Battery wiring upgrade

[tnrknght]

Looking at the original wiring thats in the engine bay, the negative terminal is wired to perhaps the worst spot possible at the radiator support, and one wire leading to the lower bolt on the starter. Ive seen the rad support wire moved but should the starter-bolted wire stay where it is?

I want to replace all the wiring to the battery, Im confident on the capability to replace the positive terminal (already did so on the 3000gt) I just want to make sure for the negative. Also wondeing would it be recommended to go one gauge thicker on the wires?

[Reason]

I think I used 10 and 12 ga wires.... I usually use the same size or slightly larger, and I buy wire that has a lot of strands, usually high end amp wire.

[tnrknght]

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Over at custom car sound (local audio shop) I can get just about any length of any gauge of any color that I want. I figure if I can get some for the positive wiring, some for the negative wiring and some for the amp I can rewire all of it and not have to skimp, I can have it wired exactly how I want it.

Thats why I asked about the negative wiring, I want to have the battery as accessable as possible. The factory wiring is tied together horribly into the looming, and with the ground conencted to the rad support its a fight to get my battery in and out of there.

[Wiscon_Mark]

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5450 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=5450)

Food for thought.

[tnrknght]

Oh yea I had looked through that one thoroughly already which is why I had to ask. He still has the original positive (black/red) and negative (black/yellow) wires if you look closely at the first picture you can see theyre still being used. I had an issue with a prior car where the battery cables were damaged which is why I want them replaced, not just added to. I will be doinbg the big3 in the process just trying to find out if I need the line going from the starter to the negative terminal or if I can replace that for another location.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I had an issue with a prior car where the battery cables were damaged which is why I want them replaced, not just added to.

FWIW, removing the original cables instead of just adding onto the system is just an aesthetic move. Electricity follows the path of least resistance so it's not harmful to leave stock wiring, provided everything is wired correctly.

I'm looking at replacing my stock wiring because its completely corroding the connections at the block and battery terminals, but otherwise I'd leave it and just add onto the grounding system.

[tnrknght]

Well the wires in mine are showing their age with corrosion and even the insulation is starting to crack and wear. On a prior car (gfs old sentra) the negative wire was essentially cut in half and we had no idea, we ended up stranded unable to start the car until I took the battery out, removed the battery tray and found where the wire had broken. (McGuyvered a ground with what was left of the cable by drilling a self-tapping screw to the body and pinning the broken negative cable with a large diameter washer lol)

Along with that the positive wire in my 3000gt ended up damaged in a slight engine fire (long story >.>) which is when I figured out that the wiring was essentially the same as cheap amp wire, and where it connects and all. Now that I figured that much out, I want to replace the aged and worn wires in the subaru before anything happens like the positive wire accidentily breaking and finding a place to ground out and kill my optima yellowtop. Itd be my luck, especially after having to replace both terminal clamps for the battery, so I want to go through and make sure everything is fresh and properly maintained, replaced and optimal. So I figure with new lengths of wire, wire loom to match (save wires from weathering) and new connections all around I wont have to worry about a bad ground or poor contact.

[rougeben83]

I'm running a 4g wire negative to the strut tower on mine...

[kimokalihi]

I run several 4 gauge grounds throughout my engine bay. Upgraded everything to 4 gauge. Great upgrade. In my toyota pickup when I had a couple amps in it and a subwoofer and speakers I had bad light dimming problems. I upgraded everything to 4 gauge and the dimming disappeared entirely.