Direct to battery connection.

[no1newb]

ok, There are things that have needed to be connected directly to the battery (MSD ignition, radio, ect) how do you all have your extra things connected to your battery. i dont think i should have mine connected the way i do. i have like 4 things connected to the big bolt on my starter relay. any suggestions?

 

[Vitamin c]

no1newb
Im in the same boat, i have MSD, Elec fan, fuel pump and alt. relays all coming off the starter relay post. probably not the best setup. I have purchased a painless wiring strip for additional circuits, but havent installed it yet, i think it was around 10 bucks. what i dont like is, youll still need to attach it to the starter relay post then mount the add on circuit block next to (or somewhere near) the starter relay. kind of sounds to me like a saddle on a sow. painless does have several options for you to look at if you want.

 

[rob_robinson87]

For items such as your radio or any other small items that required a constant full 12V, I would suggest connecting your lead to the red side of the amp guage (heavy red wire). A good keyed source is the original radio power, or from the fuse box on one of the keyed power source. ALWAYS make sure your wiring is up to par and fuse that item.

As for items under the hood, the large post on the starter relay works well. If you are running a pretty hefty amp, come straight off the battery.

I would highly recommend two electrical modifications however.
1. One modifies the charging circuit to keep the main power souce that runs into the cabin from being overloaded. Run a large lead from the + side of the alternator around to the large post of the starter relay. Make sure this wire has an appropriate size fusible link on it before attaching to that post.

2. The other modification I HIGHLY recommend is installing relays for your headlight circuits. That way your headlamp switch does not have to pull all that voltage through those original wiring inside and out the cabin. The headlamp switch becomes only a trigger to the relay which you can power- yes- from the large post of the starter relay- where you just connected that extra charging wire from the alternator. Done correctly, you will take the strain off your interior wiring allowing your dashlights to be brighter, your radio to operate better, you headlights to be brighter, and your bulkhead to survive. With clever planning, you could wrap these into the original harness and no one would even notice the modifications unless they were an expert.

I've done both of these modifications and have been very very pleased with the results. With my powermaster alternator, I have no problems with having enough power for my stereo, A/C, and electronic ignition.

 

[RedFish]

Dont forget the fuses. You're wiring before the only fusible link in the system.

 

[no1newb]

2. The other modification I HIGHLY recommend is installing relays for your headlight circuits. That way your headlamp switch does not have to pull all that voltage through those original wiring inside and out the cabin. The headlamp switch becomes only a trigger to the relay which you can power- yes- from the large post of the starter relay- where you just connected that extra charging wire from the alternator. Done correctly, you will take the strain off your interior wiring allowing your dashlights to be brighter, your radio to operate better, you headlights to be brighter, and your bulkhead to survive. With clever planning, you could wrap these into the original harness and no one would even notice the modifications unless they were an expert.

Thanks, i was actually going to do the relay thing with the headlights this Sunday, when i have free time, thats why i wanted to see that i wasn't going to be taking too much power from the starter relay. the only real problem i had with puting stuff on the starer relay, is that i accidentally shorted the starter wire so when i went to connect the battery again the starter turned and it made sparks on my battery post.

 

[rob_robinson87]

Neatness is always the best decision when it comes to electrical work. I aways try to crimp and solder my ring terminals on and use heat shrink. Here is how I handled the relays for the headlamps. Notice the main feed from the relay goes into this box which has fuses for high, low, and my fog lights. This box is sealed and located under the battery tray.

 

[412 Stroker]

For items such as your radio or any other small items that required a constant full 12V, I would suggest connecting your lead to the red side of the amp guage (heavy red wire). A good keyed source is the original radio power, or from the fuse box on one of the keyed power source. ALWAYS make sure your wiring is up to par and fuse that item.

As for items under the hood, the large post on the starter relay works well. If you are running a pretty hefty amp, come straight off the battery.

I would highly recommend two electrical modifications however.
1. One modifies the charging circuit to keep the main power souce that runs into the cabin from being overloaded. Run a large lead from the + side of the alternator around to the large post of the starter relay. Make sure this wire has an appropriate size fusible link on it before attaching to that post.

2. The other modification I HIGHLY recommend is installing relays for your headlight circuits. That way your headlamp switch does not have to pull all that voltage through those original wiring inside and out the cabin. The headlamp switch becomes only a trigger to the relay which you can power- yes- from the large post of the starter relay- where you just connected that extra charging wire from the alternator. Done correctly, you will take the strain off your interior wiring allowing your dashlights to be brighter, your radio to operate better, you headlights to be brighter, and your bulkhead to survive. With clever planning, you could wrap these into the original harness and no one would even notice the modifications unless they were an expert.

I've done both of these modifications and have been very very pleased with the results. With my powermaster alternator, I have no problems with having enough power for my stereo, A/C, and electronic ignition.

So you leave the wire going inside hooked up AND add another wire from the alternator to the starter relay?? just trying to clarify,where does the wire thats connected to the alternator go to now?? Your info sounds like Excellent advise, I had never heard of doing either of your 2 sugestions, thank-you.

 

[no1newb]

Neatness is always the best decision when it comes to electrical work. I aways try to crimp and solder my ring terminals on and use heat shrink. Here is how I handled the relays for the headlamps. Notice the main feed from the relay goes into this box which has fuses for high, low, and my fog lights. This box is sealed and located under the battery tray.

looks nice, i got an idea goin on in my head now. thanks for the picture.

 

[JR]

Neatness is always the best decision when it comes to electrical work. I aways try to crimp and solder my ring terminals on and use heat shrink. Here is how I handled the relays for the headlamps. Notice the main feed from the relay goes into this box which has fuses for high, low, and my fog lights. This box is sealed and located under the battery tray.

What is that box out of?

 

[rob_robinson87]

So you leave the wire going inside hooked up AND add another wire from the alternator to the starter relay?? just trying to clarify,where does the wire thats connected to the alternator go to now?? Your info sounds like Excellent advise, I had never heard of doing either of your 2 sugestions, thank-you.

Yes, you leave the old wiring in place- that will still provide power inside the car. The new wire provides a straight charging feed to the battery lowering the load on the original wiring (and bulkhead connector). Think of it this way, originally, the alternator power had to make one big loop through the bulkhead, into the car, through the amp gauge, back out of the interior again through the bulkhead and then to the starter relay (where it connects to the smaller of the two power wires for the battery). By adding the extra wire (and yes, please make sure you have a fusible link on it!!!) you shorten that path and still allow power to go through the car. Two paths are less resistance!

ONLY DOWN SIDE is that your amp gauge won't be accurate anymore. Because not all the power is going through it, it can't measure the charge/discharge anymore. You may still get some fluxuation on it, but not much.

 

[rob_robinson87]

What is that box out of?

The box is a radio shack project box. It comes with a lid that screws into place. I made my own fuse block from one from Advance Auto that was originally for 6 fuses- cut it in half, and used it for my 3 relays (low beam, high beam, and my fog lights). Countersunk a set of nylon bolts to hold the relays in the bottom of the box and then bolted it down to the flat spot under the battery tray. Made a couple of notches where the headlamp wiring would run in/out and sealed it up. Works pretty nice. Got the idea from http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

 

[no1newb]

Do you got the box from radio shack

 

[Vitamin c]

here is one of painless wiring's fuse holders that i used for my fan, fuel pump, and bypass wire that rob 87 talked about. I was having real issues with my charging system and the extra wire seemed to solve the problem. i also added the Moroso pulley for safe measure after having belt issues.