:Thumbs-up
hi guys,
i have another few question but i would love some quick responses as i only have a few hours i can spend on her today otherwise its more late nights in 3 jackets with a torch in my mouth.
i have been trying to check all the earths on my car and i have been taking the ones i can get to off sanding them and then putting them back on.
i am testing with a normal basic tester (screwdriver with a bulb thingy forgotten the name) attaching it to the live then touching various earths.
they all seem to show up fine.
my car is a 4rd gen with a stock ecu (so it seems but a few fellas off the forum think it has been altered - i\'m sure its not at fault) HKS super dragger exhaust with cat, Greddy Profec E-01 Boost Controller + a RE-Amemia Intake
it has a thick new earth kit that runs from the negative to 4 places around the engine bay but i cant find many other earthing points to check.
i have done two behind the stereo the one on the ecu and 2 around the drivers footwell area.
1. my questions is which others can i check and how significant are they? does the quality of the earth vary? - or are they points which need a very good earth and others that do not?
my problems are Brake lights flashing with indicators a bit, buzzing with the stereo but not to the tune of the revs, missfire perhaps at high rpm + overfuelling - so perhaps its not a missfire just the fuel killing the spark?
the lights also fade a bit when applying the brake - dash & stereo lights - battery & alternator seem ok 12.4/12.6 when off + 14.4/14.6 when on and steady?
i took the stereo out yesterday and put it back in and then the rev counter wouldnt work. i sorted this by tracing the connection it has to the boost controller unit and redoing a scotch clip join (we all now the woes with scotch clips - insurance companies also question when these have been installed due to fires - so they are all coming off mine).
2. but now it seems not to want to pull more and seems very held back - sometimes boosting and pulling and others not at all - before it was different points in a long journey but now it can vary in one street.
3. does anybody have/recomend certain plug / ht leads i have Magnecor Leads at the mo - or know how i can check them?
need to get somewhere with it today as i cant work on it or take it to anyone during the week.
4. i also need some other parts as per my wanted add.
5.my fans seem a little slow - i have them on all the time as i have a relay issue i think and i cant afford to change or risk it not kicking in.
sorry for the novel,
ANY HELP IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED GUYS
T
the only one i can really help with is the brake lights - thats defo a bad earth
get the factory service manual - a search on the web will help
this tells you all the earthing points
you are sometimes best with a proper multimeter - this way you can check resisitance thru the earth leads
and magnacor leads are very good and usually come with a 100,000 mile warranty - they are NOT cheap ones - i paid about £70 for mine from pip ( WGT )
stu
thanks for the advice - i have a multi meter but i\'m not sure what resistance they should show?
thanks again
Check the connections on the lights, pull the plug if and squeeze the pins in, this cures flashing brake lights,
Quote14.4/14.6 when on and steady
Is that when it is running,
Also check the earth from the battery to the chassis,
hth
Mick
will try to check the plugs on the tail lights tommorow but i havent ever taken them off + i can only work in the dark so its tricky,
do you know how i can check resistance/quality of earths?
oh and 14.6ish when engine on? is this the right value
Quote from: m4drxwill try to check the plugs on the tail lights tommorow but i havent ever taken them off + i can only work in the dark so its tricky,
do you know how i can check resistance/quality of earths?
oh and 14.6ish when engine on? is this the right value
welcome to my world of working in torch light :D
the resistance tells you the quality of the earth - if there is lots of resistance then it takes a lot of power to reach the earth and this is where problems start
this method will also tell you the quality of the plug leads - if there is very little resistance - then the spark goes all the way down it - if its high then there is a risk of it breaking up
have a read of this - it should make more sense :D ( its for a FC 2nd gen though )
http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/grounding.htm
Stu
thanks stu your a ledgend, will give it a more thorough check over soon but as i say torch light it will be ... :Grrr
i wonder how much air lifts will cost.... :god
an maybe a garage....must remember to play lotto.
need to ask about exactly what sort if resistance i should expect, from various earths.
at least its getting simpler, i knew i should have posted my specific questions earlier,
thanks again, will get there in the end
i dont know about the technical aspects to be honest - but the lower the figure the better
what i did - got a piece of scrap wire and checked its resisitance - and it was like 0.0005 - so that was my starting point
i checked a earth on the car and it was like 17.56 - so that straight away stood out as a problem !! LOL
what i did aswell - get some jump leads - but the black one on the battery terminal and then went around the engine with the other black end to ( clip it to various points ) - doing this you are making a good temp earth - if the problems go away - then you know you have a bad earth
and i put a HUGE earth cable from the battery to the body - it was a free fix for me as i got it off a UPS that was being dismantled at work
its very annoying checking earths - but its nice when you fix it :D
i spend about 50 hrs trying to check mine to then find out that the ECU was shot at
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29946 - this is what happened to me - its now a 13 page thread :D
but it will give you an idea of the steps i went thru :D
Stu
me again :D
i would break your probs down and sort one at a time - thats what i had to do
your voltage looks ok on the battery
what you need to do is check the voltage when the brakes are pressed - does the voltage drop loads ( it shouldnt do as the brake lights are only about 21w and shouldnt have a massive drain )
im sure the brake lights are something and nothing to be honest - but start with one prob , sort it and your confidence rises - then attack the next problem
the back end should be easy to work on as its pretty open in there and you can see around :D
its GOT to be an earth problem on the tail lights - you need to find the common earth and trace this back to a nut on the body - you will prob find that its full of rust or a really bad contact
you can prob add a temp earth - just to prove a point - get a 3 foot piece of wire - strip off both ends - find the earth in the back of the light sockets - stuff it in the back and put the other end to a nice solid peice of body work ( like a nut head on the suspension ) - then try the indicators and tail lights - if the problem stops - the you KNOW its a bad earth :D
Stu
not sure if this helps - but looks like it might :
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=494133&highlight=tail+lights
http://www.rx7city.com/93manual.htm
stu you are a legend - tem earths! never even considered this, i used to do it on boot installs but i seem to have stopped using all pre rx7 knowledge as i dont like assuming things are the same but that one is a surefire way to thoroughly check.
i am feeling more confident now and when i get some time i will have a crack - only problem is - i have not main engine fuse at the moment 120amp. totally destroyed it taking it off and bought the wrong replacement so need to locate one before i can continue amongst other parts.
an other problem is that local mazda dealer is 20 miles away + i finish work @ 5 so all is closed by then.
i will get there though....i have the power!!! (just not the earth),
thanks for the help mate i really appreciate it,
Tharek
hiya matey
this is what MRC is ALL ABOUT - we all help each other out- its a big family - well thats how i treat it
many many people have come to my aid - so its only right that i help back ( or get a huge post count and not really providing help !! )
earths are a PAIN on these things - they are EVERYWHERE :(
im sure you will get a fuse from a tuner - give them a ring - i always use WGT to to be honest- but just cause he is reasonably local - and usually carries such stuff
you just ask all the questions you want - it may help others in the future
if you find the earthing problem for the rear lights - take some pics of the items and post them up - a picture tells a thousand words - and like i said - could help others :D
keep us all posted
stu
earthing locations here http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=595053&highlight=grounding (http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=595053&highlight=grounding)
right... latest developments -
i got the proper 120amp fuse with male connectors however.... :(
it donesnt have prongs on it with full wholes like this O istead it has more of a upside down U - as in an open bottom like a spade plug meaning that the left screw which bolts into to the fuse doesnt go in now! :mad:
although everything works i hate not having it all done properly.
i tried putting a jump lead on an earth point then attaching it to the various earths in the engine bay, the one in the spare wheel well + the main ecu one and put the hazard lights on and all the lights on the car dim when they flash ie the interior lights dash + brake lights.
also - when i checked the voltage on the battery it was 11.9 then with any electrics on it dropped to approx 11.4?
im sure this used to be 12.4?
didnt start it today but i dont see the point until i track the earth down!!! i\'m getting soo frustrated i can barely see anything to fix...
does anyone know if i can get to the injector earthing or anything that can cause missfire + over fuelling? Are there any other earths i can look at... i have checked a few in the engine bay also shown in the pics on the rx7club forum two behind the stereo and the ecu one.
i will get some pics up of some earths + my main earthing kit that has been put on but i suppose this wont really help.
can anyone other than a tuner help? basically i dont really want to drive it the way it is, its in bits now aswell and i dont want to put it all back together when there is still a problem i cant even afford a tuner at the moment :( .
i have had some people look at it - one2watch, rixio + Trex had a quick look but does anyone have a m8 dave? :o
not sure how i\'m going to solve it at this pace + its always off the road
:flamed
i know i\'ll set it on fire
Quote from: m4drxalso - when i checked the voltage on the battery it was 11.9 then with any electrics on it dropped to approx 11.4?
im sure this used to be 12.4?
I think you\'ve either got something slowly draining your battery or your battery isn\'t exactly fighting fit anymore. 12.4V ain\'t that great on a battery but I\'d consider that acceptable, below 12V and it definitely isn\'t.
As grinder said, your rear brake light problem is very likely to be a bad earth at the lights; dig your way through the plastic to the cluster and trace the earth lead there...
had the battery load tested + ok + alternator is fine!
please someone guide me :(
First test - run the engine, check the voltage across the battery terminals - with the engine idleing, it should be at least 13.2V, if not more...
last time i looked it was 14.4-14.6?
done lots of sanding and vaselining to loads of terminals and earths? issue remains?
OK, voltage at the battery sounds good & healthy then.
what\'ll i do......
:(