Grounding 101 Please!
 

Ok, I know there are alot of threads on grounding and everything, but I want the works. I looked at rotary resurrections writeup, but it was a bit confusing. All the other threads are little tid bits of what to do. I want the whole spiel. I would love pictures as well as writeups, but would prefer pics. Also want all places for extra grounds.
Any help would be deeply appreciated, thanks!

Buy and read the FSM. The wiring section shows EVERY ground point on the car. Clean each and you'll be good to go.

I mean extra grounds.

If you think you need lots of extra wires scattered all over the engine bay, you're wrong. A couple of decent szed cables between the engine and chassis and one from the chassis to the battery negative terminal is all you need. Any more that that won't give you any additional benefit. Plus, make sure the stock grounds are in good condition like Hailers said. The main EFI system ground on top of the rear rotor housing is very important.

For engine ground, there are the main important points to remember...

1) The starter grounds through it's metal body, and it sucks up the most current (on cranking).
I would add one thick ass mofo wire from one of the starter mount bolts to the car chassis or even straight back to the battery.

2) The spark plugs fire through the engine (metal) to induce the spark, therefore badly grounded engine = weak ignition spark or no spark at all.
S5's have knock sensor bosses right above the spark plugs on each rotor - this makes it easy to add more ground wires; S4 gets tricky. :(

3) The ECU main ground runs all the way to the top of the engine!
I dunno what Mazda was smoking, but this is really a bad design.


-Ted

Why not do all the grounds at the ECU too? There was a thread about all the grounds you need. I think this is the one.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=199558

Where should I run some positive cables?

Running all these extra grounds everywhere is about as power , or efficiency adding as replacing our engine vacum lines with red silicon ones. You need a large ground from the engine to the chassis, and one from the chassis to the Battery. Other then the normal electrical grounds all over the chassis this is all you need. Why throw a bunch of extra wires to clutter up the already complicated engine bay :D

If you add positive wires, you'll kill the battery, and most likely everything attached to it.

I was talking about the ones that rotaryresurrection.com specifies. I dont really want to add positives but I was just curious. Has anyone done it?

How is my writeup confusing? Seriously...show me one page in the FSM, or the haynes manual, that has half the pictures and step by step comments that my writeups do? I don't understand how it could be presented any better, other than to have someone come and do it for you. I'm all for constructive criticism, but this doesnt make sense.

Think of it as a rite of passage...if you can't look at the picture and read my caption "cut this wire here", "crimp on terminal", "solder connection", etc. and know what you're doing, then you don't belong in the enginebay anyway, so it's all the better that you let someone do the work who is more familiar with the procedures and terminology.

As it states there, I'm hitting the most important things on the car: starter ground and positive, alternator ground and positive, chassis ground, and ecu/harness ground. I'm not sure how it could get any simpler. Unlike the generic ground wire kits you see sold, which only address half of the current-carrying capability of the car, running both sets of wires ensures good voltage all around. Plus, I tell you where (on this engine) to put each wire and how long to cut it so you don't have crap dangling around everywhere like you might if you used a generic wiring kit.

But hey, each to their own... :scratch:

I make the following connections (in addition to the stock wires) which vary by car:


-battery + terminal to alternator + post(what the hell is a post? Which battery terminal?Can you elaborate?)

-battery + terminal to starter + post(same thing. Does + mean positive or, as well as?)

-battery terminal to chassis (bare metal) at strut tower ( the rest are grounds I assume.)

-battery terminal to top of block (where wiring harness bolts down)

-ground to alternator body

-ground to starter body

Does anyone find this a little confusing?
Obviously you dont do well, according to Iceblues theory. You know, I was thinking of sending my engine out to you to get it rebuilt, but it seems like you arent a good guy if you couldnt take a little criticism. Jesus Christ! Would you flip out if I told you that you spelled vice wrong? ( which you did.)

omg I don't believe I'm seeing this.

With all that Kevin has done for the rotary comminuty, you come here and start talking trash.

If you can't figure it out, pay someone to do it, and leave your comments at home.

Sorry, but you have to admit that it is a little confusing. Some other people have been confused about his writeup, but he helped them. He could have just explained it to me and I would have been happy as a clam. His website did help me with a bunch of other things like doing a proper compression test. I was just trying to help out his site.

I will put it this way...no insult, just a reality check.

IF you don't know what a

battery positive (+) terminal,

an alternator post (there's only one on the whole thing),

and an engine wiring harness ground (again, there's only one, and I even tell you where its at!)

is, then you have no business in the enginebay of any car, much less a fairly complex one like an EFI rotary, and should leave all work short of oilchanges to a more experienced person. This is my writeup's way of letting you know whether or not you're qualified to do your own work.

Right. Some dude named iceblue comes on the forum and disputes the word of a rotary mechanic and builder of 7 years and you automatically believe what he says as law. Who's the smart one here? :rolleyes:

Don't try to use that to leverage me or make me feel bad for pointing out that you can't be all that intelligent not to understand the terminology "battery positive terminal". IF you are willing to let your feelings get hurt because of my honest comments here and let that cost you hundreds of dollars because of your pride, then so be it. I'm not out to kiss anyone's ass in order to get their work. IF you want me to do your work, then great, you'll get good work at the best prices around. IF you want to question my methods which are proven tried and true, and given to the community as a free guide, then expect me to correct you where you're wrong...after all, if you knew so much, you wouldn't be here asking, would you now? I fail to understand why people ask questions and then question the answers they're given by those in the know. :scratch:

WTF? When did I ever have a theory against Kevin? I always suggest Kevin and speak of him as a reputable builder!

I have deleted a few PM's from friend convo’s but out of my saved list of 300 tech and for sale PMs I do not have one from you TIISleeper unless I deleted one that might of been you helping you mount a BOV and I have never once stated against Kevin in PM or Public.

If I have a theory I have shared it publicly and consider them to be nothing more then debatable upon the minds!

I have talked to Kevin some in the past and I have actually been considering having him do some motor work for me. If I want him to work on my motor why would I advise away from him?? :scratch:

Now I have no issue helping you and have made an effort to help you in the past in threads but 10min on google 12V system would really enlighten you on this matter and help you on to discus it with us.

all i did was take off the factory grounds and replaced them, same length and everything, didnt need a manual or anything. it was soo simple i coulda taught my monkey with down syndrome to do it..

Thank you deetz. Iceblue, I was only kidding about Kevin, and your saying at the bottom of your posts. Kevin, I was just confused about the + sign. I thought it was "plus", you know, "in addition to". Sorry, it was just unclear.

Ahh I see what you were saying "no hard feelings". But neither Kevin nor I got it first time around.

Now back to Monopoly