chris a Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I have done the difficult and traumatic part and drilled the hole in the dash...can anyone advise as to what amp wire should be used to make the necessary connections. Halfrauds recommend 10A, but as they have got no idea what a Seven is, I wanted to check with those that would be better informed. Thank you in advance Chris A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I'm going to use: Thinwall cable 28/0.30mm, 2 square mm, 25amp on mine. Avialable from Vehicle Wiring Products @ 32p per metre. They also do small Pre-insulated terminals (2.8mm) that nearly fit on the teminals. The chord is OK, but they will need squeezing a bit to adequately grip the spade. I don't like all the sizzling when I try to solder wire to switch teminals - you could use a small pair of needle nosed pliers as a heat sink if you prefer soldering though. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFA Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I have it on good authority that a 30amp cable should be used for this - apparently the initial load on the solenoid circuit is very high. Although it will work on thinner cable, you will find the starter misses engagment with thinner wire due to the slower response. this is heightened when you have a less than fully charged battery which is perhaps when you need it most. Fat Arn Visit the K2 RUM website See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Tony C. Soldered cables are better of course 'cos a) They don't have a source of corrosion/poor contact falling off that can (sometimes) happen with push on terminals &, b) not so easy to pull cables off for bypass purposes (as in light fingered little b******s) Clamshell Club Founder Member and stationary engine enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Sounds like good advice - apart from the obvious question of what would be the benefit of by-passing a start button?. Maybe I'll tempt the 'sizzles', though I guess I have to watch-out for dry joints and vibration breaking the soldered joint or the tinned cable. Thanks Chris. 😬 Edited by - Tony C on 16 Dec 2002 21:07:46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Benefit of by-passing the starter button? Obvious really. None at all. Senior moment. I was actually thinking about the key switch which I still use as the master switch. But, the rest does apply as in corrosion/falling off etc. Excuse my confusion Clamshell Club Founder Member and stationary engine enthusiast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris a Posted December 17, 2002 Author Share Posted December 17, 2002 Thanx chaps, as bigger is better, I'll go with Arnie's 30A suggestion. Starting has never been a strong point of my dearly beloved X-flow!! Chris A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 Don't worry about it Chris, you should have seen the howler I posted in resonse to the query about firing order - one of them - on Sat night!!! Woke-up in the middle of the night, thinking, Oh NO, how could I have written that carp. Rushed down stairs to amend the entry before too many people read it. Too late. Luckily, those that read it were too polite to comment. What Arnie says about a 30 amp wire is valid. I guess voltage drop could cause lazy solenoid operation. However, Vehicle Wiring do a thin wall 44/0.30mm, 3 sq mm, 33amp wire @ 40p per metre, which should fit the bill. For what it's worth; checked the Farnell website, from whome I obtained my big red 76-94 Series switch, the one I believe is sold by Caterham, and their fact sheet says: Current Rating (max) 10A resistive @ 250VAC I also checked the teeny tiny terminals on the switch and their cross sectional area is only 1.4 sq mm. Again, I agree with Arnie that voltage drop between the switch and the solenoid may be the inherent problem and no harm can be done by using as high a current rated wire as can be sensibly attached. I did check with the electrical guys at work today and the opinion was that a starter solenoid will only draw 8 to 10 amps max. My buddy has a solenoid on the bench and will try to remember to test it for current draw. It looks like the best advice is to use the 30 amp wire. Checked your website Arnie and was most impressed with your car, especially the engine compartment, and the hood ornament - where can I get one of those? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaus Loske Posted December 18, 2002 Share Posted December 18, 2002 Hi, what I would also do is to isolate the terminals. I am not shure, but I guess the solenoid power is not fused, so when a cable slides off the terminal (due to high g-forces ) and touches the frame, you could end up with something nasty. My start button is below the Oil P and Water T instrument and has very little clearance to the lower dash tube. Therefore I also put some isolation tape to the area around the rear of the switch... Maybe paranoid but you never know... Klaus 1700+ X-flow Combustion is not a secret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now