Gauge Question: Is 18 gage really enough?
- Thread starter Andres2882
- Start date
txstang84
15 Year Member
i ran mine alongside the oil press wire on top of the intake wrapped with loom going into the cockpit...i'm pretty sure i used 18ga, never had a problem with it
if you wanna run 16ga, there's nothin wrong with that
if you wanna run 16ga, there's nothin wrong with that
Man, I busted out my 8ga wire for nothing. I even used 8ga just for the main wire that I used to piggyback from the 12v ignition and the dimmers.
Other question, when I was fiddling around in the fuse box area, I discovered a orange/black wire that was plugged into the #13 fuse. WTF is that about? I unplugged it to see what wouldn't work without it and didnt notice anything. Any ideas? Only thing I can think is that its for the alarm system that used to be in the car before i bought it?
Other question, when I was fiddling around in the fuse box area, I discovered a orange/black wire that was plugged into the #13 fuse. WTF is that about? I unplugged it to see what wouldn't work without it and didnt notice anything. Any ideas? Only thing I can think is that its for the alarm system that used to be in the car before i bought it?
Just as an FYI, 18 AWG is good for like 15 amps at 10' (the senders almost all run ground anyways).
You could about power a stock alternator with 8 gauge. LOL. Much better to overkill than under though.
It seems to me that Or/blk is the color of the stereo illumination wire. Not sure if that could be it for ya though. You could Tee into that with a tap somewhere convenient (so you dont have 2 wires jambed into the fuse).
An alarm should not tap into the dimmer circuit (the parking light wire which most installers use is brown and under the dash).
Good luck bud.
You could about power a stock alternator with 8 gauge. LOL. Much better to overkill than under though.
It seems to me that Or/blk is the color of the stereo illumination wire. Not sure if that could be it for ya though. You could Tee into that with a tap somewhere convenient (so you dont have 2 wires jambed into the fuse).
An alarm should not tap into the dimmer circuit (the parking light wire which most installers use is brown and under the dash).
Good luck bud.
Yeah, 18 AWG is like speaker wire. But it can handle a decent load.Andres2882 said:
I have a mech temp gauge. The capillary tube is in loom and runs between the upper and valve cover on the driver side (since the capillary tube is rigid, it hovers in space).
With just wires to run (elec gauges) I would try and shoehorn the wires through an existing wire loom that goes through the firewall. I use a razor blade and carefully cut an "X" in the rubber on the perimeter of any existing wires. Then fish the wires through the X. If you drill a hole, be sure to use a firewall grommet (parts stores sell them in the electrical connector section).
And your plan to run the OP wire over to the coil and then to the firewall sounds real good (I think I did that - I cant remember). I have some other wires run along the same spot - nice and out of the way (from heat, etc). Good plan Andres.
Here is a chart that gives an idea of what gauge can take what load. I often go at least one step higher than SAE guidelines (not the case with a gauge sender, but going bigger lets me add on to a wire I ran down the line if I need to). No harm in doing that at all.
Good luck bud.
Some help is at hand...
see http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/1d/db/3c/0900823d801ddb3c.jsp and study the information under the Heading Chassis Electrical, Basic Electricity – Understanding & Troubleshooting
see http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/1d/db/3c/0900823d801ddb3c.jsp and study the information under the Heading Chassis Electrical, Basic Electricity – Understanding & Troubleshooting
The wire insulation type determines if it's suitable for engine bay temperatures - not the rating of the wire for current. Some of the best wire you can use is SIS wire used in electrical control panel boards - it's high strand count and has the indivdual wires tinned, so it's like a version of marine rated wire which is also very good wire and built in the same fashion.
The only place to get the stuff is an electrical supply house (probably not stocked - comes in single strand rolls) or a marine supply house (probably stocked but you'd have to remove the jacket to get to the individual wire strands).
The only place to get the stuff is an electrical supply house (probably not stocked - comes in single strand rolls) or a marine supply house (probably stocked but you'd have to remove the jacket to get to the individual wire strands).
tmoss said:
The other source for high quality wire as described above is from aircraft repair services or aviation supply companies. A lot of the aircraft wire is tinned strands, high strand count and high temp insulation. Teflon seems to be the most common high temp insulation used in aircraft wiring.
