Standard Motor Products (SMP) is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive 10% instant rebate on their 100% New Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) Fuel Injectors during February 2023!

Over the past decade, GDI has become one of the most common fuel injection systems. SMP is leading the way with high quality replacement parts for these late-model vehicles. SMP advanced flow-matched GDI injectors promote smooth engine operation and balanced fuel delivery, reducing overall fuel consumption and harmful emissions. Built to deliver maximum performance and fuel economy, each SMP GDI injector is precision engineered to successfully replace the failed OE injector. In addition to GDI Fuel Injectors, SMP also offers GDI High-Pressure Fuel Pumps, Fuel Feed Lines, O-Rings, Gaskets, Seal Kits and more!

Typical GDI Fuel Injectors

Find Standard Motor Products GDI Fuel Injectors and related parts under "Fuel & Air" for your specific vehicle in the RockAuto.com catalog. While shopping, watch for the yellow "Promotion/Rebate" next to listings to instantly save 10% off of RockAuto's already reliably low prices.

Check out our new commercial inspired by real life experiences of our customers.

My first car, a 1971 Chevy Nova, failed to start one day. My 16-year-old brain determined that the starter was old and tired and needed fresh brushes and bearings. I bought and installed a starter rebuild kit and was finishing the installation when my uncle showed up. After listening to the problem and my solution he looked under the hood, said "It still won't start," and went into the house to visit with my parents. "Hah! I'll show him..." I thought and continued with the install of the newly rebuilt starter.

My uncle was right, the car still would not start! Head hung low I went into the house and reported that he was correct. "Try cleaning the battery clamps and posts," said my uncle. Guess what? Vroom! Haha, I still chuckle at this memory.

John in Minnesota

Some expensive electronic part could be broken, or it could just be a corroded braided copper ground strap that disabled that high-tech BMW, Honda or other newer vehicle. Old fashioned problems like corrosion and metal fatigue can break new cars too.

A completely broken or poorly conducting engine ground strap will keep the engine from starting, prevent the starter from spinning and/or cause numerous intermittent electrical gremlins. A test light may illuminate when one of its probes is placed on the engine and the other probe is placed on the body as electrical current desperately seeking a path between engine and body starts flowing through the test light's bulb. For the same reason, a multi-meter's two probes may show a significant voltage exists between body and engine.

Braided ground straps provide a flexible, rattle-free electrical connection between engine and body. They may last for decades or in a harsh environment, they may fail in just a few years. A braided ground strap is typically made of strands of tin-plated copper wire.

Corrosion of bare copper is usually limited to a pretty green patina, but that thin green layer can reduce the ground strap's electrical conductivity. Tin-plate helps prevent that corrosion and adds some strength. Corrosion of both the copper and tin can become severe and rapid if the ground strap is located somewhere down low in the engine compartment where it is more likely to be exposed to road salt and dirty water with varied pH levels. Electrical current flowing through wires soaked in a watery stew is a recipe for destructive electrolysis that can turn a braided ground strap into crumbly dust relatively quickly.

Tin-plated copper braided ground strap connecting engine block to body

Any metal wire can only be flexed so far and so often before it snaps. Failing motor mounts can put excessive strain on ground straps. Ground straps that are a little too short or inadvertently wrapped around something like a neighboring bolt head may get stretched too far too often and snap prematurely.

Replacing braided ground straps that are corroded and/or torn can often inexpensively make annoying intermittent electrical problems completely disappear or at least make the problems easier to diagnose and fix. Find replacement Ground Straps in a variety of lengths in the RockAuto.com "Tools & Universal Parts" tab under "Electrical" and then "Battery."

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.