Getting frustrated here. I've asked here on 3rd gen.org, and looked in my CHilton's, and went to the Pontiac dealer, and a Shell station mechanic. Lots of different answers.

My question is : What is the awg of the red wires on my 88 GTA that the fusible links from the starter feed into ???


The dealer mech said they were 10 awg ! The Shell station mech said they were 16 awg !! Some people here on 3rd gen said they were probably 12 or 14 awg !!!

OK, what I do know is that the butt connector says '16' on it on the FL end and '216' on the two red wire end. There are 2 red wires going into the regular wire end, and one FL coming out the other end, and going to the starter.


btw, I need to know the awg because I want to add some more wire to the regular wire. I can barely reach it now, and if I ever have to replace the FL again, I'll be hosed, since I'll have to cut another half inch off, when removing the connector.

Can anyone help me ?????????


I suppose I could always just use 10 awg to add the length to the regular wire, since 10 awg would be the fattest, and safest.

Thanks in advance

 

i say go bigger than u think...just to be safe

 

Well, I can't help you on the size, but this is not one of those "bigger is better" times.

The FL is there to protect the wire...the wire size is there for the load on it.

I/e if you use a fuse/fusable link that is rated too much over the amount of current the wire is designed to caryy, the wire will overheat, melt the insulation, and possibly cause damage to the surrounding wires as well.

 

Er.. measure the wire size going to the FL. If the wire is 14g then you want a 16g FL. IIRC some companies actually say on the package 16g FL for 14g wire circuit, or some such.

 

Can't you use a pair of wire strippers to help you determine the awg? Normally a pair of residential wire strippers goes to a 10 gauge. Do you have an old piece of the wire you could test? If not, once you cut the wire, you will be able to tell....

 

OK. How do I measure the wire ? Is there some tool for that ?

 

8Mike9,

It's the 2 wires coming out of the connector and going into the loom that I am concerned about, not the fusible link. I'm know the FL is a 16 awg. The 2 red wires that the FL protects look like 16 awg also, which is strange. Well, I guess the current from two 16 awg wires combines to equal the current from one wider wire, so I guess it makes sense that they could be protected by a 16 awg FL.

Later,
GTA88

 

Yes there is a tool, just buy some wire strippers. You can find them anywhere electrical supplies are sold. Lowes, Home Depot, whatever. On them, they have several different holes, usually 10awg, 12awg, 14awg, 16awg, and 18awg. Once you cut the wire, you strip the wires insulation to however much bare copper you want. Only 1 of the holes on the strippers will cut through through the insulation without cutting into the wire. After doing this, you'll know what size wire you have providing the wire is in the range of 10awg - 18awg.

 

Actually, wire strippers are probably close enough, but remember that they are sized for solid wire. Stranded or Litz wire will not measure the same. And unfortunately, GM did not use standardized markings on their harness wiring, therefor there are no markings to indicate insulation grade, temperature rating, or wire size. Fortunately, GM DID use high quality insulation and a good braid count for their wire, so wiring problems on their vehicles are a lot less common than on others, such as Volkswagen/Audi, or Hondas.

If you can identify the circuit that is protected by the link, a good factory wiring diagram will show the wire size (metric). From that, you can determine the appropriate AWG or metric wire size for the replacement link. Most links I've dealt with are TWO AWG wire sizes smaller than the circuit they protect. That would be two AWG gauge numbers higher, of course. Since your wire is metric, you'll have to "fudge" a little and just get close, or install an inline fuse holder and the appropriate fuse protection as GM does on later cars (no fusible links).