Is 1/0 Gauge battery cable enough for a 12 volt converted CUCV? New cables time.

[Loco_Hosa]

My M1009 was converted to 12v by the previous owner and the batteries now sit on either side of the radiator. The truck drains the batteries over a few hours, and it cranks slow. Batteries are new. Im going to build new cables, add a ground interrupt switch in the passenger side foot well, and run one of the ground cables to the starter. (The other to the grounding buss)

Will 1/0 Gauge welding cables be enough?

Shopping list, Amazon links:

15 red + 15 black feet of 1/0 for $62

Ground disconnect switch for $30

Heavy Duty Heat Shrink $10

2x "Flag" Style Cable Ends-Ground ($10 each)

2x "Flag" Style Cable Ends-Positive ($10 each)

I already have the cable crimping tool, and solder.

 

[PJL]

Probably not. According to this ampacity chart you can pull 245 amps through that cable. The Diesel Garage forum mentions that the 6.2 engine can pull 600-1000 amps when cranking. That will taper off once it's spinning. Electric motors draw the most power on start up before it begins to turn. Then add 100 amps or so of glow plugs. In this case bigger is better. Perhaps someone else can chime in with their experiences. https://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Wire-Gauge_Ampacity

 

[Loco_Hosa]

Probably not. According to this ampacity chart you can pull 245 amps through that cable. The Diesel Garage forum mentions that the 6.2 engine can pull 600-1000 amps when cranking. That will taper off once it's spinning. Electric motors draw the most power on start up before it begins to turn. Then add 100 amps or so of glow plugs. In this case bigger is better. Perhaps someone else can chime in with their experiences. https://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Wire-Gauge_Ampacity

Well sure, but those numbers are based on continues draw. A starter should only be run for a few seconds at a time.... So the amp ratings are totally different.

2/0 is harder to work with, but I decided to step up to it. Either way, once this is done I can start chasing it's other issues. =]

 

[rustystud]

Actually most engines over 350 cid pull over 400 amps when starting. That is 400 amps NOW . So if your cables are not big enough to handle the load then you will have problems. Having said that your 1/0 cable should be fine as long as it's not over 4 ft long. If it gets to long then you start to lose the ability to flow that large amount of current due to the resistance of the wire. Does you 1/0 cable get hot when cranking the engine ? If it does then you need bigger cables. Remember also the ground cable should be the same size as the positive cable. Also another factor is the type of cable your using. Is it fine wire like welding cable ? The finer the wire the better it is in flowing current. The current flows on the outside of the wire, so the more wires the more flow of electrons.

 

[Tanaga]

What is the stock cable size on a CUCV? I had a crusty end once and it generated a lot of heat when starting. I cleaned it up and it was fine. I also would like to replace the battery cables but was wondering what size I currently have.

 

[corelokt]

I ran 4/0 cable from the bed to the firewall. Real fine wire, not stiff. Worms like a charm. If I ever get a front bumper built as I want it, the batts will go in that.

 

[rustystud]

I ran 4/0 cable from the bed to the firewall. Real fine wire, not stiff. Worms like a charm. If I ever get a front bumper built as I want it, the batts will go in that.

A bit of overkill but if you can afford the cable then why not !

 

[rsh4364]

I think the roscommon conversion recommend 4ga battery cables, so 1/0ga which is more than twice the size as 4ga should be sufficient. If I remember correctly. ?