Date:         Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:30:11 -0500
Reply-To:     tom ring <taring@TARING.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         tom ring <taring@TARING.ORG>
Organization: Tippen Ringware
Subject:      Re: How To Make New Battery To Starter Cable for 2.1 Vanagon?
In-Reply-To:  <E1J2HL5-0002S3-1d@elasmtp-curtail.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

On 11 Dec 2007 at 20:28, Max Wellhouse wrote:

> Sometime in the last 4 years, someone expounded on how to replace the
> primary wire from the battery to the starter(and maybe even the
> starter to alternator).  Is there a benefit to replacing the black
> wire from the ignition to the coil while I'm at it?
>
> I would like to know:
> 1. What gauge wire is needed(OO, OOO or OOOO gauge?)  Is there an
> advantage to using a bigger or smaller wire than factory?
> 2. Length? If I was guessing, I'd say 10 feet, but Napa's price on
> OOO gauge is $7.50 a foot, so excess is a costly item. OOOO is $10/foot.
> 3. Length and gauge of the wire from starter to alternator and again,
> is bigger better?

Yes.  Whatever you can afford is best.

> 4. Any tips on soldering the ends on that big a wire without melting
> half the insulation off?

Hotter and more power/flame is better.  When soldering battery cables I use a
propane torch with a slightly smaller tip.  Hotter and faster (more energy per
unit time) means you get the working area up to temperature quicker and less
heat will conduct dow the line.  When putting a lug on the end most of the heat
should be on the lug.  Although that's not the whole story; it's tough to
describe proper soldering without demonstrating it, kind of like welding.  You
can also quench the area with a spray bottle of water AFTER the solder has
solidified to minimize the heat transfer down the cable.  This has to be done
after it has really solidified so as not to produce a cold solder joint, which
doesn't conduct well.  If you wait until it is definitely rigid you should have
no problems.  BTW vibration (i.e. wiggling the wire) during the cooling process
while the joint is still liquid can also produce a cold solder joint.  The
surface will usually have a duller color when this occurs.  To resolve the
problem, simply reheat the joint.

"Lather, Rinse, Repeat"  :)

> 5. Hate to even ask what an OEM cable costs!!
>
> And what would an acceptable ohm reading be from the starter terminal
> to the battery to test the old cable as it pertains to excessive
> resistance.  The napa guy said anything over .3 or .4 ohms and the
> wire's resistance is beyond acceptable limits and I should replace

If the cables are good, it will be too low to read with a conventional meter.
.3 or whatever it reads will be the meter and its cables.  Doing a quick lookup
in the Standard Handbook for EEs. 4 AWG aluminum wire is .4074 ohms per 1000
feet at 68 degrees F, so no regular meter is going to measure 10 feet of copper
accurately.

Strangely, copper cable is not to be easily found in this book.

> it.  If I add an extension wire to my probes of my cheapo VOM meter,
> will that add resistance and give a false reading?

Yes.

>
> Thanks
>
> DM&FS
>



-----------------------------------------
Tom Ring K0TAR, ex-WA2PHW  EN34hx
85 Westphalia GL Albert
96 Jetta GL The Intimidator
taring@taring.org

What happens if a big asteroid hits the Earth?  Judging from realistic
simulations
involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will
be pretty bad.
                - Dave Barry
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