Voltage drop on gauge
- Thread starter Bri guy
- Start date
- Status
Now you got my attention with that fuse set up for the ignition & fuse panel feeds as I want to dump my fusible links. I'm only needing to worry about four of the circuits in fuse hub, ignition,fuse panel, alternator (12SI), blower.
I want to use a '90's H-body underhood 8 circuit Maxi fuse box for conversion.
Now could I get away with the same amp ratings as what you used or will I have to wait until I can power the car up to see what would be needed?
We can let the op let us know if he feels we are hijacking in any way. I didn't think so. This is all related stuff.
I definitely like Midi/AMI fuses better than Maxi for high amperage stuff. Maxi fuses are available in high amperages but many maxi fuse holders aren't rated all that high. I've seen them burn up before. I had one do that to me. That said, I've seen some good quality Maxi fuse holders that do have high amperage ratings but they are hard to find and can be expensive. Since that one you show is OEM, it might have a high amperage rating but I don't know. One indication might be to see how high of amp the highest of the of 8 Maxi fuses was in the factory application. It might not be rated higher than that. Also look at the total amps in the original application and compare that to what you intend to do. I wouldn't go higher than any single fuse or higher than the total. I like to be on the safe side with this kind of thing.
The unit I used is made by Blue Sea Systems and is a very high quality piece and is totally weather sealed (I assume that OEM is that too). But it does cost quite a bit. I feel they are worth it. I have one in one of my other cars too. I buy the fuses from waytekwire.com and they are very reasonably priced.
I definitely like Midi/AMI fuses better than Maxi for high amperage stuff. Maxi fuses are available in high amperages but many maxi fuse holders aren't rated all that high. I've seen them burn up before. I had one do that to me. That said, I've seen some good quality Maxi fuse holders that do have high amperage ratings but they are hard to find and can be expensive. Since that one you show is OEM, it might have a high amperage rating but I don't know. One indication might be to see how high of amp the highest of the of 8 Maxi fuses was in the factory application. It might not be rated higher than that. Also look at the total amps in the original application and compare that to what you intend to do. I wouldn't go higher than any single fuse or higher than the total. I like to be on the safe side with this kind of thing.
The unit I used is made by Blue Sea Systems and is a very high quality piece and is totally weather sealed (I assume that OEM is that too). But it does cost quite a bit. I feel they are worth it. I have one in one of my other cars too. I buy the fuses from waytekwire.com and they are very reasonably priced.
Bri guy, is the gauge still low? What was the fix?
roger1, you do very nice work. Kudos!
pagrunt, that's a great idea and should work well.
roger1, you do very nice work. Kudos!
pagrunt, that's a great idea and should work well.
Havent been in the garage yet. Its in the 30s today with rain/small hail and been fighting this migraine. I will hopefully get to it later today or tomorrow for sure. I have all the material in my garage at least to try to figure it out
Since the OP is OK with this I'll continue. Now the highest that was in it was 60 amp as I don't expect to go higher & I have the correct GM terminals for 10 AWG to 14 AWG wires as required. With referance to circuit amp rating, I see you have a 40 amp each for the ignition & fuse box feed, 30 amp (ATO) for the alternator & blower motor. I'm pondering if those would be the same ratings I'll need on a basic bare bones stock set up (no power accessories but able to add power lock & put A/C back in service in the future) to replace my fusible links. I see just needing four circuits (ignition, fuse box feed, alternator, blower) will make it simpler to do when I make the wire leads to tie it into the harness with the ability to add future circuits if needed. I do have a plan in place for a fusible link set if I can't get this idea to work as a back up. I hope this can help others too.
Thanks!
I know I do show off a little bit with my photos but I'm kind of a photography buff too and take photos of everything. I also really like to help others when I think I can do so.
Also, electrical is one of my stronger suits and it's a lot of car hobbyist's weakest. Now upholstery, don't ask me on that one. No interest and I pay to get it done.
Sounds good on your amperage. If there was a 60 in there from the factory, you know the sockets are rated to at least that. I chose my fuse amperage based on the wire size I used. Fuses are designed to protect the wire and not the device so always remember that when choosing fuse size. I chose larger gauge wire than what the devices actually need because the larger the wire, the lower the voltage drop. Voltage drop varies with wire size and length of the wire. There are charts for it.
So I may have chosen larger amp fuses than I needed but chose them thinking about wire size rather than thinking about the amperage that would be drawn at maximum. Does that address all your questions?
Yes, it does help to get me in the right direction. As I'm running the stock 12 AWG, a 78 amp 12SI I don't thik I'll be needing the same rated fuses as you are using. Then again depending where I'll be placing the fuse box could change the wire gauge.
- Status
Similar threads
