GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I saw the DIY @ http://www.matrixowners.com/modules.php ... nd+install and decided to give it a try, the little Base engine could use all the help it can get.I have to say there is a slight noticable improvment after it was all done. I noticed a little better power in 2nd and 3rd gears, shifting was smother,and the engine idled @ a more consistant range. Sorry but 'da wife has the digi-cam right now so I can't give any pics until MondayI could only find 10ga wire instead of the recomended 8ga but I figured it's only ground wires so the electron flow shouldn't be to great. I also covered the ground wires with red wire loom to keep it separate from other wires. It looks pretty good, I think.11ft. of 10ga wire12 5/8" bolt connectors12ft. of wire loom (to help protect the wires fron engine heat)Total = $10.00

This is something I've been thinking about fer a while. Where did you get all your supplies Lancer? Electrical stuff isn't always easy to find. Did you go to places like radio shack, lowes/Home Depot? And lastly, how was the ease of install?

Oddly, I found everything @ Fleet Farm in the huge auto section they have here. Some day I'll upgrade it to 4ga. wire but for now it works great. It was very easy to do. I took a string and measured the distance I needed for each connection. Cut the wire and crimped the ring terminals to each side. Then just followed the grounding points that are shown in the Matrix owners forum I have posted. Here's mine I'll be adjusting the placements of a couple when I have some time to get some bolts for the pre tapped holes in the engine and tranny. The curved wire loom at the bottom of the pic was an extra piece I just tried to find a place for it to fit. With the engine cover on.

Attached files

Hey thanks for the pictures and the info. I got the materials at Home Depot. Shifts smoother now. Big fan!

Does this really work (he says in a sarcastic voice)???

I was sceptical too at first. Until i read all the results from over 15 people that did it and swear on good results. That's also why I made my own before spending $100 on Hyperground wires.If you don't believe it then make your own and see. It's only $10-$15 dollars and an hour out of your day. Don't expect ground breaking results, however, you will notice a suttle improvement. And remember the larger the gauge of wire the less resistance.

Cool think I'll try it

I highly recommend this. Especially with an automatic. You won't even notice the car shift any more. I used 4 guage wire, but 8 gauge would've been easier and cheaper. Good luck!

Lancer - None of your images are working anymore.Sucks cause I am having trouble finding the tranny grounding point.Any chance you can get these back up? Thanks

Fixed it. Funny how Cardomain.com puts thier stuff on MY pictures like they own it or something?

Did you have to buy one of those M10 bolts for the intake manifold point? The post you referenced showed he used a M10-1.25 bolt for that point. Does it need it?

Got mine all done!Thanks for reposting the pics, Lancer. Sadly, I wasn't able to use em as laptop in garage ran out of power before I could see.I ended up adding them to a factory groundpoint that was a little hard to get to, but it fit perfectly with the wires I had supplied (PBR wires)To answer your question, FlipSide, the left side of the manifold does indeed take a M10-1.25 bolt @ roughly 20mm long (don't go any longer). It might not seem to go in all the way, but with the terminals they take up the slack and it fits snugly. Just want to add: This mod is well worth it. The AT transmission is shifting a lot smoother now, and there's a definate gain in acceleration. Was quite surprised as I always gun it at this one stoplight on my way home, and there was a definite pickup this time (even in the rain). Also easier to spin my tires it seems in the rain. A quality $40 spent for PoweredByRice's wires. I would recommend buying a set or making your own to all Vibe owners! (Pics coming later on!)

quote:To answer your question, FlipSide, the left side of the manifold does indeed take a M10-1.25 bolt @ roughly 20mm long (don't go any longer). It might not seem to go in all the way, but with the terminals they take up the slack and it fits snugly. Thanks Geo. I plan on doing this when I put in an intake on my return to the States. It's easy to see why a performance increase is possible with this mod. Better grounding, better power flow. Better power flow, stronger and more consistant spark. Mabey with a multi-meter, a 12-pack, and a pizza, I could prove this theory. Now...if only I wasn't so lazy.....

after reading this thread, i wanna try it too! but...i am skeptical to just figure it out myself. the link to the matrix site was forbidden access for me. anyone have a step by step pic guid for this? thanks!oh yeah... if i have a aem short ram, how would this affect the process and the supplies id need?

Try MatrixOwners again. The website is back up now.

ok so i finally got my ground wires done. took me for ever...first i droped a screw twice in the engine, took a while to find them....plus i did the work outside in the dark with the light from a street light. lol. but...we made it. the car does shift alot better, but it doesnt start any better, id say it almost starts worse. i think i make have grounded at a wrong point. i used the how-to pics from the matrix site. but for now it is fine. good mod

Do you have to run a ground wire to the alternator as well? Don't think I saw it in any of the pics.

Hi there,Strongly considering the additional grounding wires as showin in this post and others. Seems my headlight go down about 50% when rolling up 2 windows at a time and I hope this will help. I do have a question or 2 though...I can't seem to find any raw stranded wire larger than 10ga either, Can I double-up the lengths to increase conductivity or is that just a bit overkill?Also, I've seen larger connectors in gold plating. If I use those, do you think the gold might eventually melt away?And lastly... I have been eyeing these stero hook-up kits at Wal-Mart. They contain 4 or 8ga wire for the power. Again, is something like this overkill or do you think it might be worth the added cost?Dave

For what it's worth, in Lancer's pics, the ground wires are red. In automotive aplications, red almost always identifies a wire as being 12V instead of a ground. I understand he has a whole red thing going on in his engine bay, but if someone else ever goes to give him a jump start, he's at higher risk of having the jumper cables hooked up wrong, which can be very bad. If you are going to make up your own ground wires, I strongly recommend going with black wires.

Warning with the ground wires! Do not Jumpstart other cars with these in place. It caused serious damage to my Battery, and was the cause of last weekends electical problems. Check out this threadhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=7241Good luck all

Quote, originally posted by disneydj »Warning with the ground wires! Do not Jumpstart other cars with these in place. It caused serious damage to my Battery, and was the cause of last weekends electical problems. Check out this threadhttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=7241Good luck allI thought that the verdict was still out on that thread, we were waiting to see if the new battery would last, or if you still had an unresolved problem that would kill the new battery also.Why do you think the DIY ground wires contributed to your electrical problem?

Hi Lancer et al...This is actually a reply to anyone with the 2ZZ engine though... I've got the parts, now I just need some guidance. The diagrams and wire lengths have all been on the 1ZZ engine. Do you know if the contact points are similar on the 2ZZ engine. Does anyone know and could someone post a photo or 2 so I can get an idea? I'm sure the 2 Chassis contact points would be similar, along with the Cylinder head connection... Can anyone clue me in on the additional connections? I believe the trany is one but will I find a connection point with the Manual Trany...either pre-tapped or existing bolt?Let me know...DaveP.S. I decided to go all out and get 4ga wire. It wasn't that expensive for me. Yes, it's black for joatman. DC Power cable. It's not rated to an extremely high temp though. SHould I encase this wire in wire-loom anyway? It looks fairly nice without it.