i made an 8g strap like rich after i did one like paul taylor (in your thread) and didnt get any noticeable results. i probably need to change my coil, wires and dist cap and button after sitting for 6 years, would this be my problem? its kinda frustrating since everybody elses seems to have worked.
Holy MONKEY! out of curiosity i went out just now and added a second neg battery cable (my battery has two sets of terminals) and attatched the other end to the EGR sensor Bolt and WOW! no BS, my windows go up and down faster as wwll as my headlight motors. i'll have to wait untill night time to seee what improvements to the display lighting has happened.
MY SHIMMY IS GONE.. lol this is the F-ing miracle cure for these cars.. my car runs a whole lot better too! $rich$ definetly gets + from me... "wants to go back out and drive now" !!! i used a shielded battery cable and ran it from the EGR bolt to the bolt where the ground wire from the battery goes.. im impressed, my windows run better too along with the switch cleaning guide.
ok, i changed my wires, plugs, dist cap & rotor button, and coil. i didnt mention that i get a popping noise from the speakers when the radio is on and i use the blinkers, wipers, or hit the brakes. this happens whether the engine is on or not. as i said above, i put new grounds on where rich said and from the plenum to strut tower to neg batt cable and replaced the factory ground from the decklid hinge to the block and still havent gotten the results other people have here. could the radio being bad effect so much? please help caar does run better with new dist cap and such
All this talk about ground wires got me out peering around my engine compartment. What I found was the factory ground that runs from the block to the battery tray was broken and the battery tray was all but gone. Did someone say that Fieros don't rust? Luckily, they'll still available from the dealer... $50 Canadian. Anyway, I replaced the ground cable and added two more (one from EGR bolt to the battery tray and one from the transmission to the car's frame). The idle is certainly more stable but I really hope that the gas mileage improves! Something in the neighbourhood of 45-50mpg would be nice.
Wow Rich, bet you never thought this would turn into what it has. AWESOME JOB here, BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I did what you said it didn't fix my cruise problem !!!!!!!!!!!!! HEHEHEHE
I think its grounded through the exhaust manifold bolts. As rust develops its questionable how good the ground actually is after all these years. Measure the resistance to be sure between the outer shell of the oxygen sensor and ground on engine and chassis.
its been a few months and there are alot of noobies here , i just thought i'd bump it back up to the top for a while again i have also added another Pc. of 4Ga. from the same spot under the EGR Solinoid directly to the negative terminal on the Battery,
just a bump for the noobies or anyone else who midded it in the past
------------------ Rich AIM: ONE FAST 2M8:98 Black GTP 2 Dr 3.25 pulley,magnuson snout, RAT stage 2 MAF, RAT PCM, TOG Headers, Borla cat back, 3” to mufflers, No cat, 160 stat, Big brakes, Eibach's, KYB’s PRJ 10mm Wires, autolite 104’s, and more white-- 86se V6 daily driver--Slammed Gold--- 86se 355 SBC-- never gonna be finished 92 325I slammed with basic mods
My radio has a lot of noise (especially on AM) that it did not have before I had my starter replaced - Could this be a ground wire in the area that was forgotten to be reattached, or something else?
------------------ EMFORCE '88 Formula (Silver) 3.4 L, 5-speed Performance tires/wheels, sound system, electrics, exhaust, etc. (New Mr. Mike's seats- Italian design))
Has any one tried adding a ground strap from the alternator to engine block and the battery ground? I just recently put a new alternator in and noticed that the grounding for the alternator could probably be better. Today I checked the ohm’s between the case of the alternator and the battery ground and notice it could be better. The reading between the alternator case and the bracket was like .7ohm’s. So I think the contact between the alternator bracket and the engine block isn’t is good as it could be on my car.
the trouble, at least on a duke, is that the negative post on the block and the positive batt post are really close. I ran a strap there to the decklid hinge stud and I can definitely attest to the same findings of everyone else. $Rich$ also got a + from me
Just got some 4 gauge braided high quality stereo wire from a stereo shop. It's worth a shot... I dont think my engine even has a ground already there. I'll edit tomorrow with my experience.
Okay well I installed it and then I turned my key, accessories came on, then I turned the key and I could hear the starter solenoid engage, "click, ... click click.... click" and nothing, my car wouldn't start! While the starter was engaging, all the lights went off. SO I disconnect the ground and eveything is back to normal. This is really strange don't you think? And while I was moving some wires aside infront of the battery, the trunk light went out as if I disconnected the battery. I moved the wires back and then the trunk light came on and my stereo made this "blip" sound just like it does everytime I reconnect the battery.
I definitely have some other kind of ground/power problem in that area and I can't figure it out. When the engine gets hot my starter sometimes doesn't engage at all, or struggles big time. I'm not getting the proper voltage for sure.
I'd venture a bad negative battery cable. When you moved it to add a ground, it disturbed what connection was left and just happened to hit the sweet spot again when it was reattached w/out the ground. Try a new Battery Cable, and see if it works.
I would also check the starter post wires and the pos cable too. something might be dry-rotted/burned and shorting.
[This message has been edited by joedirt (edited 08-30-2004).]
I'd venture a bad negative battery cable. When you moved it to add a ground, it disturbed what connection was left and just happened to hit the sweet spot again when it was reattached w/out the ground. Try a new Battery Cable, and see if it works.
I think so too, the cable is sort of in a "U" shape in one area and I squeezed it to make it more of a "V" and the lights went out. Kind of like kinking a hose and the water stops coming out. Really weird. *sigh* now I gotta get new battery cables. It never ends.
i ran some 4ga wire i had left from my power amp just like ritch said. And now, my car idles smooth as a new car once it warms up, the passenger side window, which used to take at least 15 second to go up, is up in 5 seconds and the headlights also go up quicker. However, the dash lights are not much brighter but i can live with that. Good call Ritch!
------------------ '85 GT 2.8L Auto 120K DRIVEN DAILY
As a general rule when troubleshooting any electrical system, look for bad grounds. Good grounds/earths are a necessity especially on computer operated systems. I remember helping my grandson with an old VW bus that had lighting problems and corroded ground points were the only problems we found. Cleaning up the existing terminals will help too.
i recently added another ground to my GTP and it too idles better, they are known to have ground issues aswell, it almost seems ALL cars do!!!
------------------ Rich AIM: ONE FAST 2M8:98 Black GTP 2 Dr 3.25 pulley,magnuson snout, 72mm TB, RAT PCM, TOG Headers, Borla cat back, 3” to mufflers, No cat, 160 stat, Big brakes, Eibach's, KYB’s PRJ 10mm Wires, autolite 104’s, and more white-- 86se V6 FOR SALE $1,500 Gold86se 355 SBC, 92 BMW 325i
Well, I got a big ol' piece of 2 gauge battery cable and added an extra ground to my 2.8 and I do have to say that it made a difference. The thing definately idles better. The blinkers actually blink at a decent rate now instead of once every 5 seconds or so like they used to Pretty good effect for a 5 dollar mod I think You will get a plus from me as soon as I can give you one Rich
its nice to see this back up at the top again for all the Noobies to see .JPG)
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Pretty good effect for a 5 dollar mod I think 
You will get a plus from me as soon as I can give you one Rich 
