?

[pigeoncamera]

Originally posted by MAZDA Kitten

Where are you guys getting the grounding kits?


No kit for most so far. Just 3 feet of wire and some ring connectors.

[Ex-Rolla]

Originally posted by MAZDA Kitten


Where are you guys getting the grounding kits?


Exactly.... Just go to any car audio shop and ask for 8g or 4g wire and 2 ring connectors.

I have also done this \"mod\" and noticed absolutely no difference.

[wtom]

Originally posted by pigeoncamera

Would any of you recommend disconnecting the battery completely during the install in order to reset the ECU? Or will it relearn anyway if I leave it alone?

supposedly should disconnect the negative for at least 5 mins. longer if you can.

[david3]

This mod is bullshit unless someone can _prove_ otherwise. I used a digital multimeter and couldn\'t get any current to flow from the TB to ground while it was being revved. :sarc

[pigeoncamera]

So, I did this \"mod\" this afternoon. After driving around for several hours, I thought maybe I could feel a difference. But as a double-check, I took the wire off again and now I\'m not so sure.

There might be a slight improvement in low-end response, but it\'s probably more mental than anything. Seems I\'ve reached the conclusion that results are inconclusive.:p But for five bucks and 15 minutes, there\'s no harm, no foul.

[Krakilin]

Do you take out the grounding cables that came with the car and replace it with the mod, or you put them both in?

[Ex-Rolla]

Originally posted by Krakilin


Do you take out the grounding cables that came with the car and replace it with the mod, or you put them both in?

you don\'t actually remove anything... All your doing is adding a ground wire from the throttle body to a ground point on the car...

http://ca.geocities.com/mark.karabulut@rogers.com/ground.jpg

This is the best picture i can come up with... the white squggly line indicates the wire, and the circle indicates where i connected the cable to on the throttle body.

[skunk2]

does it matter which bolt you ground to on the TB side?
i did this on the weekend and definitely made a difference...not night and day but if you are not really getting on the throttle before and after the mod to see if the response is better you wont notice the difference.

[Krakilin]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN


pics

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_img_a/337094_44_full.jpg

So you would have to loosen the screw all the way out and then put the clip in then screw it back in? Isn\'t that a bit unsafe to loosen that screw?

[skunk2]

it\'s not unsafe...there\'s four of them holding the tb on the intake manifold.

[MAZDA Kitten]

has anyone bought any of the kits off ebay?

[Fuman]

after reading 7 pages of this thread, i\'ve no clue how the dis mod is suppose to work.

[Axela Mazda 3]

same here!!!

[Ex-Rolla]

Originally posted by MajesticBlueN



Originally posted by wtom


I am a skeptic... nothing comes without a price so what are you sacrificing or putting at risk by doing this \"oh so easy\" mod? Apologies if explainations have already been given to this side of the issue (you can kindly provide the link, I\'d appreciate it). Answers such as \"spending money to buy the required tools/hardware\" will be frowned upon. :( :( :(

hehehe

i had the grounding mod done on my maxima. it was an autotragic and the extra ground points (2 from the engine to the body and one from the negative battery terminal to the body) lowered the idle rpm but also make it rock steady. before the additional grounding, you could see the tach needle moving ever so slightly; and the max was a cable actuated TB with coil-on-plug ignition.

over the 2 years that the extra ground wires were on the max, nothing adverse happened to the car. there are \"hyperground\" and \"earthing\" kits out there that do basically the same thing, except for $100s more. manufacturer\'s will cheap out on certain things

in the case of the ETB, the theory behind it is providing a \"cleaner\" ground, which will improve the quality of the signal from the ECU (rather than having the ground be the ETB harness ground wire, which is of thinner gauge and is grounded at the ecu, which is grounded at the battery). in my case, i did notice all that was foretold :hoho

here\'s the link to the m3f discussion. (http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=8848&start=240) the mazda6tech links are within that link (kinda like a \"Choose Your Own Adventure\" book with links within links, but i digress and will stop showing my age).

for the ~$5 and 10 minutes it costs to do it, it can\'t hurt to try it out.


Hey guys, here\'s what Majestic wrote on the first page. Because our cars have drive-by-wire, in other words instead of using a cable that opens and closes the intake/throttle body, our cars use servos (did i spell that correctly) \"tiny motors\" to open and close it. Like any electric device, the better its grounded, the more efficient it is, for example a stereo system.

So in theory, because the the throttle body is grounded much better than stock, everything should work better, which translates to, as some have mentioned, smoother shifting, smoother idling, none of which happened to me :( .

Someone correct me if i\'m wrong, or add anyhting that i missed.

Ex

[bubu416]

I went by to several Future Shops, B-Buys & audio stores. Could NOT find those 4 AWG wires. They all just sell the entire kit for like $150+ !!!!!

Anyone knows where to get the cable only (cheap)?


-bubu416

[majic]

honestly .. ANY cable will do.. if you can find scraps and pay ~20bux then great but i wouldn\'t spend more than that.. i used 16GA or 14GA.. maybe that\'s why i never noticed any difference :p

[skunk2]

bubu, i have left overs from mine, cable and connectors.
i can put it together for you if you want.
just let me know.

[bubu416]

Thanks in advance Skunk2, I\'m off on a trip tmr, can\'t have it done til the week after.

Can I msg you when I get back?

Thx! :D

[skunk2]

not a problem, just let me know when.

[Flagrum_3]

Hey Guys, I was just wondering, for those who have experienced rough idling...at what mileage did it become noticeable? ...because with my 3 so far, it idles so smooth and quite, I don\'t even think its running, which is nice but its also very quite as I eccelerate and I can\'t hear when to make my shifts...I\'m definitely going to have to get an aftermarket exhaust.I\'m thinking Borla.Anyone here got a Borla system?


_3


.

[zoomzoomboom]

hi majestic blue i was just wondering looking at the pics you posted up are you running the 4 gauge wire from the tb the the ground point to the neg of the battery .Would it be the same if i run the wire from the tb to the neg of the battery and forget the ground point please let me know............

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by zoomzoomboom

Would it be the same if i run the wire from the tb to the neg of the battery and forget the ground point please let me know............

it would be the same, yes

[ds2chan]

man, this post is old but I need help. I just got my 3 and it\'s auto. the switch from 1st to 2nd is rough so I want to try this mod out. where can I get cheap but good cable from?? ppl have been saying try future shop but those cables don\'t have connectors on them. so some have been saying u can get connectors at canadian tire but how do the connectors stay on the cables?? and what\'s this tubing or electrical tape for??

sorry for all the stupid questions but I don\'t about this kind of stuff. thanks.

[chaser]

Originally posted by ds2chan


man, this post is old but I need help. I just got my 3 and it\'s auto. the switch from 1st to 2nd is rough so I want to try this mod out. where can I get cheap but good cable from?? ppl have been saying try future shop but those cables don\'t have connectors on them. so some have been saying u can get connectors at canadian tire but how do the connectors stay on the cables?? and what\'s this tubing or electrical tape for??

sorry for all the stupid questions but I don\'t about this kind of stuff. thanks.

If $20 is ok for u to spend on this mod, you can buy a grounding kit from Best Buy (Car Audio Section). It includes cables, connectors. I think the cables are 12 gauge or lower. Either buying the kit or buying cable and connectors separately, you need to crimp the connectors onto the cable.

[elt09]

Originally posted by chaser

If $20 is ok for u to spend on this mod, you can buy a grounding kit from Best Buy (Car Audio Section). It includes cables, connectors. I think the cables are 12 gauge or lower. Either buying the kit or buying cable and connectors separately, you need to crimp the connectors onto the cable.

Does the kit include a crimping tool? or did you guys have one yourselves? or did u just use pliers of some sort to crimp it?

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by chaser

If $20 is ok for u to spend on this mod, you can buy a grounding kit from Best Buy (Car Audio Section). It includes cables, connectors. I think the cables are 12 gauge or lower. Either buying the kit or buying cable and connectors separately, you need to crimp the connectors onto the cable.


thanks for your help. so you crimp the connectors to the cable but where does this tubing or electrical tape come in?? also, people have mentioned about their battery being exposed. how does that happen when you connect the bolt back to the battery?? that is, when nothing has changed in regards to the battery. I am assuming that something is exposed if they connect the cable to the -ve side of the battery as opposed to the chassis of the car.

[ds2chan]

ok, I found 3.3 (1m) of 6 gauge cable for $2 at home depot. I\'m assuming that is good??

so if I buy connectors how can I crimp them onto the cable?? is there a place that will crimp them on for me??

thanks for any help.

[majic]

Originally posted by ds2chan


ok, I found 3.3 (1m) of 6 gauge cable for $2 at home depot. I\'m assuming that is good??

so if I buy connectors how can I crimp them onto the cable?? is there a place that will crimp them on for me??

thanks for any help.

just buy a $5 kit at walmart or CT and you get the crimper and an assortmant of ring/spade/butt connectors.. might not be the highest quality but it gets the job done..

[bubu416]

I went to this car audio shop @ Hwy 7 & Main Street (1 block west of Kennedy). I asked for 3 ft of the 4 ga wire w/ gold rings. They cut & crimp it for you right there. Cost me about $12.

Good Luck

:D

[whodilly]

OK so I got some wire and connectors from SABIO (thanks again dude!) and did the ETB grounding.
My impressions so far... nothing. This didn\'t make any noticable difference, but then again sometimes my car responds differently on different days.

Just drove it for a little bit so the jury is still out. We\'ll see when I go to windsor this weekend.

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by whodilly


OK so I got some wire and connectors from SABIO (thanks again dude!) and did the ETB grounding.
My impressions so far... nothing. This didn\'t make any noticable difference, but then again sometimes my car responds differently on different days.

Just drove it for a little bit so the jury is still out. We\'ll see when I go to windsor this weekend.


do you have auto or manual?? unless I\'m mistaken, from reading this thread it seems that the ppl who seem to be getting the most out of this mod are the ppl with auto..

I haven\'t tried this mod yet since I don\'t have any of the materials avialable.. but I\'ll try it out when I can actually get my hands on them and post my final results/reactions..

[whodilly]

Mine\'s manual. I was hoping that it would help with the jerky throtle response in first and possibly a 50hp increase! :p

Didn\'t expect much but most people have said that there is a more linear response when you step on the gas. I find you can do that yourself if you just press on the gas gradually!

[ds2chan]

I actually did realize that if u accelerate at a constant speed past 20 km (auto automatically switches to 2nd at 20km) then it\'ll be pretty smooth.. but if u ease up on the gas at 20 km just as the car is switching to 2nd then u\'ll feel that jerky motion.. I\'m hoping that this mod will fix that..

and u were actually hoping for an inscrease in hp?? that\'s wishful thinking.. if u\'r good for the rest of this year maybe santa will make that mod for u.. :D

[wtom]

whodilly, same before/after feeling with my car after ETB also. Everything felt the same;

- 1st gear accelerate then let off the gas, quite an obvious jerk
- 2100RPM in N, obvious vibration
- slight power surge at about 3500RPM when accelerating

ds2chan, when you planning to go to Chris\' house? Bring your wire next time and I\'ll help you install it.

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by wtom


whodilly, same before/after feeling with my car after ETB also. Everything felt the same;

- 1st gear accelerate then let off the gas, quite an obvious jerk
- 2100RPM in N, obvious vibration
- slight power surge at about 3500RPM when accelerating

ds2chan, when you planning to go to Chris\' house? Bring your wire next time and I\'ll help you install it.


I\'m not sure.. Chris lives so far away from me!!! but I\'d like to go there for help.. even chris doesn\'t mind helping me.. do u have msn?? if so, then check out my profile and add me.. I\'m going to try and get the cable this saturday.. if so, then maybe on sunday.. but I have to give chris a call.. also, he lives so far away from me!! oh well, I don\'t want to screw this up.. I\'m assuming u\'r always there anyways since debbie lives there now!!

[ds2chan]

I bought this wire from Home Depot. For some reason it looks so much thinner than wire I\'ve seen in previous pictures. Mind you, my cable is 6 gauge. Does anybody know if this is ok?? Thanks for any help you can provide.

For some reason it says access forbidden when you click on the links so just refresh and it\'ll show up fine.

http://ds2chan.fateback.com/IMG_2656.JPG
http://ds2chan.fateback.com/IMG_2658.JPG



I\'ve looked around at Canadian Tire and some other places but they only have connectors (ring terminals) for 10 gauge wire and up. is that ok?? the closest I\'ve found is 4 gauge ring terminals.. does anybody know which ring terminals I should get?? does it really matter?? thanks.

[bubu416]

Originally posted by ds2chan


I bought this wire from Home Depot. For some reason it looks so much thinner than wire I\'ve seen in previous pictures. Mind you, my cable is 6 gauge. Does anybody know if this is ok?? Thanks for any help you can provide.

For some reason it says access forbidden when you click on the links so just refresh and it\'ll show up fine.

http://ds2chan.fateback.com/IMG_2656.JPG
http://ds2chan.fateback.com/IMG_2658.JPG



I\'ve looked around at Canadian Tire and some other places but they only have connectors (ring terminals) for 10 gauge wire and up. is that ok?? the closest I\'ve found is 4 gauge ring terminals.. does anybody know which ring terminals I should get?? does it really matter?? thanks.


You won\'t be able to find the cable in Canadian Tire. I\'ve seen a 4 GA kit @ Best Buy for $24.99. You get 5-8ft of cable, and 2 gold ring terminal. You gotta do your own crimping. Or you can go to a custom car audio shop, it\'ll be cheaper than the kit.

The rings are either copper or gold plated. Get the gold plated ones caz it won\'t rust.

Can\'t view your pics but 6 GA wire should be fine.

-bubu416

[ds2chan]

I just did this mod and all I have to say is OMG!! I cannot feel any jerkiness whatsoever when switching gears.. even when in tiptronic mode and I\'m switching gears a little too late.. fyi, I have an automatic and I grounded the cable to the side of my car (rather than the battery terminal)..

also fyi, I\'m using a 6 AWG cable which I bought for $2 from home depot (3.3 ft which is way too long; should\'ve just bought a little less) and 2 gold 8 AWG ring terminals..

awesome mod.. two thumbs up..

[wtom]

Good to hear things worked for you, Dave!

[Shogun]

Cars are notorious for not having effective grounding. Voltage loss occurs in electronic components that are not effectively grounded, which results in decreased performance of the component. Adding a grounding strap to key areas on the engine components, throttle body being one of them, decreases the voltage loss. The net effect on the TB is increased performance (i.e. response time of the component).

This is what I noticed. I added the TB ground about two weeks ago and didn\'t really notice a dramatic difference. On Labour Day I replaced my horn with a dual tone and when doing so, I disconnected the battery for about two hours.

When I drove to work today for the first time since having the battery disconnected I noticed a significant improvement in the throttle response. The jerkiness that I had felt previously at first acceleration and then with the 1 to 2 gear change (I\'m driving an AT) was gone.

I\'m wondering if others have had a similar experience, but I did notice a clear difference this morning.

Keep in mind though that the effectiveness of grounds will never be the exact same on every car.

[Shogun]

Of additional note. The guage of the ground cable, be it a 10 8 or 6, doesn\'t really matter. We\'re not talking a lot of voltage loss, etc. It\'s the pure fact that you\'ve added a clean ground. So I wouldn\'t waste my money on a 6 guauge, colour-synched wire with gold plated connectors.

[ds2chan]

thanks for the extra info shogun.. I didn\'t want to spend that much money on the grounding kit so I just bought everything separately.. since I only paid $6 for everything (about $6.35 after taxes and all) I think I got a good deal so I didn\'t mind spending the extra money on the gold ring terminals..

I wish you had posted a lot earlier since for a long time I was a little confused about how grounding the TB would actually give you better performance and such.. so I was a little skeptical and confused at first..

[1flycdnM3]

ok it\'s official. I need to go to Home Depot :)

but what would be the diffence of battery terminal vs. side of car??

does it really matter??

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Originally posted by Shogun

When I drove to work today for the first time since having the battery disconnected I noticed a significant improvement in the throttle response. The jerkiness that I had felt previously at first acceleration and then with the 1 to 2 gear change (I\'m driving an AT) was gone.



Anyone else need to disconnect the battery to feel a difference..

I put mine on a month ago, didn\'t really notice much.. wondering if losing all my radio presets is worth the experiment... kinda lazy i guess..

[majic]

Originally posted by TheBiz

Anyone else need to disconnect the battery to feel a difference..

I put mine on a month ago, didn\'t really notice much.. wondering if losing all my radio presets is worth the experiment... kinda lazy i guess..

you MAY NOT notice anything at all (like in my case) but resetting the ECU will make it re-learn your throttle patterns and might change a little.. i mean come on.. it\'s only 18 stations MAX that you have to bother with.. :) 5min and u should be done :p .. besides.. you SHOULD disconnect the battery ANY time you\'r working on the car\'s electronics.. just in case.. the PJB costs $1200-1600USD!!!!!

[nifty6]

I tried the Grounding. What I did was I had a extra thick home copper wire. Striped the ends, made a U shape and flattened the ends with a heavy hammer on a vise. Because the ends were U shapped I didn\'t have to completely remove the bolt on the throttle body just turned it a few times and tucked the U shapped wire under the head and than retightened it. The same when attaching it to the ground wire on the fender. I did not notice any difference. Should I have completely disconnected the battery? reattach than drive the car so the computor would relearn my driving pattern.

[majic]

Originally posted by nifty6

Should I have completely disconnected the battery? reattach than drive the car so the computor would relearn my driving pattern.



yes, but even then you may not notice ANY difference..

[nifty6]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by nifty6

Should I have completely disconnected the battery? reattach than drive the car so the computor would relearn my driving pattern.



yes, but even then you may not notice ANY difference..

I read somewhere also after reconnecting the battery I should drive the car and get the rpm up, can\'t remember how high, or is this necessary.

[majic]

Originally posted by nifty6



Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by nifty6

Should I have completely disconnected the battery? reattach than drive the car so the computor would relearn my driving pattern.



yes, but even then you may not notice ANY difference..

I read somewhere also after reconnecting the battery I should drive the car and get the rpm up, can\'t remember how high, or is this necessary.

warm it up and then WOT it.. :) the ecu will learn that you\'re more of a spirited driver and give you a better A/F mix (advance timing a little? not 100% sure on this, i might be dreaming).. but if you\'re gonna granny it the whole time, don\'t bother ;)

[1flycdnM3]

not sure if this was brought up or not, but I will put in a call to mazda tomorrow. I just wanted to ask on here though too to keep people aware.

I just did it today using 10 AWG and only regular/silver ring terminals. what a difference though. it really FLIES when you put you foot in to it. I found it helped the \"rough idle\" a little bit too. alot better than it was before.

ok but my question is... will this void warranty?? I mean like if I bring it in and they will obviously notice... could we/I be asking for trouble??

thx

(maybe this one should be for flip to answer)

[FLIPDADY]

If you damaged any other engine components while removing the factory wiring then yeah this mod will void any warranty work that\'ll need to be done. Other than that I don\'t see any problems.

I\'m actually ordering the Axela wiring kit so when I do this mod it will be with all Mazda parts.

[Pimpin_29y]

Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


If you damaged any other engine components while removing the factory wiring then yeah this mod will void any warranty work that\'ll need to be done. Other than that I don\'t see any problems.

I\'m actually ordering the Axela wiring kit so when I do this mod it will be with all Mazda parts.

I\'d be interested if the price is reasonable. :)

[nifty6]

Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


If you damaged any other engine components while removing the factory wiring then yeah this mod will void any warranty work that\'ll need to be done. Other than that I don\'t see any problems.

I\'m actually ordering the Axela wiring kit so when I do this mod it will be with all Mazda parts.


Let us know if the Axela wiring mod makes any difference to your car.

[1flycdnM3]

I would like to know how the Axela is too. I am not convinced I used the best setup.

10-guage wire and regular/silver ring terminals from the TB to the side. Maybe a smaller guage wire?? I don\'t want to connect to the battery (just in-case). seemed to work though, just not as effective as I thought. car still shakes and slightly better throttle response. maybe I just need an intake :) lol

[SwooshICE]

i had the same setup,
didn\'t reali notice any difference

[ds2chan]

Originally posted by 1flycdnM3


I would like to know how the Axela is too. I am not convinced I used the best setup.

10-guage wire and regular/silver ring terminals from the TB to the side. Maybe a smaller guage wire?? I don\'t want to connect to the battery (just in-case). seemed to work though, just not as effective as I thought. car still shakes and slightly better throttle response. maybe I just need an intake :) lol


I\'m using a 6 gauge cable and I noticed a difference right away.. like I said in a previous post, it seems that the people who have noticed a difference are the ones with automatic.. do u have auto?? on the other hand, it could be because u\'r using a 10 gauge cable.. honestly, I have no idea.. I\'m just guessing here..

[KenYork]

I dunno about the rest of you, but i\'ve tried the mod and lost on average about 50km per tank. Though it does give a slightly smoother idle, it\'s not worth the it with the current gas prices and my travels across the city (sauga to scarb). I\'ve now taken it out and getting my mileage back.

[DrunknFoo]

Originally posted by KenYork


I dunno about the rest of you, but i\'ve tried the mod and lost on average about 50km per tank. Though it does give a slightly smoother idle, it\'s not worth the it with the current gas prices and my travels across the city (sauga to scarb). I\'ve now taken it out and getting my mileage back.

Terribly sorry about bringing this post back to life. (I don\'t think it\'s too old) I just finished this mod and noticed the drop in idle rpm and smoother up shifts.

Now I\'m wondering if anyone can enlighten us with his/her results regarding mileage before/after this mod was done? Increase/Decreased? Same?

It is somewhat hard for me to determine on my own since my driving style changes from calm to aggressive depending on the day, resulting in inconsistent before/after results..

[KenYork]

i\'m getting well over 500km per tank now without it, was hovering just over 400km when i had it in.

[SGT06]

I\'ve spoken with one of the EM service manager and apparently this mod only affects the \'04 model. Mazda fixed this problem on the 05 and new model or so I\'m told. There are two grounding wires on the newer cars. On the \"fixed car\", there should be grounding on the battery terminal and the other is close to the bottom of the car near the rad.

[DrunknFoo]

Originally posted by SGT06


I\'ve spoken with one of the EM service manager and apparently this mod only affects the \'04 model. Mazda fixed this problem on the 05 and new model or so I\'m told. There are two grounding wires on the newer cars. On the \"fixed car\", there should be grounding on the battery terminal and the other is close to the bottom of the car near the rad.

I do see that there seems to be 1 wire that is grounded to the driver side chasis and another cable the runs behind (most likely the wire you mentioned that goes to the rad), However, after installing the additional ground wire, I did notice a drop in rpm when idling and also noticed a faster drop in rpm when closing the throttle. Gonna attempt to remove the extra wire and see if I notice a difference or not.

[Cardinal Fang]

Originally posted by SGT06


Mazda fixed this problem on the 05 and new model or so I\'m told. There are two grounding wires on the newer cars. On the \"fixed car\", there should be grounding on the battery terminal and the other is close to the bottom of the car near the rad.

I\'m going to have to take a closer look at my car on the weekend to see if I can confirm this. When I picked up my car from Avante Jeff was illustrating this mod to me on my car so I assumed that \"this fix\" wasn\'t done to the 06 model. Maybe Jeff can confirm.

[SGT06]

However, after installing the additional ground wire, I did notice a drop in rpm when idling and also noticed a faster drop in rpm when closing the throttle. Gonna attempt to remove the extra wire and see if I notice a difference or not.

Interesting.


When I picked up my car from Avante Jeff was illustrating this mod to me on my car so I assumed that \"this fix\" wasn\'t done to the 06 model. Maybe Jeff can confirm.

Keep us posted DF and CF. Hopefully, we\'ll get this clear up once and for all.

:)

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Originally posted by SGT06


I\'ve spoken with one of the EM service manager and apparently this mod only affects the \'04 model. Mazda fixed this problem on the 05 and new model or so I\'m told. There are two grounding wires on the newer cars. On the \"fixed car\", there should be grounding on the battery terminal and the other is close to the bottom of the car near the rad.

Very easy to check...

Place an ohm-meter on the throttle body and the negative post of the battery.

I did it on mine and found that they are not attached... or the resistance was so high it didn\'t read it. So I did the mod and I do find a difference, could be psychological, but it didn\'t hurt anything..

[ds2chan]

hmmm, maybe I should put mine back on.. but I didn\'t really notice a drop in rpm while idling.. it stayed the same..

fyi, I have an 05 model.. probably the last generation of 05s since I bought it back in late july...

[DrunknFoo]

Well last night I decided to remove the ETB ground that I installed and d/cd the battery to reset the ECU (dunno if it really mattered).

1) What I first noticed was a slight increase in idle vibration throughout the cabin. The Idle rpms did go up slightly.

2) Throttle response when tapping on the gas in idle seem to be roughly the same with/without the ETB ground. I didn\'t really notice a difference.

3) While driving, upshifts from 1 > 2 seem jerkier. Couldn\'t really tell much difference regarding downshifts though.

From my personal experience I\'ve decided to keep the ETB installed. Car seems a little more stabler with it on, don\'t wanna waste my $4 spent on this little mod. haha :)

[wtom]

For those who are really anal ... :p

Get a friend who knows their stuff under the hood.

Go through x runs (x >= 5) where each time, the friend will connect or disconnect (without your knowing) the ETB ground cable. You drive the car to \"test\" things out. Tell the friend the result after the \"test\" drive. Once you\'ve completed all the runs, have your friend tell you which times s/he did connect the ETB ground and then you will see if it really matters to have it on your car or not.

[SGT06]

With so many +ve experience I guessed I\'ll just have to try it. Damn car..why do you have to be so needy. :sarc

[-RJ3-]

This is the only noticeable difference I\'ve seen in removing my ground wire:

RPMs at idle are below 1000 RPM

I\'m considering in re-installing the ground wire... Prior to the removal of the ground wire, RPM were at 1000RPM

[vortex-5]

Must do for those of us on auto\'s the primary change is if your in an emergency situation and you floor the pedal because someone\'s about to hit you.

Before without the ground the car would have a slight lag then hit you suddenly with a powerful throttle response.

Now it will respond immediately to your flooring it and just as fast as you floor it too. I find I\'m better able to modulate the speed past the 2.5K RPM range. Shifting hasn\'t changed that much shift shock is seems slightly smooter from a cold start or it could just be my imagination.

Primary difference is no more throttle lag for me, the car seems much more attentive, and after the ground I fell in love with the car all over again.

(note I can still make rough shifts by bringing the car up to 1.8K rpm then cutting throttle you get the normal upshift shock at low speeds.)

[jpcruz]

Hello to everyone.. well I finally bought myself an 8g wire with two gold terminals. After doing this mod I was so surprise about the difference. The car was so ALIVE!! OMG!! was jumping up and down with happiness. Definitely fell inlove with the car allover again. WOW!!!

Until two days later…starter out in the morning, starter the car and did warmed it for 10 minutes. Then started driving but after 5 km later the car just went back to its sluggish mode. The way it was before the mod. I don’t understand… so I tried few things

1st- instead of grounding to the chassis, I grounded it to the battery (no help)
2nd- bought myself a 4g wire (bigger) then grounded it to chassis then battery (no help)
3rd-then I used both wire 8g and 4g and ground them both to battery and chassis (no luck)

I just don’t understand… maybe all good things must come to an end…
:( :( :(

[vortex-5]

Cloud be a placebo that wore off.

Or the ETB learned to resume it\'s normal behavior.

[Fuman]

Originally posted by vortex-5


Must do for those of us on auto\'s the primary change is if your in an emergency situation and you floor the pedal because someone\'s about to hit you.

Now it will respond immediately to your flooring it and just as fast as you floor it too. I find I\'m better able to modulate the speed past the 2.5K RPM range. Shifting hasn\'t changed that much shift shock is seems slightly smooter from a cold start or it could just be my imagination.

hmmm with those 2 pts I have to try it this weekend!

[vortex-5]

Well I defeated the harsh cold starts by switching to a Mobil1 which seems to flow better in colder conditions.

so at this point I can\'t tell what\'s doing what.

ETB seemed to have an effect before but since then I haven\'t checked. Incidentally I looked under the hood of some hondas and they all have their ETB pre-grounded to the body with a thick cable.

It made me think the Mazda cheaped out with our uber puny wire that\'s part of the wireing harness and no special wire like the honda.

[AXCL]

If there isn\'t enough feedback on this already, here is mine!

I did the ETB this weekend with 4ga and gold ring connectors, all from Active Surplus (Less then $5.00 in parts) I noticed a big difference. Most comments are to disconnect the negative terminal entirely and reset your ECU. I purposly did not do this to test if it was the ECU reset or the ground that made the difference. Its the ETB!!! It worked great.

I\'m hearing most people say they Idle at around 1K. When warm, I\'m idling at about 600/700rpm. Is this normal? It used to be a bit rough, but with the ETB it is much smoother.

[DrunknFoo]

when idle i\'m around 500-600rpm as well, no issue here I believe

[KenYork]

Originally posted by SGT06


I\'ve spoken with one of the EM service manager and apparently this mod only affects the \'04 model. Mazda fixed this problem on the 05 and new model or so I\'m told. There are two grounding wires on the newer cars. On the \"fixed car\", there should be grounding on the battery terminal and the other is close to the bottom of the car near the rad.

does anyone have pictures of the second ground, the one close to the bottom near the rad?

[KenYork]

anyone??^^^^^

[ds2chan]

I grounded mine to the chasis of the car.. do u think it would make a difference??

[KenYork]

well I grounded my ETB to the battery ground. I was just wondering if the other ground by the rad made any signifigant difference on the 05/06.

[Vince]

Hello everybody.

Regarding the rough idle / vibration from the engine while the car is running in gear and stopped or in park.
I am leasing a 2007 Mazda 3, 2.0 automatic which I got in Dec. 2006. Intermittent engine vibration which feels like a miss (electronic? / fuel?) It has run like this right off the lot.
I have been visiting the dealer about every month. First time they did a PCM flash and said the problem was fixed. It came back as I was driving off the lot.

Each time (5 visits to date) including the last which was yesterday, they cannot duplicate the concern and have no explanation for the vibration. They feel it but can't say what it is? They have heard about TB grounding but feel it is of no use.
I had an opportunity to start and sit in two other 2007 3's (a 2.0 and a 2.3) and a 2007 6 with 4 cyl engine. Both 3' exhibit the same symptom. The 6 being a larger car had less shake.
I have been running from post to post since Dec. trying to get a clear resolution, and the TB grounding sounded like it would be the cure I was looking for.
Did the TB grounding this afternoon. Got some 8 awg copper power wire and connectors. 4 awg seemed like overkill. Followed the instructions to the letter and then ran the car, and ran the car....
I am sorry to say that I haven't noticed any difference (yet) and could say that the car is running the same as before with a noticeable rpm drop (200) intermittently and a deeper vibration.
I ran the ground from the TB to the drivers side fender where the battery neg grounds to. Is this OK?
Understanding that the car may have to re-learn it's fuel mappings I am willing to give it a few days of driving to see if it helps. If not I'll take off the TB ground and go back to the dealer and see what else can be done. It is rather depressing that a new car should run like this.
Thank you all for your input. It's great to have this resource to draw from with some really creative people.
Things I have done to date.
Service Rep and Service Manager 5 times.
Mazda Canada Customer Service once.
Internet searches for TSB's and forums everyday.
Next?????

[wtom]

Vince, yes TB to where battery -ve grounds is good.

Disconnect battery -ve and give it a few minutes. Reconnect and then go out for a SPIRITED drive (with the TB ground mod still on).

Hopefully that'll help a bit if not a lot.

[SilentJay]

I just did this mod yesterday. While I did notice smoother acceleration, I also noticed that my transition from neutral to 1st became a bit more sluggish. I kept my battery disconnected for 10-15 minutes, and tried to turn on some accessories while disconnected, to eliminate the possibility of capacitance.

On a side note, I also noticed that a clip on my battery try was damaged, probably from PDI :(

[lancesir]

anyone still have pics of this? or of their install? I want to try this on the weekend.

[SilentJay]

Not much to it really - one end of the cable attaches to either the negative post on your battery or the grounding point on the driver side of the engine bay, and the other end attaches to one of the four screws on your TB.

[Gizzmo_jr]

http://thumbs.fotopic.net/500042000545.jpg (http://images.fotopic.net/ypbvbg.jpg)

[lancesir]

Thanks for the pic!

I picked up a cable with ring terminals that I thought would work, but seems like the rings are a little big. I guess I should try go get some wires from car audio instead of those power related ones.

[theurgy]

Just did this mod this weekend after reading a guide from 247mazdas.com
I used 4 gauge wire and nice copper ring connectors and it worked like a charm and it certainly made a difference.

[lancesir]

Just did this mod yesterday as well. The wire I got from the audio guy was actually longer than I wanted, but luckily long enough so I can loop it around things in the engine bay and make it look tidy.

Initally tip in of the throttle does seem a bit better, but I'm still in the break in period so I can't give much other feedback cuz I can't WOT.

[liquidzyklon]

Question for parts to do the TB ground, engine ground, and battery to chassis ground. I know many have mentioned go to Home Depot, etc and here are my results.

Home Depot and Rona
Sells regular electrical wiring of various gauges. I think I manage to find 4 gauge and up (higher gauge = thinner wire and more resistance).
Sells regular metal ring terminals for 10+ gauges (i.e. thinner wires).

Best Buy and Futureshop
Sells packaged wiring kits that are rip-offs.
Sell gold plated ring terminals for 4 gauge ($9 for a pair, I think) and 8 gauge ($7 for a pair, I think).

Audio Video 2001
Sells only 10+ gauge wires (i.e. thinner).

Many have mentioned that there are many audio shops that have thicker wires and gold terminals but I don't know of any audio shops except our sponsors here, which I will try later. So my question is, can someone provide a few more audio shops in Toronto's east end (i.e. Scarborough, Ajax/Pickering, Markham, Richmond Hill, and North York).

[Souls]

sorry for bumping this, but I just did it with 10g wire from the TB to the chassis ground on my 06 Sport GT.

I've noticed Zero difference in response and idle, but it did give me a chance to look at the way she's put together, as I'm new to Mazda.

I like it, she's VERY simple. :thumbsup

[Soyabean]

hmmm, i am going to try this soon. I got some 8g wire laying around, imma see if it makes a difference for me

[AkoSiGloc9]

can anyone post a better picture. i'm thinking of doing this to my 2010 m3 sedan if anyone has done this with the same car please pm me and guide me on how to do this. i'm really new at this stuff

[Kappa]

ill do it today and post some pictures i wanna see how this works! :) maybe ill post a video or two... who knows! lol

[AkoSiGloc9]

please post a video that would be appreciated so much!

[Kappa]

To tell you the truth i didnt see a difference in the videos...... lol

[AkoSiGloc9]

picture with step by step?

[Soyabean]

what is the video for? How to install? Its pretty straight forward for this. I still have to try it when i have some time

[AkoSiGloc9]

i'd like to try it but i'm total noob on cars. i just want to know where and how to do it.

[AkoSiGloc9]

i've found the pictures from a different site...thanks

[Bohizzle]

Does anything larger in diameter than a 4G wire yield any better results?

As well, I've noticed the copper wiring at home depot has smaller copper strands within the 4G wire. Would there be any draw back to stripping the wire, and making a loop/terminal end out of the individual smaller strands, and not using a gold plated/copper terminal end?

Thanks,

Andrew

[Donutz]

Does not help to use larger wire. Larger wire has more resistance.

[Bohizzle]

Does not help to use larger wire. Larger wire has more resistance.

So would a smaller diameter wire be better? say a 10G?

[bhadreshl]

Does not help to use larger wire. Larger wire has more resistance.
Sorry, but that is a little incorrect. http://www.dur.ac.uk/p.m.johnson/electric_circuits/08_resistance_thickness.htm

Also, as your thickness decreases and current increases, the temperature of wire increases which in turn increases the resistance further reducing the performance.

In short, go with the thick wire.

[Bohizzle]

Thanks to both of you! I will probably just end up using the 4G wire. Although this may have to wait until next weekend.

[Donutz]

Burn! Wait I thinK it was I who was burned. I think Im thinking of length then, not diameter.

[Default User]

Burn! Wait I thinK it was I who was burned. I think Im thinking of length then, not diameter.

....so size DOES matter?



dammit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[07m3gt]

lmao

[n00bMeiSter]

What is ETB Grounding?

[Donutz]

Start reading from the first page.

[n00bMeiSter]

I have, I'm yet to see anywhere what the letters stand for .....

[MistaChin]

ETB = electronic throttle body

[n00bMeiSter]

Ah, thank you. :)

[JLPhoto]

I'm happy to report that I did the ETB grounding yesterday and it was dead simple, thanks for the great walkthrough!

I got some free 4gauge from BestBuy installers, and the terminals at Partsource, had the cable built and installed in about 15 minutes.

I have a 2007MZ3 GS hatch, and ya its auto :( but it really changed the throttle response, the little idle shudder is gone and it smoothly changes between 1st and 2nd now!

Recommend this to all Mazda owners for sure!

[Kappa]

must do something for auto... i did it and didnt find a difference at all

[VaderX]

So does futureshop/best buy just throw these wires out in a box somewhere or you gotta go to the audio install area and ask someone?

[Donutz]

Where are you located? I have plenty of wire so I can spare a few feet if you need some. You'll have to buy your own ring connectors though. I'll be at street performance tonight around 9 PM if you want to come by and grab some. Just let me know in advance so I can bring it win me.

[Kappa]

i changed mine to only a foot long and it helped a lot

[smiley_tocino]

does this affect your fuel consumption?

[Souls]

I noticed zero difference in throttle response or consumption, but enjoyed doin' it anyways... it's always good to 'get in there' and know your ride inside out.

[JaYson]

I'm definitely going to give this a good, as soon as i can either \
1. find a pre-fab grounding wire
2. fine a place where i can get the 4awg wire

[Strongjag]

So, does this have the same effect on the 2.3?

[JaYson]

i would assume so. its just "cleaning" the electronic signal to the throttle body. so it shouldn't matter whether its 2.0 or 2.3L