request: pics of "big-3" upgrade
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


request: pics of "big-3" upgrade
im attemping the big 3 upgrade but still need to decide if i should go with 1/0 awg or 4awg?
if anyone here has done it in there honda civic, please post up some pics. i really dont know which alternator post i should be using to the positive battery terminal
cant even find it!
if anyone here has done it in there honda civic, please post up some pics. i really dont know which alternator post i should be using to the positive battery terminal

cant even find it!
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










DO NOT use 0 gauge wire for grounding. You will have serious problems due to higher resistance. 4 gauge is the thickest I'd use. I've done ground wire upgrade replacing stock ground wires, and optima battery. Noticed no difference. Added hyper voltage system to battery and noticed better response.
Registered!!
iTrader: (18)
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,492
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco/Berkeley, California, US
Rep Power: 0 
Originally Posted by gearbox
DO NOT use 0 gauge wire for grounding. You will have serious problems due to higher resistance. 4 gauge is the thickest I'd use. I've done ground wire upgrade replacing stock ground wires, and optima battery. Noticed no difference. Added hyper voltage system to battery and noticed better response.
. seriously this grounding thing is all in your head. i have yet to try the hyper voltage system, but gearbox seems to love it, haha.
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










Well with that thick cable the electrons can't move as fast or something. I remember reading something about it, and that's why no aftermarket grounding kit uses less than 4 gauge. In fact most use stock gauge.
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


Originally Posted by gearbox
DO NOT use 0 gauge wire for grounding. You will have serious problems due to higher resistance. 4 gauge is the thickest I'd use. I've done ground wire upgrade replacing stock ground wires, and optima battery. Noticed no difference. Added hyper voltage system to battery and noticed better response.
i got the HVS hooked up too
stil havent done the grounding kit/big-3 yet thoughdid you use ring style terminals for your factory wires on the battery or kept the factory thick rings? i ask because im going to be adding a battery terminal that takes ring style terminals only. i was thinking crimping on ring terminals on the factory battery wires but i dont know what size guage ring terminals i need or what size awg the factory battery wires are?
anyone know? Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










Hmm not sure but the stock wires look like 8 gauge maybe. I used ring terminals and a larger negative terminal to connect all the wires. Like 3 I think total plus the hvs.
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 521
Likes: 0
From: Weatherford, TX
Rep Power: 266 




If I remember correctly from my electronics classes....and also from my car audio experience...the rule is what goes in must come out...meaning you want your ground to be the same gauge/awg as the power wire.
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 51,077
Likes: 4
From: B.C., Canada
Rep Power: 785 










big 3:
battery to chassis
battery to engine block - OR - chassis to engine block
alt to battery
in my car I also did the engine block to upper rad support where there is normally a strap
you will see a post on your alternator with a rubber grommet with a wire and bolt on it. That's your bad boy.
battery to chassis
battery to engine block - OR - chassis to engine block
alt to battery
in my car I also did the engine block to upper rad support where there is normally a strap
you will see a post on your alternator with a rubber grommet with a wire and bolt on it. That's your bad boy.
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


[QUOTE=MegaHurtz]big 3:
battery to chassis
battery to engine block - OR - chassis to engine block
alt to battery
in my car I also did the engine block to upper rad support where there is normally a strap
you will see a post on your alternator with a rubber grommet with a wire and bolt on it. That's your bad boy.[/QUOTE]
you have any pics? its nighttime right now, but ill try looking for it tmorrow morning.
also, is it ok to use "alternator mounting post to chassis" as 'chassis to engine block' since the alternator is mounted onto the engine block?
pics of this would be helpful too
battery to chassis
battery to engine block - OR - chassis to engine block
alt to battery
in my car I also did the engine block to upper rad support where there is normally a strap
you will see a post on your alternator with a rubber grommet with a wire and bolt on it. That's your bad boy.[/QUOTE]
you have any pics? its nighttime right now, but ill try looking for it tmorrow morning.
also, is it ok to use "alternator mounting post to chassis" as 'chassis to engine block' since the alternator is mounted onto the engine block?
pics of this would be helpful too
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 51,077
Likes: 4
From: B.C., Canada
Rep Power: 785 










dont hcange the alternator ground
IMO it is unncessary to upgrade the wire from the alt to battery...
the wire is sufficient as it will have more than enough over head to carry the current to the battery over that short distance. just becuse you have a bigger amp does not mean your alt will draw more juice. it will draw a max and that is that, no more after that. It was explained to me very well on here before and I am now a believer
DO do your grounds however, you may notice a difference.... leave your alternator ground, just do battery to chassis and chassis to engine block, then the engine to rad support. when you do the one from the battery you will follow it down and see where it is and then how it goes to the engine, it's super easy... I do have a pic of the other one however (the rad support one) i'll paste it up in a sec
IMO it is unncessary to upgrade the wire from the alt to battery...
the wire is sufficient as it will have more than enough over head to carry the current to the battery over that short distance. just becuse you have a bigger amp does not mean your alt will draw more juice. it will draw a max and that is that, no more after that. It was explained to me very well on here before and I am now a believer
DO do your grounds however, you may notice a difference.... leave your alternator ground, just do battery to chassis and chassis to engine block, then the engine to rad support. when you do the one from the battery you will follow it down and see where it is and then how it goes to the engine, it's super easy... I do have a pic of the other one however (the rad support one) i'll paste it up in a sec
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


so on my civic:
1) negative battery terminal to chassis (preferably a ground point?)
2) chassis to engine (idk where, can u show me example?)
3) radiator support to engine
isnt radiator support to engine & chassis to engine the same thing?
heres the big-3 im referring to: http://forum.sounddomain.com/forum/u...=5;t=007801;p=
which includes the following:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine
1) negative battery terminal to chassis (preferably a ground point?)
2) chassis to engine (idk where, can u show me example?)
3) radiator support to engine
isnt radiator support to engine & chassis to engine the same thing?
heres the big-3 im referring to: http://forum.sounddomain.com/forum/u...=5;t=007801;p=
which includes the following:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 51,077
Likes: 4
From: B.C., Canada
Rep Power: 785 










how many exmaples do you need??????? just go try it
its impossible to not know where once you get started
thats the same big 3 i listed
its impossible to not know where once you get started
thats the same big 3 i listed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










just run a separate cable to each stock ground point and tie it back to the battery. You should only have one chassis ground.
MegaHurtz, what's that plug you have near the ground point under the airbox. Mine is just an empty hole.
MegaHurtz, what's that plug you have near the ground point under the airbox. Mine is just an empty hole.
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


someone clearify:
1) neg batt terminal > chassis
2) alternator post > positive batt termnal (w/fuse?)
3) radiator support > engine block (this counts as chassis to engine?). so replacing the wires thats already on th radiator support to engine block with 4awg would be a good enough ground eh?
1) neg batt terminal > chassis
2) alternator post > positive batt termnal (w/fuse?)
3) radiator support > engine block (this counts as chassis to engine?). so replacing the wires thats already on th radiator support to engine block with 4awg would be a good enough ground eh?
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










negative bat to chassis near intake inlet
negative bat to tranny
negative bat to engine block
That's all you need. Those are all stock ground points.
negative bat to tranny
negative bat to engine block
That's all you need. Those are all stock ground points.
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


^isnt that considered "grounding" though?
im trying to do the big-3
i was confused cause megahurtz stated "IMO it is unncessary to upgrade the wire from the alt to battery... "
then he later on said "thats the same big 3 i listed"
where he was replying to my post above^:
"heres the big-3 im referring to: http://forum.sounddomain.com/forum/...f=5;t=007801;p=
which includes the following:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive <--------
3) Chassis to engine"
im trying to do the big-3
i was confused cause megahurtz stated "IMO it is unncessary to upgrade the wire from the alt to battery... "
then he later on said "thats the same big 3 i listed"
where he was replying to my post above^:
"heres the big-3 im referring to: http://forum.sounddomain.com/forum/...f=5;t=007801;p=
which includes the following:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive <--------
3) Chassis to engine"
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 51,241
Likes: 20
From: NV
Rep Power: 811 










there is no need for a chassis to engine, if you ground the engine directly to the battery. The alternator power wire upgrade helps the most, but that's a big pain and prolly not worth it.
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


megahurtz, that pic you posted above, can that be considered chassis to engine as well? or would i be better off leaving the factory wire there and add on to it elsewhere?
Thread Starter
Registered!!
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 0
From: 707
Rep Power: 275 


Originally Posted by MegaHurtz
replace it
replace what i told you and leave what I told you not to do (alternator wire)
replace what i told you and leave what I told you not to do (alternator wire)
im still going to ground the positive alternator post to battery positive though w/fuse.
i got negative batt terminal to chassis, positive battery terminal to positive alternator post, and replacing that radiator support factory ground with 4awg.
is it ok to do the "chassis to engine" wire as shown in this photo? (leaving the factory grounding but using the ground points though). i dont have my airbox in so thats empty space.



