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what ga.wire

1K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  40forddgc 
#1 ·
My heater motor has 14ga wire. Should I wire the switch and resistor with
14ga also , or could I use 16ga. Thanks, Joe
 
#5 ·
fiddyfofoad said:
My heater motor has 14ga wire. Should I wire the switch and resistor with
14ga also , or could I use 16ga. Thanks, Joe
It all depends on how many amps the blower motor draws and how long the wire is. When I wire a car, I size the wires based on a maximum voltage drop of 5%. With that, and about a ten foot wire run, a 16 gauge wire can carry about 12 amps without a problem, where a 14 gauge wire can carry 20 amps.

Without doing a bunch of math, the simple answer is:
OneMoreTime said:
It is probably 14 gauge for a reason so that is what I would use.
I can't argue with that logic.

Joe G.
 
#7 ·
what ga wire

Thanks for the input. The length of the wires to the motor is approx 7 ft. I have plenty of unused 16ga wire from my Ron Francis kit, but no 14ga lengths that are long enough without splicing. I knew what the answer was going to be. Thanks, Joe
 
#8 ·
fiddyfofoad said:
Thanks for the input. The length of the wires to the motor is approx 7 ft. I have plenty of unused 16ga wire from my Ron Francis kit, but no 14ga lengths that are long enough without splicing. I knew what the answer was going to be. Thanks, Joe
A trip to NAPA and ~$7.00 later takes care of your problem with a 15-20 foot length and if you're lucky, they have the right color in stock!!
 
#10 ·
302 Z28 said:
Just make sure you get quality wire, some of the wire available at Auto Zombie and the others is pure garbage IMHO. If it says "made in China" I would avoid it.

Vince

Actually a good place to get wire and connectors is Wal-Mart of all places! You can find genuine 3M connectors and quality American made wire, plus they are one of the few places in this area that still has Scotch (3M) 33+ electrical tape.


Most people will balk at paying about $4.00 for a roll of tape when there is tape right beside it for 50 cents a roll but it is well worth the difference in price and a heck of a lot more! That cheap junk would not be worth taking out of the store if was free but so many people buy it instead of the real tape that 3M is getting hard to find now (around here anyway) unless you go to an electrical supply.
 
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