On my LS swap in my 85 Camino I need to power the electric fans and electric fuel pump.im planning on installing a fuse block close to the battery and running wires. What gauge wire,fuse size and what kind of conduit to protect the wires?
Wiring for fuel pump and fans
- Thread starter Gig
- Start date
This is a common question. To trigger a relay, even 22 gage can do this. The wire going to load has to be rated for the working amps needed, and the relay needs to be rated/designed for the task assigned. Seems simple enough, but you'll start getting advice from folks that googled it, having never built anything.
I'm not an LS swap person. Have a friend that is but not me at present. I build street and show, some resto mod 70 and 80s mostly, plus a few movie cars, remake on RobCop Taurus, and the old school ProStreet that few do anymore, plus do my own looms and last one was a 34 Coupe with a flat head.
On fans I go big, probably over kill but if I can go 30 amp and split it, I wont. I'll put a 30 amp on each fans. Relays that are designed to turn on and stay on are the ones you want. This is also true for fuel pump and electric choke.
The fuel pump needs to be powered through an oil pressure switch. You can use a relay or hard wire, but for safety it needs to run through an OP switch.
I E : The engine shuts off, oil pressure drops, fuel shuts off. This is very important in a crash where sparking can occur. Especially on off road or any emergency vehicles that have a master switch.
As far a conduits, I just use wire loom material. Comes in rolls, and diameters from 1/4 inch to 1 inch typical. There are plastic and metal clamps good for securing the loom. Keeps things neat and tidy.
You can go black, keeps it subdued and not very noticable, or use color for contrast and give a professional organized look. I like Blue and Red.
Dark color car like brown or dark maroon I use blue. Light color car like white or yellow I use red.
I'm not an LS swap person. Have a friend that is but not me at present. I build street and show, some resto mod 70 and 80s mostly, plus a few movie cars, remake on RobCop Taurus, and the old school ProStreet that few do anymore, plus do my own looms and last one was a 34 Coupe with a flat head.
On fans I go big, probably over kill but if I can go 30 amp and split it, I wont. I'll put a 30 amp on each fans. Relays that are designed to turn on and stay on are the ones you want. This is also true for fuel pump and electric choke.
The fuel pump needs to be powered through an oil pressure switch. You can use a relay or hard wire, but for safety it needs to run through an OP switch.
I E : The engine shuts off, oil pressure drops, fuel shuts off. This is very important in a crash where sparking can occur. Especially on off road or any emergency vehicles that have a master switch.
As far a conduits, I just use wire loom material. Comes in rolls, and diameters from 1/4 inch to 1 inch typical. There are plastic and metal clamps good for securing the loom. Keeps things neat and tidy.
You can go black, keeps it subdued and not very noticable, or use color for contrast and give a professional organized look. I like Blue and Red.
Dark color car like brown or dark maroon I use blue. Light color car like white or yellow I use red.
Attached. Samples of boxes available on line. Of course auto part stores, marine, and Grainger or Carr McMaster.
The sample on left is interior only, I used similar for wiring police cars for lights, radio and etcetera. The one on right I have used similar on trailers, car dollies and under hood. Notice they can't spell volt correctly... Not all are super great quality.
Couple other examples bottom photo...
The sample on left is interior only, I used similar for wiring police cars for lights, radio and etcetera. The one on right I have used similar on trailers, car dollies and under hood. Notice they can't spell volt correctly... Not all are super great quality.
Couple other examples bottom photo...
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While the fuse boxes with relays ect are certainly slick "! Some Chinese um wires and relays may do the trick as inexpensive is the way for the economically depressed 😔 ...specifically 12 guage wire may be overkill it should be heavy enough to connect load and ground wires from and too fans .Some kits are packaged on that famous retail order place ( eebay) ect .they come with sensor and even relays and wire if you haven't seen them I can understand,...I can say getting heat resistant wire is a good move for under hood scenarios... it's available by the foot packed like 6 foot ect...also if you don't mind going to a junkyard it's possible to unravel enough factory wires from a newer model car or truck and therby transfer them to your vehicle providing you know the basic layout of components ( relays sensor ,B+ ,B-) it might make good sense to hook your fan supply wire to the battery at some point like the positive starter cable terminal or if there's a fuse block on the charging output to battery wire ( red) rather then the accessory spots on your factory fuse block"! Personally I wouldn't worry about the wire loom just try to run wire along existing factory harness use shrink tube and avoid contacting sharp spots on the routeing.cable ties (zip)could be used at leat untill you see how the lenths and positioning developes . There are wire clamps you get that are plastic coated to hold wires that screw to sheetmetal ect,also...thanks for reading....To say briefly on the question of fuel pumps size or guage 12 or 14 guage wire and there are those fuel pups that mount like on the fender aprin" the ones that click I think they turn there selfs off when pressure is like standing and run when required ( somebody correct me if not) hooking the power wire up might mean useing ( finding)the original wire to electric pump or and adding relay ( with switch wire) or not" the choices are there soldering any plug terminal s to the wire are preferred to crimp and kester Rosen core is the choice
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