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?? 4 electrical guru's

whitneyj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Mayville, WI
I'm getting ready to install a taurus fan in my jeep, last thing I need is some wire and 10 awg is crazy expensive here, however I do have a 0/0 gauge extension cord in my garage that's dying to be stripped of it's wire. Is there a big difference in the wire from an ext. cord, or wire for automotive purposes, or even speaker wire? It looks like it's woaven differently. . .
 
The difference lies in the fineness and number of strands of wire. A high-grade automotive wire will have lots and lots of very fine strands, while a house-grade wire will have larger strands but fewer of them. The greater number of finer strands is better for automotive use as the wire will flex better, have a smaller bend radius, and be less prone to breaking strands due to fatigue from flexing.

That said I used high-grade 10AWG house wiring for my headlight harness and it has worked quite well so far.

Am I reading your post correctly that you want to use double-ought wiring for your radiator fan? That's ridiculously overkill, and given the diameter of 00 wire it would be a bear to work with. If it were my rig, I would pony up and buy some good 10AWG wire, and save the 00 for new battery ground terminals.

IIRC, a recent issue of JP Magazine had an article comparing various grades of wire. I don't see it on their website, but I can look when I get home if you are interested.
 
something else to think about is the insulation on the wire itself and the conditions it was designed for. If you have a multi-conductor cable with an outer jacket(extension cord), the individual wires inside will generally have insulation which not as stong as a wire designed to withstand different enviornments (heat,direct burial, corrosive enviornments, ect.) because the outer jacket is there to provide protection from that physical damage. so I would say go buy wire designed for your application.
 
daedalus, I figured the strands were the big difference, and no I'm not using that thick of wire, it's 10 gauge inside ext. cord, it's not 0/0, my bad did catch the type-o.
monster, I didn't even think about the insulation, I plan on wrapping the wires from the distribution box, so I'm not all that worried about it. I appreciate the help guys.
 
If it's not got an "SJOOW" rating, don't use it. SJOOW is oil-/grease-/water-resistant, while SOOW is only water-resistant. This means that SOOW (typical extension cord jacket) can and do get dissolved in grease, oil, fuel, and common automotive solvents. Oops.

That being said, I do use SJOOW-rated x/2 or x/3 lead for projects all the time, have for years, and haven't had any trouble yet.
 
whitneyj said:
do you do anything special to help protect the insulation?

Convolute tubing to protect against chafing, mainly. Heat-shrink over the ends to help seal the jacket where the wires exit.

If the insulation is up to scratch (chemically,) you'll be fine. If it isn't, don't bother - get something else.
 
I'm an electrcian so I guess when it comes to this stuff I always look at it from a "worst case senerio" but if you use common sense then you should be fine. Route your wire away from sharp edges and away from direct heat and you should be fine. I always try to follow the existing looms of wire and use nylon cable ties to attch my wire to the looms. And always use rubber grommets when you pass through sheet metal. my buddy didn't and his jeep caught on fire a little bit ;)
 
my underhood temps are already pretty high, so I'll definately follow your advice with the rubbers. . . I like to think common sense runs in my family, that's why I'm asking experienced people before i do. asking for forgiveness after I do it doesn't apply when the jeeps a smoldering wreck in the woods.
 
I figured you had common sense or you wouldn't have asked the question! I hate to say it but this forum has become the 1st thing I check when I get home because there are always a ton of good questions being posted that I need answers to.
 
MONSTERxbla said:
I'm an electrcian so I guess when it comes to this stuff I always look at it from a "worst case senerio" but if you use common sense then you should be fine. Route your wire away from sharp edges and away from direct heat and you should be fine. I always try to follow the existing looms of wire and use nylon cable ties to attch my wire to the looms. And always use rubber grommets when you pass through sheet metal. my buddy didn't and his jeep caught on fire a little bit ;)

I'm not an "official" electrician - I just work on the stuff a lot. Industrial equipment, machinery, commercial maintenance, homeowner maintenance, automotive - and your advice is sound for all of those.

With one caveat - where possible, you want a rigid passthrough going through a bulkhead with sharp edges, especially where there can be very high current (like remote batteries.) That can be done, so it's not that big a problem. Makes the project cost a little more, but it pays well in peace of mind!
 
what exactly do you mean about a "rigid pass through"? tacking in a small section of tube? or running some small pvc pipe through? why not use rubber gommets if I round the edges of the firewall?
 
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