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Posted by: naro914 Dec 9 2009, 01:16 PM

I am in the process of re-wiring all of Papa Smurf...well at least most of him. And I need to make sure I have the right gauge wire before I get started. I've already ripped out most of the non-essential wires, and want to replace a lot of the wires I already have, and insert a bunch of weather-pack connectors to make working on it much easier.

so, here's basically what's left:

Ignition
brake lights
gauges
fuel pump
accessories (cool suit, radio, etc)
signal wires (oil temp, oil pressure, tach)

Can I use 14 gauge wire on most of these, except the main power/ignition? What should I use for that?

thanks

Posted by: SirAndy Dec 9 2009, 01:25 PM

If i'm not mistaken, the Haynes wiring diagrams (or the current flow diagrams) have the wire gauge printed on them.

Andy

Posted by: davesprinkle Dec 9 2009, 01:33 PM

Yes, they do. However, the diagrams call out area in square mm, which is the European convention, rather than wire gage, which is the US convention. You'll need to find a chart to convert between the two.

Posted by: neil30076 Dec 9 2009, 02:43 PM

This page http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-cross-section.htm has all the cross section to AWG conversions down towards the end of the page.

Posted by: naro914 Dec 9 2009, 07:51 PM

Neil,
wow this is great. Gotta bookmark this page.
OK, so if I'm reading this right, if the wire on the Hayes manual says 1.0, that translates to a 17 gauge, I should be fine with 16 gauge wire there.

Posted by: kg6dxn Dec 9 2009, 07:56 PM

Thin wires get hot faster. I would use the 14 gauge. it should be good for 20 amps at 12 volts. use 16 only for the gauges.

Posted by: r_towle Dec 9 2009, 08:23 PM

on papa you should use 10 gauge to prevent it from spontainiously combusting when you park it next to huey

Rich