Size wire using for alternator to battery?

[weever82]

What size cable are you using from your alternator to your battery. Mine was spliced at some point and going to replace it because I don't like splices . Its a 10ga wire but a few buddies said that wire is way to small and needs to be like a 4ga...

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Weev-

[luvbowties]

Our local alternator rebuilder service owner told me 8gauge is ideal.
sam

[hayhauler71]

Originally Posted by luvbowties

Our local alternator rebuilder service owner told me 8gauge is ideal.
sam

what he said
Posted via Mobile Device

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by hayhauler71

what he said
Posted via Mobile Device

Ok, sorry I did not answer. When I got my '66, p/o had used partly 10-gauge and partly 12-gauge, running from alternator to aftermarket AMP gauge and then eventually to battery. Both the 12-gauge wire that I could reach/touch easily & the ammeter itself were getting really hot at times. Alternator shop owner said to use minimum of 10-gauge on that long "a run" & that 8-gauge would ideally carry any load I threw at it. (All us dealers, mechanics, and hot rodders trust EXPERIENCED advice from this little service center, as it is now in 2nd generation, family-owned, with the lead-technician, the son, approaching 65.) I removed the old wiring, re-did it all with 10-gauge, & replaced the ammeter with a voltmeter. Don't plan on amplifiers or other high-load electronics on my '66--did not even re-install the 8-track player that was in it--& made a nice radio-delete plate for dash.
Since I did that, I've had NO problems in going on 2 years--and 'all is cool'. Running a 100-amp alternator. Hope this helps. *BTW & just my opinion: I believe that using an ammeter on alternator systems is kinda redundant; since good alternators charge even at idle the negative half of gauge is wasted. And on voltmeters, theoretically there's no minimum voltage that may be developed at times; so ALL the voltage range--from zero to whatever the gauge shows--could sometimes be output across the system. So, I put no ammeters on my vehicles, none of which run generators.
sam

[weever82]

Thanks for the explanation, makes sense.

[CSGAS]

Tell your buddies they should read up on how the Chevy charging system is designed to work, it's explained in detail on the M.A.D. Enterprises website.

Especially pay attention to these two explanations:
Remote voltage sensing: http://madelectrical.com/electricalt...esensing.shtml
and
Chevy Wiring system: http://madelectrical.com/electricalt...evymain1.shtml

There's a lot of other good stuff there, too. Changed my mind about how to run a lot of stuff. I'm sure it explains the same thing that luvbowties' shop did.

[domeier]

This is how we do it on airplanes:

Green line example shows 14 volts, 50 amps, length of wire (up to) 15 ft = 8 awg wire.