I was doing this hoping to correct my crappy AM reception. Most of my AM stations are drenched in static. Not on FM, though.

I cleaned three OEM gounding points(one just in front of battery and two next to driver's side strut). I scraped off the paint from the strut grounding locations. I also removed the flimsy "sprocketed" looking washers and screwed the clamp rings directly onto the metal.
i started the car. From inside the car I thought i heard a faint muffled gurgling sound from around where the fuel filter is. It actually was more noticeable inside the car than outside with the hood open. It is so faint that it could well have been there before. Like a dumbass i didn't listen to the car idle BEFORE i started this little project.
i decided to go ahead and reset the ECU.
I unplugged the negative batt terminal for 1/2 hour, returned, idled car for 10 minutes, cut ignition, restarted, and drove like hell for 5 minutes around the neighborhood.
The faint sound is still there. I am almost sure that it has been there all along. Some reassurance would be nice however. Is it possible for a noise like this to appear after simply cleaning grounding points? OCDOCDOCDOCD

Needless to say, i didn't take Auto Shop in HS. Instead i took Creative Writing. And look where it got me...so any info is appreciated.:confused:

The flimsy sprocketed looking washers are there for a reason - to bite in and make good contact.

The answer is no, cleaning your grounds is not related to this sound.

It could be your fuel. It could be the coolant going to your heater core. But neither your fuel filter or heater core is computer controlled, so yet, the sound was there before. Don't worry about it.

:)

ANders

I'm not sure where the fuel filter is exactly (front or rear, i'm assuming front), but when i installed my security system and had to disconnect the battery (basically resetting the ECU), the engine idles kinda rough afterwards for the next day or so. the sound was also intermittent. It definitely didn't sound "normal"

I think this is basically the ECU relearning the engine and idle speeds and what not. I'm no expert but the sound did go away after a while. I have no recollection of the last time i heard it. either i got used to it or it went away... I'm pretty sure it went away.

The flimsy sprocketed looking washers also act as lock washers, biting in to (a) make a good electrical contact and (b) making sure the bolt does not work its way loose. Better put them back on as they were.

Your problem of decent FM reception but poor AM reception sounds like the classic "antenna disconnected" situation. My guess is that your antenna plug has come unplugged from the back of the head unit (most likely) or the wires to the antenna have been cut/broken along the way or come loose at the antenna end.

That AM antenna thing is driving me nuts. It went away for a while but now it has come back in all its glory. It gets progressively worse the higher i turn the AC blower. WEIRD:furious: