mikochu

In this tutorial, I will be instructing you on how to make your own ground wire kit, as well as install it.

Before I go onto the tutorial, I would like explain the benefits of a ground wire kit. First, do not expect substantial horsepower gains. What you can expect is a smoother idle and better throttle response. Some people notice brighter headlights and cleaner audio. Some even say the ground wires help prevent static shock when getting out of the car.

Also, I checked the voltage differences at the planned ground points using a recently calibrated Fluke 87 multimeter. Here is a table of the before/after voltage differences with the ground wires made in this tutorial:


Now, onto the tutorial.

Planning the grounds
The ground wire system we will be making, dubbed the "Mikochu Über Ground Wire System," consists of 4 wires connecting 5 points.

Body (A) > Head (B) > Coil Pack (C) > Battery Negative (D) > Body (E)

You can choose your own ground points, but you are on your own with that. I cannot be held responsible for what you do to your car. Choose wisely and at your own risk. If you decide to choose your own ground points, get some string and measure the points. Measure the strings to figure out how much wire you need. Also, you can use a different gauge wire. Most aftermarket kits are 4-gauge, but I think that is overkill. My hand quivered when I saw the 4 gauge wire.

For the "Mikochu Über Ground Wire System," you will need:
- Socket wrench (10mm socket)
- Wire cutters/crimper/scissors/pliers
- 7' of-8 gauge speaker wire (81" for the kit, 3" left over)
- 10 pieces of 8-gauge ring connectors (5/16" hole)
- About 1' of heatshrink tubing that will fit over the crimped ring connector and wire
- A lighter (for the heatshrink)

Making the ground wires
1. Cut the wire into the correct lengths.



These are the lengths for the "Mikochu Über Ground Wire System"
(Click the link to see the image)
15" for the Body (A) to Head (B)
22" for Head (B) to Coil Pack (C)
27" for Coil Pack (C) to Battery Negative (D)
17" for Battery Negative (D) to Body (E)
---------------------------------------------
81" total with 3" to spare with 7' of wire

2. Once the wires are cut, use a wire stripper (or pair of scissors) to strip about 1/2" of the insulation to accommodate the ring connector. Try not to cut the wires themselves. If a few strands are cut, it's okay. However, if half the strands are cut, redo it. There should be enough slack in the wire for a couple (2!) mess-ups. Twist the bare wire to prevent fraying. Repeat this step for the other side of the wire.



3. Once the insulation is stripped, slide 2 pieces of heatshrink onto the wire. The size of the heatshrink should be long enough to cover (and overlap a little) the crimpable area of the ring connector. With the heatshrink out of the way, slide the ring connector onto the wire.


4. Using a wire crimper (or stripper/pliers), crimp the bottom portion of the ring connector, and then follow through until the whole ring connector is crimped. Make sure the two pieces of heatshrink are still on the wire, and then repeat this step for the other side of the wire. Double-check the crimps to make sure they are tight. Do not pull on the ring connectors. Just make sure the crimps are tight by re-crimping them. Slide the heatshrink onto the crimped area of the ring connector. Make sure the hole is not covered, and then use the lighter to activate the heatshrink.


5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until all four wires are done. Once all of them are done, you should have a kit that looks somewhat like this:


With the kit made, onto the installation!

"Mikochu Über Ground Wire System" Installation
To make things less complicated, the wires will be named:
Wire 1 - 15" Body (A) to Head (B)
Wire 2 - 22" Head (B) to Coil Pack (C)
Wire 3 - 27" Coil Pack (C) to Battery Negative (D)
Wire 4 - 17" Battery Negative (D) to Body (E)

1. With your 10mm socket wrench, unbolt the nuts on the valve cover. Remove the valve cover.


2. Now we can start on the installation of the wires. We are going to start on the left side. Unscrew the bolt on the bracket that holds the A/C line. Put the bolt through one ring connector on Wire 1, then screw it back in.


3. Next, weave Wire 1 around to get to the bolt on the corner of the engine. Unscrew the bolt on the corner of engine. Put the bolt through both the end of Wire 1 and the beginning of Wire 2. Screw the engine bolt back in.



4. Weave Wire 2 through the wire loom and such, then unscrew the last coil bolt and put the end of the Wire 2 and the beginning of Wire 3. Screw the coil bolt back on.


5. Again, weave Wire 3 through the wire loom and intake. Unscrew the nut off the negative lead on the battery. Try not to take the lead off since it may reset your ECU, clock, radio, etc. Put the end of Wire 3 and the beginning of Wire 4 onto the lead's bolt and screw the nut back on.


6. Unscrew the bolt on the body that has the throttle cable bracket on it. Put the end of Wire 4 closest to the body. Put the bracket back on, then screw the bolt back in.


7. The installation is almost done. Double-check the bolts and make sure they are tight. Hold the socket wrench close to the center to prevent overtightening.


8. Once all of the bolts are double-checked, put the valve cover back on and screw the nuts back in. Start the car, cross your fingers, and hope it doesn't throw a "Check Engine" light. Just kidding, as long as you follow the steps, you should be fine.




If there are any questions, please post here, PM or email me.

hnefrdo

excellent write-up. it's so great for this forum and the people on it when ones like you take the time to do write-up and reviews, esp with pictures!

superjeer

Great job. Thanks.

Oni-Haya

Mikochu ... Thank you for a job well done. Now I guess I better get out to the garage and build your "Mikochu Über Ground Wire System."

manejounxa

Thanks for the write up.now all i have to do is go to work on this little mod.........juan

Carlanga

So, When are you going to become an official Scionlife technician?

scionlife

Ummm... he already is!
www.scionlife.com/staff

TakumiJr

I got a set of this from Mr. Miko and I just installed it today :D . I give it an A+ as it somewhat reduce the sluggish the automatic have off teh start and much smoother shifting. Maybe its in my head, but its a good upgrade as I'll be painting the valve cover soon. Anyways, Miko ground kit is very nice and fast shipping, recommend if you're lazy like I am. I'll be making my own soon for my freinds' cars

tOiRb

Thanks for the instructions - easy as pie. I used black wire with yellow shrink, looks great and sort of oem. Worked on it while at work between phone calls etc. I spent most of the time going toethe electronics store.

tOiRb

Now that I've driven my car, seems like the auto shift is smoother, possibly the placebo effect? What the heck for 12 dollars? Looks good too.

HoTBoX009

Mikochu, I notice that the wires run on top of the motor... wouldn't it get too hot and melt/burn the wires?

xAlex

awesome

mikochu

I'm not going to say that all speaker wire are heat resistent, but the insulation on the wire I used did not melt. I've made a kit prior to my "v2" kit, and used a different brand wire. Those wires did not melt either. I'm pretty sure you should be fine...

ThunderGod

thank you mikochu for your hard, great pics & step by step tutorial!
would it make any diff. if ran thicker gauge? < or >
anyhow, i will be visiting some stores today, and get things going.
thanks.

mikochu

Most domestic ground wires kits are 4 gauge (Ground Fusion, Lineage, etc). Most Japanese brands are 8 gauge (HKS, Sun, Apex'i)... 4 gauge will technically be better, but whether you'll notice the difference is beyond me. I stuck with 8 gauge because it was substantially cheaper than 4 gauge and when I saw the 4 gauge ring connectors, my crimping hand quivered. Also, I'm probably going to invest in a voltage stabilizer and I think it looks better with uniform sized wires...

Also, nothing's like cooling your engine at the track and someone asking "What are all those tubes for?" "Oh, those are just my 4 gauge ground wires..." "oh..hrmm...*walks away*"

xActoBlk

Can you tell me where to buy those heat resistance wires. Will any 8 gauge speaker/ groud wires do.

mikochu

Most speaker wire are heat resistant... And yes, that's what I used... 8 gauge speaker wire.

grnxb

First off- Thank you so much for the detailed explanation and pictures. I've been planning on doing this for a while and have been hesitant, but will try it out this weekend.

i have seen an upgrade like this called "the big 3" that is supposed to establish a common ground, therefore alternator whine caused by adding an amp/other componentscould be eliminated due to unequal grounding points...Is this the same kind of upgrade? Also, has anyone eliminated alternator whine by doing this specific upgrade??? Finally, is there any need to insert a fuse within the wire to the coil?? Thanks!

mikochu

I've never heard of "the big 3," but it seems like the same idea. Although, the ground points in my tutorial do not even include the altenator. I'm legally deaf, so audio upgrades aren't in my near future. When I did my first ground wire kit, I could not find a feasible ground point on the altenator so I was like, "whatever..." When I worked on the second version, it never passed my mind. If you want, you can ground the alternator, but I (and SL!) take no responsibility for your actions. With the fuse in the wire to the coil, no, you don't need one. The ground wire to the coilpack goes to the coilpack's fastening bolt, not the coilpack itself...

2501

Thanks for the great how-to. Much appreciated.
Got everything I needed from the Home Depot on Sat for $7- and had the engine cover back off and on in about a half-hour.
Throttle response is more crisp and I can shift a bit faster because of it.
Thanks again.