[Euro] Hard Starting Problem

It's in the DIY section. I changed the ground cable that connects the negative terminal to the chassis and there was no difference. But after I added the cable from the alternator to the chassis, there was an improvement in warm starting. Not sure if it was the ground cable's doing, but there seems to be an improvement.

http://ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45719

Alternator point:
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/8...ernator9vg.jpg

Chassis point:
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7...erminal2pv.jpg

well, there are 'grounding' kits for most cars, apparently they even increase power (a few kw) but IMO you can never have too much grounding. unless you go stupid with it :)

but thats a very nice and clean job there aaron! the alternator doesnt assist with cranking. its the starter that needs the BIG ground wire

erm, isnt the Starter and Alternator the same thing? Or am I imagining things?

I wonder if a battery with more CCA would help with this problem?

Grounding is important aswell I'd imagine. Aaronn, have you considered attatching your alternator ground to a different chassis point? The length of the wire could be creating some resistance.

starter is attached to the flywheel, the alternator is what you have wired up right now on the front of the motor. the alternator charges the battery. your wiring is not a bad thing however, good grounding is always better.

yes CCAs may affect cold starts, as the CCA is a cold start rating. but dont forget most batteries are matched to the starter on the car, hence Cold Cranking Amps (CCA), or else every car would have the same battery. some starters are geared up/down etc

anyway aaron, the starter would be somewhere near where the gearbox mates to the motor. i suggest putting more grounding there, to the same chassis point you have used already, or something close by. or even replace the factory stuff. you may be onto something if you see an improvement with cold starts.

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Originally Posted by Chris_F

The length of the wire could be creating some resistance.

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i dont think so with that gauge of wire :)

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Originally Posted by hengis

aaron: can you elaborate on your grounding job?
is this a diy? if so, can u give details on whats required.

i'm more inclined to handball it to the dealer though rather than diy it

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The dealer won't do it for you. LOL. It's either DIY or nothing in this case.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZEi20T

starter is attached to the flywheel, the alternator is what you have wired up right now on the front of the motor. the alternator charges the battery. your wiring is not a bad thing however, good grounding is always better.

yes CCAs may affect cold starts, as the CCA is a cold start rating. but dont forget most batteries are matched to the starter on the car, hence Cold Cranking Amps (CCA), or else every car would have the same battery. some starters are geared up/down etc

anyway aaron, the starter would be somewhere near where the gearbox mates to the motor. i suggest putting more grounding there, to the same chassis point you have used already, or something close by. or even replace the factory stuff. you may be onto something if you see an improvement with cold starts.

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The grounding wire replacement that I did is at best a bandaid solution. The best would be to use a proper high CCA battery as you suggested. Our battery size is the same as for a civic. If for a short stroke engine, it is find. But for the k24a3 with its long 99mm stroke and large pistons, a battery suitable for the Civic would be marginal on the Euro.

I will ground the starter and gearbox as well as soon as I get my airbox off. The cable and connectors have been sitting in my room for over a month. Haven't had the time to do so yet. :)

So far I've replaced the negative terminal to chassis ground. I was thinking of replacing the engine block ground but seeing as the engine undergoes quite a degree of movement under full throttle, the flexible braided ground would be better suited than a short 4 gauge wire. Long 4 gauge does not pose as much of a problem as it is more flexible.

Grounding may help the problem but personally I think its mainly due to the exhaust being routed back into the intake for emision purposes. Dunno if someone is willing to plug that route up and test this theory though :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris_F

I wonder if a battery with more CCA would help with this problem?

Grounding is important aswell I'd imagine. Aaronn, have you considered attatching your alternator ground to a different chassis point? The length of the wire could be creating some resistance.

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Yes, a battery with more CCA will help. Lots of TSX owners replaced them with the Optima yellowtop (and now they use redtop since YT51R has been discontinued).

Assuming that I used about 2 metres worth of cable for the alternator, that's 0.000000034 ohm of resistance based on OFC.

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Originally Posted by EuroDude

Grounding may help the problem but personally I think its mainly due to the exhaust being routed back into the intake for emision purposes. Dunno if someone is willing to plug that route up and test this theory though :p

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Most GM cars from 1972 have EGR.... I don't think I've seen a holden with such a starting problem. They have other problems though... like injectors leaking fuel into the combustion chamber overnight, making it not possible to start since the plugs are wet. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EuroDude

Grounding may help the problem but personally I think its mainly due to the exhaust being routed back into the intake for emision purposes. Dunno if someone is willing to plug that route up and test this theory though :p

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its only EGR, most nissans have that removed for performance reasons :P

actually its not necessary if you use a 3-way cat. my S15 doesnt - (didnt by the time you read this) - have EGR but every SR20 model before that does.

depending on its configuration (i dont have my CL9 yet) there will be a pipe going back into the intake after the airfilter (maybe before), but BEFORE the AFM, coming from the exhaust area. plug it up to stop the flow, its probably a rubber hose, and the car might go a little better!