Question 1...
My horn doesnt work. I replaced the stocker with 2 horns from autozone. They worked for aobut 3 seconds before I blew the stock 15 amp fuse. So I replaced it with a 30. Now it doesnt work again... It didnt die when I was using it... like one day it worked, next day it didnt. Visible wiring (includign the wiring I did) look A-OK, and the fuse is good. What gets checked next?
Question 2...
My ALT wire needs an upgrade. I, along with the suggestions of others, have determined that simply adding a second alternator wire is by far easier. What gauge wire should I use? I was thinking 2ga, but the place I go doesnt have 2ga. 4ga was suggested to me and that sounds good. But beign that electricity takes the path of least resistence, if my new wire become the path of least resistence, will ALL the electricity be going through it so maybe I want a smaller gauge (they sell 1ga)? And also... should a fuse be put inline? Makes sense to me to use a 100 Amp fuse, baing that the ALT is a 105 output.
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For your Question two...
I replaced the stock wire. I'm not sure the path that it takes on the 2.2, but on the 2.4, The Alternator Positive wire runs to the Starter B+ Post and then to the battery. I used 4awg, and it's fine. There's really no need to go higher then 4awg unless you plan on installing an alternator that puts out more then 150 amps, because that's what 4awg will handle.
The stock alternator wire also has a fusible link in it, so yes, you will want to install a fuse. But alternators are Pulse Width Modulated. Meaning they're either at full output, or no output. However, it cycles hundreds of times per second. So your alternator is always going to be putting out 105 amps, just not all the time. You could probably get away with a 100 amp though, since the frequency is so fast, the fuse wouldn't have time to heat up and the element would remain intact. But I would install a fuse that's more then the maximum output of the alternator. If your battery dies for example, once you jump it and get it started, the alternator is going to be at full output to charge up that battery. You'll blow that fuse and then you won't be able to ever get it started until you charge the battery seperately, or get a bigger fuse. So you might as well get a bigger fuse to begin with.
I have a 150 amp fuse in mine, and it's fine.
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Alright thanks for the info
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Just because you replaced the 15 amp fuse with a 30 amp, doesn't mean the wiring to the horn is capable of handling 30 amps. I know for a fact that piddly little wire WON'T support 30 amps, so likely you've melted the wiring somewhere along the line.
This is how a lot of car fires start.... instead of using the proper fuse or fixing the problem, people just put a larger fuse in... so the wiring itself blows, not the fuse. Not a smart idea...
You'll have to trace the wiring all the way until you find it.
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^^ Will do
Got another question on a side-note...
I picked up my 4ga wire today, and got the fuse and holder from a buddy... and i thought about it...
The wire has a diameter of like... a little smaller then a dime... yet the fuse is the size of an ink tube out of pen... why cant I use wire that is just slightly larger then the fuse?
Maybe Im just dumb...
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fuses are made of a differant kind of metal for one thing. another thing is the current has to travel through the copper wire for 15+ feet, whereas the fus has to carry the current for about 1/8 of an inch. One of two things must be done to enable the transfer of current efficiently, shorten the path, or provide a larger path.
It's not really the type of metal the fuse is made of that makes the difference. It IS the size that matters. The fuse is so small so that the fuse melts when you reach a certain amount of current flow, but leaving the wire undamaged. If you went with a similar cross-sectional area of wire and fuse, you risk the wiring being damaged instead of just the fuse element blowing.
The fuse element won't catch things on fire when it burns. The wire could catch things on fire when it burns. That's the point of a fuse.
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^^^ I see.
Now heres another fuse related question...
I got this new style fuse from VolumeKing here on the org... Its basically lake any other blade style fuse, but with the legs on the sides, instead of the bottom. The only place I've been able to find that sells them is SoundWaves of Minnesota, cuz they're like that new...
Anyways, I plan on using one of these fuses for my alt/batt wire. He gave me a 100 Amp... well Im thinking... hmm... 105 Amp alternator... So I went and picked up a 150 Amp fuse, same style/brand/store/everything. the actually fuse element on the 150 Amp is SMALLER then the element on the 100...
Although, the plastic casing the element is surrounded by... The 100 Amp has more air, the 150 had much less... Would the amount of air make a difference? And how does it work that a fuse that can carry more current has a smaller element?
BTW, the elements are the same length.
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I do believe the fuse you got is an ANL type fuse. Like this:
That's the same kind of fuse i'm currently using. The amount of air inside the casing makes no difference. Air is not an electrical conductor and doesn't really affect how the fuse acts. If the fuse element appears smaller on the 150 amp fuse, then the fuse element will be thicker.
When fuses are constructed, the manufacturer knows which dimensions and thicknesses of fuse elements are good to handle X amount of power. For example, If they have two pieces of metal, and one is thicker then the other...if they use a more narrow element on the thicker metal and a wider one on the thinner metal, they may find that they both blow at say, 150 amps. They know now that for those specifications of fuse elements, are good for 150 amp fuses.
Just because the metal LOOKS smaller, doesn't mean anything. It could be thicker, and like sandmanx said, it could even be a different kind of metal that has slightly different electrical conductive properies.
Basically... if it imprinted "150" on the casing or somewhere where it tells you how much current the fuse is for, i'd trust that. Other things like the size of the fuse element and the size of the plastic casing are nothing to concern yourself over.
Let me know if you have any more questions.... glad to help.
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That is exactly the type of fuse I am using. And quite honestly this is the last thing I will use it on. The one I have bent and twisted so much during install that I'm glad I had a second.
I took that casing off of a 100A and my now broke 150A and looked... the elements are both the same thickness... the same thickness of the connectors. But the 150A is skinnier. So I am willing to bet that you are correct in saying that they are simply made out of diffent things.
So yeah... I upgraded my ALT/BATT wire today with the 150 Amp fuse and 4GA wire... works great. I also ran a 4GA wire straight from a mounting bolt on the ALT straight to the negative on my BATT.
Now... with EVERYTHING on, EVERY knob turned all the way up, EVERY button pressed, my A/C ON, I even stepped on the brakes so those lights came on, and my 4-way flashers... I mean I'm talking EVERYTHING possible is on... When I get to a big "BOOM" bass drop I just start pushin' 13.2 volts, then straight BAM back up to a steady 14.7. This is at idle mind you. At a high rev my car has to work to get below 13.8.
Well... my last problem/question (for now) on this project... the crimp-on connectors I used came with heat shrink, which I used. Well after admiring my work again tonight after driving, I noticed the heat shrink had torn on the terminal on my ALT. The heat shrink is labeled "125 [degrees] F" so I'm assuming that at that specific spot in my engine the temperature exceeded 125 degrees... go figure... What temp heat shrink would work? Or what else could be safely/effectively used?
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