Date:         Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:53:15 -0500
Reply-To:     Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Akiba <syncrolist@BOSTIG.COM>
Subject:      Re: How To Make New Battery To Starter Cable for 2.1 Vanagon?
Comments: To: Geza Polony <gezapolony@sbcglobal.net>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2007121200561181@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

And don't forget the grounds! They are just as important as the power
wires, the yin to their yang as it were. Although not as red and ooo
so sexy... so often get passed by.  And that's the story of why we say
they are "poor grounds"... awe.. pooooor grounds...  oft forgotten..
nobody cares about you. No not really, but part of it yeah really.

Wires do age, and need attention. You're wires are just as important
as any other part of an EFI engine(and make no mistake, if you don't
consider them "part" of the engine, do yourself a favor and start
right now).  Bad wires can and do kill engines.  Just like this thing
you're reading right now... it's all about the info and the
transmission. Sometimes the quality, sometimes the quantity, sometimes
both, and sometimes neither(yuck)... and the wires carry it all, one
way or another.

Ha I recall a quote from an old neighbor's buddy in reference to his
dislike of EFI in favor of carbs "I hate electricity". We were pulling
that one out around the shop for months ha.  Best argument for EFI I
ever heard.

Jim Akiba

On 12/12/07, Geza Polony <gezapolony@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> If your old cable is in reasonably good shape and you want to save money,
> clean up the ends and solder new lugs on. Unless it's physically broken, the
> copper stranding won't change in resistance no matter how old it gets.
> Copper is copper. Flux, like what they sell for pipes, helps make the solder
> flow faster and keep insulation damage down, too.
>
> One of the best mods I made to my Westy was soldering in an additional 10
> AWG wire from alternator post to starter, and the same thing from the
> battery positive post to the aux battery relay. Especially in the early
> years (mine's an '84) the charging wires were marginal in capacity, leading,
> in my case, to lousy charging of both batteries. Probably the easiest,
> cheapest, most effective mod/repair I've done.
>