Key Takeaways
The following are the key takeaways from this article:
- Rubber grommets protect the wires from getting damaged and colliding with one another when the car moves.
- The rubber grommets are either neoprene or ethylene to increase their weather-resistant properties and sturdiness.
- The common problems of rubber grommets include size complexity and dirt deposited inside them.
- The common symptoms of bad rubber grommets include misfiring cylinders and black exhaust smoke.
- The cost of replacing rubber grommets is around $50-200.
Introduction
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Rubber Grommets are a necessary part of the engine, and their main purpose is to protect the wires from getting damaged. Unfortunately, the wires in the engine can easily get cut through sharp ends, and engine performance is affected.
Similarly, the water and dust particles can create multiple errors in the wiring system. So, these rubber grommets are passed through the holes of wire to provide extra protection. Rubber grommets have multiple benefits, such as it helps in minimizing vibrations (1). The wires are covered with rubber grommets; therefore, they do not get damaged from gazing over the rough surfaces. Rubber grommets have more capacity to face harsh conditions such as extreme heat and moisture. This article will shed light on rubber grommets’ role and common problems.
The function of Rubber Grommets
Rubber Grommets are more durable as they do not get crack easily. In addition, these parts can easily tolerate chemical reactions such as sulphuric and nitric reactions constantly occurring during the combustion process.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
The size and shape of the rubber grommets depend on the requirement. Usually, the rubber grommet is made of Nitrile, Neoprene, and Silicon and 30 to 60 shore hard. Commonly rubber grommet is made of different materials (1). EPDM material provides extra weather protection and the best electrical conductivity. TPE rubber grommets are cheaper as compared to Ethylene Rubber grommets. These rubber grommets have excellent chemical resistance properties. The other rubber grommet is made of TPE-V. The characteristics are similar to the Ethylene Rubber grommet and have excellent sealing properties (2). Therefore, in modern vehicles, rubber grommet made of thermoplastic is used to protect the wires. The engine is the main part of the vehicle, and many wires pass through the engine. Therefore, rubber grommets protect the wires and minimize the engine’s vibrations. Thus, it helps maintain the health of the engine.
Characteristics of Rubber Grommets
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
As discussed above, rubber grommets should be sturdy enough to prevent the touching of wires, so the main character is sturdiness. Further, neoprene and ethylene are the least affected by extreme weather conditions.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
So, the rubber grommets will protect the engine wires in weather conditions. However, the engine can release great heat when the car is driven for long distances, so another characteristic of rubber grommets is that they should be heat resistant. Heat resistance makes the grommets sturdy enough to dissipate the engine heat without damage.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Another common characteristic of rubber grommets is that they do not crack up and are easy to install. So, if you observe any damage to the rubber grommets of the engine, you can easily replace them without even visiting professional mechanics.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Finally, rubber grommets are economical, providing an economical and practical solution to many automotive problems (2).
Common Problems with Rubber Grommets
Rubber grommet protects the engine wires and reduces the engine’s vibrations (3). But the engine’s efficiency is sometimes reduced due to the defective rubber grommets. The rubber grommets usually get damaged due to the following reasons:
Oversized Rubber grommet
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
One major reason for the rubber grommet’s poor performance is the change in size and shape. The size of this part usually changes due to excess heat and pressure.
This happens when maximum heat is produced during combustion and is not removed from the engine due to the damaged exhaust valves. Due to the delay in opening the valves, the waste products and excessive heat start circulating in the engine and causing damage to the rubber grommet. Thus, the wires in the engine can get damaged by the sharp edges. The performance of the engine is reduced if the spark wire is damaged. The spark’s ignition will be delayed, and the car will fail to accelerate (3). This happens because of the constant friction. When the wire is damaged and fails to produce the required voltage, it becomes difficult to provide the exact amount of voltage to the spark plugs. Also, the vibrations and the noises in the engine are increased. In addition, due to the excessive heat production in the combustion chamber, the rubber grommets get damaged and create a gap between the head of the wire. These voltages are not transferred to the spark plugs but are transmitted to the ground. This adversely impacts the performance of the engine.
Dirt and Debris
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Another major reason for the engine’s poor performance is the dirt accumulation in the rubber grommet. These dirt particles make the rubber grommet hard and ultimately cause a crack on the surface of the grommet.
The cracked rubber grommet fails to protect the wires. Ultimately, these wires get damaged, and the engine performs poorly. There are multiple wires connected to various sensors. The broken electrical wires impact the performance of the sensors (4). The engine’s performance will get damaged as the sensors cannot operate with the synchronization to other sensors. As a result, the opening and closing of the engine valves will not occur on time, causing engine damage (4). The air and fuel ratio will also get disturbed, and the waste products will get deposited in the cylinders. As a result, this will release black smoke from the tailpipe. Moreover, the chances of misfiring in the cylinders are increased. Thus, the damaged rubber grommet overall results in the engine’s poor performance.
Symptoms of Bad Rubber Grommets
Following are a few symptoms of bad rubber grommets:
Misfiring Cylinders
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Although the misfiring of a cylinder can be due to an intense engine issue, sometimes it can be due to bad rubber grommets. Bad rubber grommets impact the electrical circuitry of the engine, and the sensors might malfunction.
When ECU sends wrong information to the camshaft, the entire inlet/exhaust cycle will be disturbed, impacting the engine’s performance (5). In this case, the car will lack acceleration as the engine will not perform optimally. So, check the rubber grommets if you face the problem of misfiring cylinders.
Black Smoke out of Exhaust
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Car vacuum cleaners come in many designs and forms, the most common of which is the handheld car vacuum. Top 15 Best Car Vacuum Cleaners in 2018 cleaner.
Another common symptom of bad rubber grommets can be the black smoke out of the exhaust. In this case, rubber grommets will again impact sensor readings, and excess fuel burning might impact the overall engine performance.
If the engine is burning more fuel, there will be excess black smoke out of the exhaust, and the driver must check for the rubber grommets in the engine (5).
Conclusion
To conclude, rubber grommets are not an important engine part, but they prevent the wires from shaking and colliding. In other words, these grommets prevent any short-circuit under the car’s hood. In addition, the grommets are resistant to weather conditions, heat, and UV, so they are designed to last longer. However, certain problems, such as dirt in grommets or differences in size, can impact their performance.
FAQs
You can always consult the vehicle’s instruction manual to check the exact size of the rubber grommets. However, ordering big or small grommets will impact their performance and increase the chances of wires colliding/shaking.
You can drive with bad rubber grommets, but it will increase the chance of short-circuiting and impact the engine’s performance. So, it is recommended to pay attention to these small part malfunctions that can be fixed quickly and inexpensively rather than ignoring them, resulting in complex engine problems.
Usually, grommets are designed to sustain heat. However, the engine is hot, and rubber grommets can dissipate this heat. Therefore, it would help if you drove worry-free in hot conditions, as grommets would not be affected.
