Help! Alternator rewire

[JHZR2]

Doing my alternator bushing project. Pulled the alternator, and the wire, which seems small, looks like this:

Traced it back, it goes to a 3-way crimp to the starter in a small box under the intake manifold.

How do I best fix,

I have linesman pliers and a crimped for small stuff, not this big of wiring...

Next to no room to work.

Do I just cut near the crimp where the wire is good, strip bare wire and recrimp?

Recommendations?

 

[wrcsixeight]

I think you could cut that ugly wire back a foot and it will still be ugly.

I'd try to feed a new 6 awg wire the whole length.

Who am I kidding, I'd use 2 awg.

 

[Rand]

Cut back an inch.. and recrimp or solder.

its obviously too small to be a "power" wire so I fail to see what using giant bulky stiff hard replacement wire would accomplish.

 

[JHZR2]

While I'd agree, this is a rear trunk battery car with some funky wiring. It uses 00 wiring for the long run, but not sure I'd be able to snake fresh wire all the way.

Plus there is an OE 3-way crimp that I'm not sure I could remake well.

 

[Zaedock]

Whatever you do, don't...cut...the...blue...wire....



If you have the slack, cut it back to the good area.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Cut back an inch.. and recrimp or solder.

its obviously too small to be a "power" wire so I fail to see what using giant bulky stiff hard replacement wire would accomplish.


It's just the alternator + feed.

The Bosch AL0152x alternator is 80A. The run on this small wire is very short (1ft) before it goes to the 3-way crimp and then at the other side of the 3-way crimp is a far heavier black wire which connects to a 00 cable at the distribution block underwood.

According to here:
http://www.thehollisterroadcompany.com/gage.html

100A at 12v can be used on 12ga for a 3 ft run. This wired is heavier than 12ga.

And is 12-18 inches. Seems to me to be OK.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock
Whatever you do, don't...cut...the...blue...wire....



If you have the slack, cut it back to the good area.



Was careful to avoid it!

I cut back to the questionable area, will buy a thin battery cable or whatever napa has, and go from there.

I do have crimp+solder+heat shrink connectors that are probably best to use. Question is if I go after it with a heat gun before closing up, or just let underwood engine heat do it's thing...

 

[Rand]

if its in a hard place to work on I bought some high dollar industrial electrical tape for those places.


just buy some heavy wire at home depot/lowes maybe they sell by the foot. You can get whatever you want. Solid, low strand count, whatever. Just make sure the heat rating on the insulation is adequate.


just some thoughts. A little solder and some good tape would probably last at least another 10 years.

 

[Trav]

I would cut it back only as far as i needed to and splice in similar cable (similar stand count and ga) with rosin core solder.
Triple heat shrink the splice and wrap with rubber electrical tape.
This tape works best if you stretch it as you apply it and works well in this application.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-...;keyword=rubber electrical tape&storeId=10051

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Trav
I would cut it back only as far as i needed to and splice in similar cable (similar stand count and ga) with rosin core solder.
Triple heat shrink the splice and wrap with rubber electrical tape.
This tape works best if you stretch it as you apply it and works well in this application.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-...;keyword=rubber electrical tape&storeId=10051


I went around, can't find such high strand count.

So I went next gauge up at least to accommodate.

My tools are as follows:

The butt connector is heat shrinking and self soldering. It has two different size openings, ideal for this...

Is this good?

 

[antonmnster]

Don't know how much I trust something that's "self-soldering", but everything else looks ok. The strand count is only relevant to flexibility.

 

[JHZR2]

How would one solder two 6ga wires together properly/well?

 

[Trav]

Strip the insulation approx 1" on each of the ends and fan the strands out.
Push the strands into each other intertwining them, then twist them together to form a tight solid strand.

Place the soldering iron underneath the strand and heat the wire for a short time then apply the solder from above letting it flow through the wire downwards towards the soldering iron, it will be soldered all the way through.
Use only rosin core solder as acid core will cause corrosion.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Trav
I would cut it back only as far as i needed to and splice in similar cable (similar stand count and ga) with rosin core solder.
Triple heat shrink the splice and wrap with rubber electrical tape.
This tape works best if you stretch it as you apply it and works well in this application.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-...;keyword=rubber electrical tape&storeId=10051


I went around, can't find such high strand count.

So I went next gauge up at least to accommodate.

My tools are as follows:

The butt connector is heat shrinking and self soldering. It has two different size openings, ideal for this...

Is this good?


Your second photo is very telling about the quality of replacement wire. Old wire when new was a quality wire. Note the new wire has lots of insulation and less strands. Plastic is cheaper than copper.

 

[JHZR2]

Working again!

 

[Zaedock]

Looks good. Nice job!

 

[Trav]

That looks good and solid, i wouldn't worry about that at all.