M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Electrical => Topic started by: Slowered318 on August 22, 2014, 02:18:39 PM

Title: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: Slowered318 on August 22, 2014, 02:18:39 PM
Found a great product and thought I would share with you guys. It's not very often my expectations are exceeded with aftermarket parts aside from the AutoSolutions shift kit and Ireland Engineering Stage 3 springs for e30.

My engine and alternator ground wires were cracked/corroded and very much in need of replacement.

I came across Bavarian Restoration www.bavrest.com who makes 2 or 4 gauge ground wires in specific lengths for BMW. Ordered #4GND7 and #2GND10 (product codes are self explanatory). Cleaned up the contact points and used dielectric grease, then with my Multimeter I probed around the motor and all spots are showing below 0.0 ohm resistance. Confident I'll get the full potential of my alternator and starter.  8)

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: Tgoode318 on September 29, 2014, 11:56:15 AM
Hey slowered did you notice easier cold/hot startups after doing this?
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: Slowered318 on October 05, 2014, 12:56:42 AM
Luckily I've never experienced startup problems with this car.

I replaced the battery and alternator at the same time I installed these ground wires, if anything it was preventative maintenance.
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: selespeed on April 30, 2015, 07:06:04 PM
Found a great product and thought I would share with you guys. It's not very often my expectations are exceeded with aftermarket parts aside from the AutoSolutions shift kit and Ireland Engineering Stage 3 springs for e30.

My engine and alternator ground wires were cracked/corroded and very much in need of replacement.

I came across Bavarian Restoration www.bavrest.com who makes 2 or 4 gauge ground wires in specific lengths for BMW. Ordered #4GND7 and #2GND10 (product codes are self explanatory). Cleaned up the contact points and used dielectric grease, then with my Multimeter I probed around the motor and all spots are showing below 0.0 ohm resistance. Confident I'll get the full potential of my alternator and starter.  8)

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Hi;

I do not see the part #s you mentioned in the website http://www.bavrest.com/engine-cables.html. Mine is a e36m42 in e30 and i believe it is the e30M42 cables 2 pieces. (Item # 2KIT-M42)

I've cold starting problem which i have not been able to troubleshoot for years. but it starts nicely when warm. the problem could be cables that corrode and badly deteriorated.

thanks
teo
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: Slowered318 on May 01, 2015, 02:54:45 AM
Hi Teo,

I didn't order the kit, I just specified what gauge I wanted in an e-mail. I would have ordered the M42 e30 kit but my starter wire had been replaced already. You should just measure up whats on your car and request the correct replacement wires.

Not sure if this will solve your cold starting problems but it can eliminate one possibility and give you a little peace of mind.

You may also want to pull apart the main distribution block then clean it up with a steel brush and contact cleaner. Also check the battery terminal and ground strap. Don't forget to disconnect the battery.

Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: selespeed on May 01, 2015, 11:34:20 AM
Hi Teo,

I didn't order the kit, I just specified what gauge I wanted in an e-mail. I would have ordered the M42 e30 kit but my starter wire had been replaced already. You should just measure up whats on your car and request the correct replacement wires.

Not sure if this will solve your cold starting problems but it can eliminate one possibility and give you a little peace of mind.

You may also want to pull apart the main distribution block then clean it up with a steel brush and contact cleaner. Also check the battery terminal and ground strap. Don't forget to disconnect the battery.

thanks.

my cables are so dry and old they're very brittle and have split hairs!. will get this done soon. btw, do you know where i can buy INPA diagnostics software with the hardware kit that can read e36/e30 cars?
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: Slowered318 on May 02, 2015, 12:05:42 AM
It depends if it's OBD1 or OBD2. If you have OBD1 you can just do a stomp test and the computer will read out any engine codes you may have stored, no need for expensive diagnostics equipment.
Title: Re: Engine Ground Wire Upgrade.
Post by: selespeed on May 02, 2015, 09:50:22 PM
It depends if it's OBD1 or OBD2. If you have OBD1 you can just do a stomp test and the computer will read out any engine codes you may have stored, no need for expensive diagnostics equipment.

it is not expensive. about 60$ and i can read the parameters on my laptop. mine is OBD1