Melted power wire

[Mannyb18b]

Sounds to me like your ground wire hit your power wire while it was connected....

[OffRoadSonoma]

If it shorted out to ground shouldn't it have blown a fuse? Either the inline fuse or the fuse in the amp. Right?

[Fusionrr]

Sounds to me like your power cable is not big enough. I've had a lot of experience with undersized cabling melting because they get too hot from the load they are carrying - especially near any lugs or terminal joints.

The other point is - can the lugs/terminals joining your power cable to the fuse carry the current required without getting excessively hot?

Also your plastic reservoir would have a far higher temperature rating (being designed for an engine bay) than the insulation on your power cable.

My

[PaulD]

fusion brought up something I hadn't really thought of ...... most of the resistance in your power wire is caused by the connections. If they are not real tight and solid electrical connections, they will heat up the quickest.

[OffRoadSonoma]

That does make sense because to put the fuse holder in line you have to cut the power wire and twist it then use the set screw to hold it in there, and the set screw does spread the wire a bit. So what do you think should be done? Maybe drip a bead of solder onto the wire to hold it all together?

[PaulD]

get wires that that fit tight into the holder, and make sure the connection is tight

[Fusionrr]

I agree with PaulD - match the size of the terminal to the wire gauge to prevent spread and maximize contact. Try to avoid solder - it creates high resistance.

[tblake]

Originally Posted by Fusionrr

.....Try to avoid solder - it creates high resistance.

BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soldering all your terminals together would probably be the best thing you could do for the power wire connections. Soldering does not cause resistance, it decreases resistance, and it doesnt have as many problems when it starts to corrode. You have no idea how stupid that made you sound by saying that. Whenever I add or repair any electrical connections in my car, I always solder. If you dont know what your talking about, dont talk. Thankyou

[Fusionrr]

Thanks for the postive comments.
I know exactly what I am talking about. I take it your an experienced electrical engineer then?

[tblake]

anyone else care to comment on wheather soldering decreases or increases resistance in wire connections? So I suppose just crimping them is way better than soldering. Ok, you do what you want, and I'll continue to solder.

[Fusionrr]

I was referring to soldering before placing the bare wire inside a terminal. As we were talking about hotspots I think this is quite relevant. The increase in resistance from the solder can cause a hot point. This is what we are trying to help OffRoadSonoma avoid.

You might find solder has a higher resistance than copper wiring..

Please inform us all how solder decreases resistance?


Soldering after should have no effect on resistance as your "bare wire to metal terminal / crimp" contact is already made. It is just for mechanical strength.



So sorry to OffRoadSonoma for arguing in your thread.

I trust we have been of help to you. Please tell us how your wiring has come along.

[OffRoadSonoma]

Yes, You all have been a help. I took that setup out of my truck and I'm selling the truck. I'm gonna put a new setup in my current car and run 0 ga to hopefully avoid this problem. Thanks for all the coments.

[tblake]

I see where your coming from, and I'm sorry to be so negative. I usually put the bare copper wire in the connector, crimp it tight, and then solder it together. This may not desrease resistance, but from what I understand, it creates almost a chemical bond, much like welding, which if it corrodes, will not increase in resistance as much as just a crimp connector alone. Thats what I thought you mean by soldering. I didnt know you meant just soldering the wire alone, and then crimping it down in a connector. I can see how that would cause resistance, but I know crimping it and then soldering it would not.