Starter motor cable to battery upgrade
Discussion
I always use Vehicle Wiring Products for the leccertrickle bits
They have various cable and connector sizes to match
Battery cables are here - http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinest...
When I replaced the starter/alternator cables I used the 300amp stuff
A bit OTT as its much thicker than the original but the insulation is much more flexible so it was easy to route around the back of the engine bay
I did invest in a suitable crimper to be certain the connections were good. 3 years on and no problems.
They have various cable and connector sizes to match
Battery cables are here - http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinest...
When I replaced the starter/alternator cables I used the 300amp stuff
A bit OTT as its much thicker than the original but the insulation is much more flexible so it was easy to route around the back of the engine bay
I did invest in a suitable crimper to be certain the connections were good. 3 years on and no problems.
A great help as always. I would suggest buying some welding cable. As to the cable sizing calculators out there on the web for this application they are bunkum. Before I start getting hate mail over this I'd just like to point out that the IEE Regulations DO NOT APPLY to "extra low voltage wiring" (automotive wiring) I have measured the cranking current on one or two engines and amazingly it usually seems to be about 300 amps. Engines tested were a Perkins 4.108 diesel (about 1800cc)and a VM/Rover 2.5 litre turbo diesel. A great many years ago there was a bloke at work who had a Rover 100 (the bumblebee shape) He had fitted an ammeter into the starter circuit and amazingly his car also used to crank at 300 amps!
Empirical results show that problems are usually due to the rusty bolt effect. The all time worst ever vehicle was my Ford Granada 2.8 (Cologne version)that persisted in having flat batteries even after the alternator was replaced. The main fault was a bad connection between the alternator mounting bracket and the engine block. When the bracket was removed there were black burn marks visible. Altogether there were about ten or a dozen iffy electrical joints between the negative ends of the alternator diodes and battery negative and the damp marine atmosphere wasn't helping matters at all. An earth braid was fitted to bypass all the fortuitous electrical connections and Voila! The car then started first time every time.
Present problem is a friends Kubota tractor. It has a three cylinder diesel engine of about one litre capacity but starting has always been poor. Even a new starter motor hasn't really improved matters so it was probably a lot of money down the toilet for nothing. The machine seems to have a tremendous number of what I call fortuitous connections but bolting things together does not always make a good electrical connection.
As to welding cable, 35 square mm should handle the biggest V8 that one is likely to come across. (Lorries use 24 volts which helps a lot) Good luck!
Empirical results show that problems are usually due to the rusty bolt effect. The all time worst ever vehicle was my Ford Granada 2.8 (Cologne version)that persisted in having flat batteries even after the alternator was replaced. The main fault was a bad connection between the alternator mounting bracket and the engine block. When the bracket was removed there were black burn marks visible. Altogether there were about ten or a dozen iffy electrical joints between the negative ends of the alternator diodes and battery negative and the damp marine atmosphere wasn't helping matters at all. An earth braid was fitted to bypass all the fortuitous electrical connections and Voila! The car then started first time every time.
Present problem is a friends Kubota tractor. It has a three cylinder diesel engine of about one litre capacity but starting has always been poor. Even a new starter motor hasn't really improved matters so it was probably a lot of money down the toilet for nothing. The machine seems to have a tremendous number of what I call fortuitous connections but bolting things together does not always make a good electrical connection.
As to welding cable, 35 square mm should handle the biggest V8 that one is likely to come across. (Lorries use 24 volts which helps a lot) Good luck!
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