"The Big Three" Electrical Upgrade (5 Viewers)

[jerryb]

from this thread you can take a guess.
HERE
what I found was that you just can't do it without the manifold off and a fair bit of cutting. I forgot to to investigate it when I had the manifold off. But that was years ago. I'm sure someone has done it on the vvti. I didn't.
After some years have gone by and I know more, I don't think this one is a big deal on the post 5/05 models.
There is some slight gain replacing the battery to fender, and the driver's side hoist hook to wheel well by the fuse box. Tracing out the main battery clamp ground OEM it just goes into the loom and to the same general area around the fuel damper as the small ugly firewall ground connector. ALL 4 awg.
If I had the engine out, maybe I would. If you sift through paul's threads you might catch a picture of the engine end of that. It would take hours to find.

what are the worm gear clamps and nylon tees for?

 

[SlowBuild]

from this thread you can take a guess.
HERE
what I found was that you just can't do it without the manifold off and a fair bit of cutting. I forgot to to investigate it when I had the manifold off. But that was years ago. I'm sure someone has done it on the vvti. I didn't.
After some years have gone by and I know more, I don't think this one is a big deal on the post 5/05 models.
There is some slight gain replacing the battery to fender, and the driver's side hoist hook to wheel well by the fuse box. Tracing out the main battery clamp ground OEM it just goes into the loom and to the same general area around the fuel damper as the small ugly firewall ground connector. ALL 4 awg.
If I had the engine out, maybe I would. If you sift through paul's threads you might catch a picture of the engine end of that. It would take hours to find.

what are the worm gear clamps and nylon tees for?

Thanks a lot Jerry. I wonder if there’s any advantage in adding ground capacity even if it’s a slightly different path? Since I have the cable on hand. I might just double it up with the other at the firewall and find a new location on the block to pin it that’s as close as I can get to the location shown on earlier models.

The worm drive clamps and nylon Tees are for my breather lines that all terminate at the top of the firewall in a single filter. Could be neater but they get the job done.

 

[jerryb]

ahh, cool.

 

[jerryb]

as if by magic, this is where it ends. passenger side hook.

 

[SlowBuild]

Thank you!

I wonder why they went through all that trouble routing it that way instead of just tagging to the firewall somewhere closer?

 

[jerryb]

IDK , maybe a decision was made to put it in the harness for all 05/2005 and up.
terminating on the passenger hook, I don't know if all years had a ground there.

anyway, since your question it seems I have no excuse not to replace it.
I looked around a bit and it seems like there isn't a real good place on the passenger side wall to attach it. PLus, going back to the same spot is better all around, for future owners, for people like me that will forget, even if I write it down in my wiring book. I'd rather maintain the stock path.

I think I'd put a bend in the firewall lug so it points out and down slightly. Routing under the closest heater tee hose, over the boost sensor port on the intake manifold, over the vvti accuator (i think that's what it is) and around to the hook, following the fuel return fuel line as it bends around the back passenger side of the intake on top of the fuel pressure regulator.

That stock ground wire might be handy to someone in the future. If I had known it was there last month I would have used it for some sensor wiring I did instead of draping over the intake to the fuel rails,

I think this completes the 3 grounds or big 3 or minus the alt + on the vvti. hook to firewall, other hook to driver wheel well, battery to fender-short one.
I'm going to make the 3rd today. I'll post the measurement.

 

[jerryb]

I used 30" lug to lug. 29" would be fine also.

 

[SlowBuild]

Jerry, Thanks for your work on this. I really appreciate your posting it here, it helps a lot.

 

[awesomeissquid]

I was hoping to get some input on this. I will have some extra #8 AWG left over from another project and I was thinking of using it for a small big three upgrade. Would these even be worth the effort or should I just look to pickup some 1/0 instead? It seems the factory grounds are small so anything bigger should help right?

 

[Pucker5]

I was hoping to get some input on this. I will have some extra #8 AWG left over from another project and I was thinking of using it for a small big three upgrade. Would these even be worth the effort or should I just look to pickup some 1/0 instead? It seems the factory grounds are small so anything bigger should help right?

2/0 flex welding is the same as 1/0 stereo wire. The normal minimum is 4 guage

 

[SquareOne]

Just did a new ground wire to the body and I cleaned up the OEM ground from the battery with a wire brush and WD40. I modified the negative terminal cap by cutting the tabs in the inside. The bolt and washer mounted to the chassis is a M6 1.25. I'm gonna do the engine once I have the chance. I did this one in the rain and it sucked . (I pulled both terminals out if anyone is wondering. It was a drizzle.)

 

[SquareOne]

Here is the engine chassis:

 

[Jack90210]

One more reason for having clean ground connections and/or upgrading wiring is to prevent cooling system electrolysis. The 2UZ-FE is not known for cooling system problems or head gasket issues (in the way that, say, the 2.5L non-turbo Subarus are), but it doesn't mean that this engine can't be prone to stray grounding currents that may or may not cause other types of problems.

 

[Joe422]

I would offer a word of caution on your method of attaching the lugs. Solder is really not an ideal bonding agent, especially for high vibration environments. Solder can be brittle, and over time it can also work harden the wire causing it to break. The preferred method is to crimp the lugs. I have had good success using one of the fairly inexpensive hydraulic crimpers from Amazon (~ $45). Not to say that soldering won't work, just informing of a better method.

This

 

[Scrambled]

Just throwing this out there for anyone on the fence about replacing their grounds. When I added the house battery, there was no visible corrosion on the terminals or wire ends, but I figured I would replace them anyway. Yikes.

 

[prwillard2]

I am looking for the "kit" for these that was talked about. Am I missing it? My alternator just went bad and want to upgrade these while I'm in there.

 

[Flipped Bezel]

I am looking for the "kit" for these that was talked about. Am I missing it? My alternator just went bad and want to upgrade these while I'm in there.

I believe @Fourrunner was bringing a 100 Series big three grounding cable kit to market. Maybe try PMing him. His cable work is top notch.

 

[Flipped Bezel]

I am looking for the "kit" for these that was talked about. Am I missing it? My alternator just went bad and want to upgrade these while I'm in there.

Here's @Fourrunner for sale thread from the small business storefront classified threads. Took me a little bit of searching to dig it up.

UZJ100 Battery, Alternator and Ground Cable Kits - "Big Three Cable Kit" - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/uzj100-battery-alternator-and-ground-cable-kits-big-three-cable-kit.1199366/

 

[Pucker5]

Hey Im not knocking the kit but buy some 2/0 weld that comes with lugs and shrink and use a crimper and cutting dikes, and a piece of string to measure and you’re good. If you want to spend less you can get 1/0 or 4 gauge.

Amazon product ASIN B01M75DQR7
Amazon product ASIN B00E1UUVT0

 

[arkmm]

Just throwing this out there for anyone on the fence about replacing their grounds. When I added the house battery, there was no visible corrosion on the terminals or wire ends, but I figured I would replace them anyway. Yikes.

View attachment 2678536

View attachment 2678537

How did you fix this? did you cut it down until there wasn't anymore corrosion? Did you have to add any length back to it?


Has anyone made a new fuse box for the main positive ( + ) terminal where the alternator wire goes into? I'm looking at some BlueSea products that might work but I'm not sure where to put it or if the original wires will bend or reach somewhere new.