[DIY] Ground your Electronic Throttle Body

[MZ3]

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!

Not sure if this would apply with any hondas, but these days, most cars have an ETB [Drive by wire]

Well.. This mod is to ground your throttle body and basically get rid of all the static which lies within it. You can always buy an expensive buddyclub or a custom FHRX grounding kit.. but its always nice to know you can make it yourself

The throttle body is mounted to a plastic intake, so there's no grounding path other than a small wire in the harness I would suspect.

Advantages of this mod?. Well. response from the engine is ALOT better!

Cost? Well.. it cost me $5 for all the parts

So.. what you need?

-10gauge 1/4" ring terminals
-10gauge wire

http://prototyp.org/mazda/20040718_crew_5258.jpg

These can be bought at Dick Smith/Tandy/Jaycar... etc etc


The Path
Pretty simple if you're not too anal about things. The battery-box cover has a slot on the side where the battery-bracket is bolted, just run the wire through there.
http://prototyp.org/mazda/20040718_map_5260.jpg



http://prototyp.org/mazda/20040718_tbody_5262.jpg
The TB. Four 8mm bolts hold the throttle-body to the intake manifold. I used the upper-right bolt, the lower right would be more secretive though little harder to get to. Put the bolt back on tight, but don't strip the plastic of the manifold.


http://prototyp.org/mazda/20040718_battneg_5263.jpg
The Battery Neg. Run the wire between the ECU box and the battery box, up and around where the bracket bolts. That's a 10mm nut on the battery post. Get it all snug when done.

Finished pics
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q258/darkauthority/DSC00003.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q258/darkauthority/DSC00006.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q258/darkauthority/DSC00004.jpg

[tekung89]

i know with the new skool cars, they have ETB and u can feel that slight lag. gets very annoying. but would a single ground cable improve that noticeably ? i woulda figure the manufacturers woulda done something about it already if they could. i like the old cable better

good work nonetheless

[MZ3]

i've had it in my car for the last year, and its fantastic. The car is MUCh more responsive, even more so after i put in my AEM CAI...

Its one of those things which is really cheap, you might as well. You do notice a difference.. for the first drive or 2, but then you get use to it =P

[beeza]

Sweet,nice one! .I already have a high voltage grounding kit,so I just connected it up on the TB.I'm sure I had it there at one point...we'll see how it goes.

What do you mean by 'upper-aft bolt'?

[MZ3]

LOL. i meant upper right

U can bolt it onto any of the 4 bolts holding the TB.

IT also doesnt have to be to the battery. Its just easier hooking it to the neg terminal on the mazda 3's.

Can be on any part of the chassis

[beeza]

haha sweet mate :)

[beeza]

Awesome.It has taken some of the lag out! Even the engine note is a bit deeper,even raspy.It dosen't sound like it's bogging,like it did.Happy :)

Thanks again mate!

[geeang]

Placebo effect. The DBW has an internal ground and that's all it needs. The lag is built into the system by Honda for emissions reduction and you could add a hundred grounds and it will still have NO EFFECT on the lag. The lag is ECU controlled and programmed into the operation of the ECU so any added grounding has absolutely no effect in ECU operational settings you would need to modify the ECU for any reduction in lag.

You could buy a throttle controller that is manufactured to get rid of the lag by spoofing the DBW to increase the rate of opening which actually do cure the BUILT IN LAG problem.

Very good information here, it's mostly placebo effect.

You would only notice a real difference if you have a much older car with/or have VERY bad grounding on your car. Most newer cars have decent grounding so the only difference you would feel is placebo (you're really hyped up and you really expect a difference, so when you drive your car really really believe there's a difference).

[beeza]

You would only notice a real difference if you have a much older car with/or have VERY bad grounding on your car.

Yeah,that's the grey area here.My car must be like this.My idle is more stable now and when I turn on the air con the revs don't drop no where near as much as it did!

[geeang]

Yeah,that's the grey area here.My car must be like this.My idle is more stable now and when I turn on the air con the revs don't drop no where near as much as it did!

Yeah, alot of people tend to mistake "sick voltage stabilising power boosting cables yo" with "crappy original grounds". Grounding kits simply restore your grounding to what it's meant to be with deteriorating original ground points.

Admittedly, I upgraded my original ground cable from the battery + tried a grounding kit, and the 'placebo sickness' was pretty much the same.

[beeza]

You don't know my car,you don't know what effect it has had on it.I do know my car and I do know the effect it has had on it.I have no reason to lie about this and look like a dick Claymore...
All I can do is tell you what happened when I did it.So why it has had that effect,I don't know...
My idle has been low cause I can't get it right.So maybe the low idle helped to make it seem better.If my idle was normal maybe I wouldn't be noticing such a change.

[040501912]

Claymore you had a nice point there..

i guess adding more wires are just more likely to be a wank factor and nice looking engine bay.

but why not let them to just do it and get the placebo effect for their own sakes and wants at the end of the day u give out your points. so let them be, is their car and you already told them that is no use lol.

[xntrik]

its all in your head.

[55EXX]

i know i argued against you with ground wires in the stereo thread but i'm with you on this claymore. a good clean earth with only a few sites and 8ga/+ wire will ground any motor above and beyond any possible needs ever! i'd only do one to the rockercover/inlet manifold and as well as the stock. 2 wires is all that i think is needed. claymore will say one. i think 2. that is all.

[beeza]

hehehe.No worries,I'm not HERE to ARGUE.I know the CHANGE in my car and I'm stoked.THAT is all.But like I said BEFORE,I've had TB problems for ages SO this has HELPED :)

[55EXX]

sorry brett didn't read the whole thread till now. i would say the difference you felt would maybe from your car intially having a bad ground in the first place. the differences you describe are the same as i had when upgrading/renewing my grounds. i only have the stock and one to the rocker cover and it felt in one word 'cleaner' after that. easy worth the 10 bucks of cable and connectors etc.

i would be inclined to do only a couple of good grounds as comparred to the big kits you can buy out there.

[beeza]

No worries,thank you :)

[MZ3]

Hmm.. regarding the Placebo effect, i dont think so... well in my case anyways.

I've done this to many mazda 3's and its done wonders. I have access to 2 mazda 3s. Both exactly the same spec. I've only done this DIY to my own one and left my GF's stock mainly because i cbb! =)

When i drive her car, i can instantly tell there is slightly more lag compared to mine! im 100% sure its not in my head.

Its really annoying how all these car manufactures are starting to go down the electronic throttle body path. Whats wrong with a simple cable. I guess the upside is its cheaper to build the car as the system can be implemented into the cruise control system easily

[55EXX]

Like I said the factories use the lag in DBW systems to control emissions so they can meet the new higher, cleaner, standards.

gay

hit WOT.............. and there we go. stuff that waiting for it. WOT induction roar and :)

[AE092]

You don't know my car,you don't know what effect it has had on it.I do know my car and I do know the effect it has had on it.I have no reason to lie about this and look like a dick Claymore...
All I can do is tell you what happened when I did it.So why it has had that effect,I don't know...
My idle has been low cause I can't get it right.So maybe the low idle helped to make it seem better.If my idle was normal maybe I wouldn't be noticing such a change.

If you have a hunting idle, try checking your TPS. Don't know what car you have buy my car (Corolla 4AGE) has a screw to adjust the idle. A grounding kit on my car makes a world of difference due to it's age (1991 build). Newer cars, not so much as the grounding would still be good.

claymore does provide a valid point though, adding a million point 5 grounding wires to newer cars will do next to cows poo in any difference. You would expect that most modern day cars that are so technologically advanced would have sufficient grounding from factory.

[beeza]

Thanks mate,it's not a hunting idle,just low.I can't get it to go up....

I've callebrated the voltage on the TPS.