Originally Posted by BoxerFanatic
Ok.
I thought I was more ready for this than I ended up being.
First, I thought auto-parts stores would have more selection of power-grade cabling than they do.
Q: Is 4 AWG wire acceptable, or too small for the alternator wiring mod? 2 AWG wire seems like overkill but maybe i am wrong.
I think I figured out why Subaru used two smaller wires. I have yet to see a ring terminal that is small enough to fit on the Alternator post riser, but big enough on the wire side to crimp anywhere near a 2 or 4 gauge wire.
Q: How on earth to you connect said large gauge replacement wire to the alternator post appropriately?
Stock is two smaller wires, with ring terminals flat-sides inward, both connected to the post. Should I try to split the strands into two groups, and crimp two rings onto a single larger cable? I am not sure that is even pragmatically possible or advisable, but I am open to suggestions from people who have done it.
Q: for Svxcess, or others who have mounted the Mega-Fuse holder, where and more importantly how, did you fasten it down, and did you insulate the bottom, so that the bolt heads that are recessed, but exposed on the bottom side. I wouldn't want them to arc to anything else. I thought about filling the underside segments with epoxy as an electrical insulator.
I was thinking of double-face tape, and sticking it to the side of the main fuse box, below the cover's overlap, on the side toward the battery and front end of the car. It doesn't seem like there is much space for nylon bolts, or push fasteners on the inside of the fuse box, to drill through, and fasten the Mega-Fuse holder to the side with mechanical fasteners.
I am open to hear what others have done to mount the fuse holder.
Q: Does anybody know the gauge of the wires from the starter to the battery? It looks like the positive lead is much thicker, with an overly long metal tab with a hole as a ring terminal at the end. Possibly 4 or maybe even 2 gauge, but the negative seems to be about 6 gauge, with a much smaller 8 or 10 gauge wire to the body ground point, next to the horn bracket, but not actually on it, with a pretty small bolt, comparatively.
I am debating whether the positive battery terminal is worth keeping, or if i should change it out for a bigger/better one.
The MegaFuse holder doesn't look big enough to accommodate two 4 gauge wires on the battery side of the fuse, so I think the two wires, one from batt to starter (existing), one from batt to Mega Fuse->Alternator (new wire) probably will both have to connect to the battery terminal directly.
I think the negative side might have to work that way, also, to ground both the starter, and another ground closer to the alternator/AC pump, as well as to the chassis, unless I do some sort of ground-side distribution block.
I see now why Svxcess ordered his wiring online. I overestimated the availability of the wiring supplies locally, and under-estimated the price tag of all of these individual little wire-building supplies, each with a retail markup.
It is a good thing I ordered that large-gauge impact crimper along with the MegaFuse and holder, to get over the price point for free shipping from Amazon. I have a feeling it is going to come in very handy.
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