How Transient Voltage Can Kill Your Build (And How To Avoid It)

It may be the number one issue affecting EFI consumers, and you probably haven’t heard of it: transient voltage. Not only can it cause you hours of troubleshooting and wasted work, but it can permanently damage or destroy your EFI components. Here’s what it is, and how to avoid it.

What is Transient Voltage?

Without getting into the finer points of electromagnetism, transient voltage is defined as short fluctuations of electrical energy that can electrify components of your car. This is typically caused by the normal operation of the starter, alternator, and other electrical systems.

The older your vehicle is, the more susceptible it is to transient voltage spikes, but any car can experience them. The problem arises when sensitive components—such as your Aces ECU—are wired to a voltage source and ground other than the battery.

How to Protect Your ECU

If the ECU is not properly powered by and routed to the battery, an untimely transient voltage spike could damage or even destroy it.

There’s a simple way to avoid this, though: always wire and ground your Aces components directly to the battery. This acts as a filter that prevents voltage spikes from reaching the ECU and causing irreparable damage.

Armed with this knowledge, you can rest assured that your ECU will never fall victim to transient voltage spikes. Happy tuning!