| As for the chassis ground, I have one of the cables in hand. Although the firewall isn't stripped of paint where the eyelet connects, the bolt iself is contacting the eyelet and is grounding via the threads. That connection could probably carry 1000 amperes, which is more than enough for the starting system. I've looked over the grounding kits that have been installed into Z's that I have worked on through the years and it gives me a chuckle - it is really worth no more than the bling factor - if one considers non-functional additional wiring in an already over-crowded engine bay as a benefit.... to each his own in that respect. :) The only part of the powertrain system that requires a large current flow is the starter itself and that is only used intermittently. The rest of the EFI system, although I haven't personally tested it to see, probably only pulls between 10 to 30 amps at best - 30 amps being at full throttle condition with the fuel pump, PTU, and injectors running at 100% duty... and that amount of current could easily be handled by a single 14 gauge wire... The alternator itself, OE TT, produces 90 amps maximum. According to SAE standards, a 7-gauge wire can handle 89 amps load. To keep that safe, say a 6 gauge wire to be used, which can carry 101 amps continuous. From memory, I recall the alternator wire being around this size (6 gauge = .162" diameter conductor). Going larger than this, especially for the short length it has to go from the alternator to the battery, will serve negligible purpose, especially considering that the alternator is not having to supply 90A of current to the system under typical conditions. In a lot of cases, the placebo effect plays a considerable role in the automotive scene. This is closely followed by simple cases of cause-effect relationship mis-identification. Stereo system components are typically rated in peak operating wattage output and not in true continuous RMS power. 1700 watts at 13.5 volts is 126 amps, which is far beyond the capacity of the OE alternator to provide atop the demands of the vehicle systems. At best, and within tolerable auditory limits of the human ears sitting within the cabin, your audio system is probably only consuming 15-25 amps average, and that's probably a high estimate. Electric radiator fans can pull a rather wide range of current. I have tested several different 16" fans which consumed between 9.5 amps up to 28 amps. Wideband O2 systems, boost controllers, AFCs, ZEMulators, etc etc, all pull very little current for their operation. Giving 5 amps for all of these combined is probably an over-estimate as well. Taking all of these current drains combined, (30A + 25A + 28A + 5A) comes out to 88A total, which again, is probably a high estimate. Even still, it falls well within the acceptable limits of the OEM wiring harness components. Not trying to bust your balls or anything - just playing a bit of devils advocate here for sake of entertainment. :)
[ ashspecz.com ]
[ agpowers@bellsouth.net ] Enthusiasts soon understand each other. --W. Irving.
Are you an enthusiast? If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.
Albert Einstein
|
