JustJeff

iTrader: (13)

I've upgraded the wiring coming off my battery and removed the OEM battery to alt to starter wiring.

Here's what I've done so far:
Postive
OEM battery (+) to alt and battery + to starter removed

1. 4ga battery (+) to alt
2. 4ga battery (+) to starter
3. 4ga inline fused battery (+) to distribution block (then 8ga to 3 amps)
4. 8ga battery (+) to main fuse box (in engine compartment)
5. 10ga battery (+) to efan
6. 12ga inline fused battery (+) to aftermarket alarm

Negative
OEM battery (-) to shock tower and starter removed
OEM top of engine keg to firewall removed

1. 4ga (-) battery to shock tower
2. 4ga (-) shock tower to starter (I have them both grounded to the same OEM shock tower ground, similar to what OEM was, except OEM grounded at the shocktower and continued on to starter)
3. 4ga (-) engine keg to firewall
4. 4ga (-) battery to body
5. 8ga (-) amp to body (3 times, one for each amp)
6. 10ga (-) ground from efan relay to body

Not as important but I'll still mention it
12ga (-) ground from aftermarket siren to body
12ga (-) aftermarket temp sender(water) to body
12ga (-) aftermarket temp sender(oil) to body
12ga (-) aftermarket alarm "brain" to body
IIRC if found a common power for my aftermarket gauge's illumination
also created a common ground for aftermarket gauges illumination
(gauges are boost, water temp, oil temp, oil pressure)

So with all that covered...there is a lot of positive wiring coming off the battery. I have an Optima and am using both top and side posts. But it's spaghetti coming off my battery and it's driving me crazy.

Here's what I'm thinking I'll do, get a 0ga distribution block. Run a single 0ga from battery (+) to the block which I'll probably mount to the shock tower run the rest of my (+) wiring from distribution block.

My question is, should I also run a single 0ga (-) to a grounding distribution block? I don't know that I need a 0ga ground and distribution as the electrical system isn't going to be pulling any more draw with the 0ga (+) to distribution block than it currently is.

jjwalker

Distro block should clean it up. 0ga is a bit overkill.

Also, I would never suggest getting alarm 12v constant from the battery, as it makes it too easy to disarm.

Just for reference...

JustJeff

iTrader: (13)

Thanks for the chart. I've never checked total amperage my electrical is pulling. My multitester will only read mA and I'm too cheap to spend for an ammeter that will read that high of amps. Though once the engine is in the car, I suppose I could take it to my local community college and have one of the instructors put one of their meters on the car.

0ga might be overkill, but I'd rather have overkill than not enough.

About the 12v constant from battery for the alarm. I assume you mean that they disconnect the battery and I no longer have an alarm? The alarm has door triggers, hood trigger and trunk (convertible) trigger. So it would go off till they got the hood open.

Do you suggest getting constant from under the dash? I had considered tapping into the main fuse in the engine compartment. But still then it's the same deal with, once they get access to the battery I will no longer have an alarm after they disconnect the battery.

Eventually I'm adding a battery backup option to the alarm. But for now I have larger priorities in getting the engine back in the car.

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

What kind of relay are you using for your fan? The only reason I ask is because I see you are switching ground, and I'm curious as to what size connector you are using to accommodate the 10ga. wire.

The last e-fan set up I had (something like a 40amp volvo fan) I burned through relays and found it was the ground terminal that was melting all the time. I went to 3/8" connectors and larger wire and the problem was fixed. Just wondering...

jjwalker

If it is also a remote start, get it at the ignition harness.

If it is just alarm, you want to get your 12v constant from someplace weird, but it needs to be a large fused circuit. For example, you wouldn't want to get it from the radio's constant circuit, but from maybe the constant going to the ECU.

The point is to make it really difficult to find. Yes, if they disconnect the battery, it will stop going off, but they also won't be driving away with the car. The reason being, as soon as 12v is hooked back up the alarm will go off again, unlike if they just snip your wire going to the battery.

This is what I do for a living (it's getting old, so probably not much longer).

JustJeff

iTrader: (13)

I'm not sure what size connector, it's been a while since it was wired in. My relay is under my radiator panel which requires me to replace double sided tape every time I pull it up. IIRC it's a 40/50amp? I'm installing the engine a little later today and will probably have reason to pull that panel up at some point soon. I can check my ring terminal for grounding and relay when that happens.

Right now my wiring for the efan isn't ideal. I've only got about 2k miles on using the fan and will be making changes as I put more miles on it and find more about what works best for me.

I may have even grounded the fan (through the relay) directly to the battery. It's been a while as the car has been sitting for a year or so as I rebuilt the engine. IIRC I got frustrated with burning up fuses and grounded it directly to the battery at the same time that I upgraded the wiring for the fan to 10ga.

Here is the diagram I used. I added a manual override switch with the switch on the underside of the steering wheel column surround. I have a Taurus efan and had trouble with blowing fuses. I even tried wiring it into main fuse and still was burning them up. I ended up going with a resetting breaker. That and I have not wired in the idle up yet.


I used Arghx's thread as a guide
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...switch-886862/

No remote start. I don't remember if the alarm is equipped to run that or not.

Right now the alarm is wired in with the OEM S5 alarm, which I haven't been all that happy with. Sometime in the near future I may buy a second door actuator for passenger door and wire the alarm in independent of the OEM alarm. But that will come when I add a perimeter (radar) sensor to the alarm. Unfortunately I have little neighbor girl (possibly mentally handicapped) who is fascinated with my convertible. The cleaner it is the more she is attracted to it..and if it's clean with the top down that is like a fly to **** for her. It's really bad with her. I rent and the family is close to being evicted because of the little girl and poor parenting. The girl has damaged several cars, drew on cars with her mother's lipstick (on the same day she kissed one of my cars with lipstick lips, a neighbor told me they had to shoo her away from my convertible because she was trying to climb up the hood of my car to get in the car while the top was down. The same girl has stolen mail, she flipped all the circuit breakers at all of the units at one of the buildings in 104 summer heat. That long explanation is the single reason I'm getting a radar sensor for the car. I'm also picking up a wireless surveillance camera to point at my car...so that I have evidence.

I'll look into changing the constant once the engine is in and it's on the road again.

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

Yep, that's the diagram I used as well. That car had some electrical issues all around, but be sure you've got a big connector on there, my .02

jjwalker

I use the 508D from DEI on my customers cars. It works really well. Do keep in mind though, it will only do "warn away" if someone approaches the vehicle, it will not go full trigger unless someone gets inside. The 508D is great for verts, so you can arm the alarm with the top down and not have to worry about it.

As far as the factory alarm, just disable it, it's junk. There is a disarm wire at the CPU that you can permanently ground and the factory alarm will never arm again. I am not at work right now, so no alldata to tell you pin# and wire color.

texFCturboII

iTrader: (17)

Isn't that for s4's or s5's only?

DeaconBlue

iTrader: (31)

I have been working on upgrading my S5 charging / starting system wiring lately. Not sure if this will help, but the car has;

a relocated AGM battery in the passenger storage bin
a FD 100 Amp alternator
an electric fan and controller
a CD ignition system

1) I ran high flex welding cable forward from the new battery location;

2 ga positive cable to solenoid
2 ga negative to cable to starter body - I don't trust the uni-body as a high Amp ground path

2) I reused the factory positive cable from the solenoid - cut off the factory cast top post terminal, replaced it with a lug terminal and attached it to the main fuse block at same location where the as factory short 8 ga positive lead was located

3) I reused the factory negative cable from the starter body to the main uni-body ground post. I cut off cast top post terminal, replaced it with a lug terminal and created new forward easy to access uni-body ground post

4) I plan to replace factory 6 ga cable running from alternator to the other side of the main fuse block with a 4 ga cable

5) I have upgraded the main fuse in fuse block from 100 Amp to 120 Amp

6) I plan to use spare fuse locations in the main fuse block to wire in the electric fan / controller as well as CD ignition control box

JustJeff

iTrader: (13)

S5 is integrated into the CPU at the driver kick panel. Prior to JJ's post I thought you could only remove S4 (box located near the glovebox..somewhere). But I had not heard about disarming wiring at the CPU. I thought he must know something I don't. I was planning to look into after I've got the engine buttoned up and the car on the road.

I tried that location for my Taurus efan and was melting filament in fuses. BUT I also had my wiring in correct at the time. However to be devils advocate to my own devils advocate...I talked to someone using the same fan with correct wiring and they were blowing those fuses also.

DeaconBlue

iTrader: (31)

Yes the Taurus fan draws a lot of amperage. The wiring and terminals need to be rated for the current flow or you will be melting things. In another car I used the Taurus fan and Packard WeatherPack sealed connectors (which are only rated to 16 Amps and 12ga wire) and melted them.

DeaconBlue

iTrader: (31)

I have also seen that chart before as well, but it does not include a couple wire gauges such as 6ga and 2ga. I also do not like the high loads shown for some of the gauges with very short leads.