What is the best routing for a power cable when you move the battery up front?

I did mine as per archies instructions with one running down one side of the gas tank with the heating pipe and the other on the other side of the gas tank with the other pipe.

So this is done from beneath the car and not via the console?
Why is the Chassis not used as a conductor?

I ran the (+) cable within the center console coming through the HVAC bulkhead up front (in the plastic area) and used a firewall pass through connector on the rear firewall.
The (-) cable attached to the front crossmeber and then runs under the car by the fuel tank and bolts to the engine bellhousing area.

Fieroguru, running the + wire through the console sounds safer to me.

Years ago I had an Austin Healey with the battery in the trunk. One day the hot cable (in this case negative, common was positive) welded itself to the chassis, ending my journey and ruining my battery and my day. That experience has left me with a healthy respect for the forces at play here.

I am unfamiliar “firewall pass through connectors” and a google search didn’t get me far. Perhaps there is an “off the shelf” product that goes by a different description?

It sounds like you are not relying on the chassis for a conductor either. Is there a history of there being a problem using the chassis for the negative/common cable? It seems to be “standard operating procedure” in other cars, regardless of the body composition.

quote Originally posted by gem1138: Fieroguru, running the + wire through the console sounds safer to me. Years ago I had an Austin Healey with the battery in the trunk. One day the hot cable (in this case negative, common was positive) welded itself to the chassis, ending my journey and ruining my battery and my day. That experience has left me with a healthy respect for the forces at play here. I am unfamiliar “firewall pass through connectors” and a google search didn’t get me far. Perhaps there is an “off the shelf” product that goes by a different description? It sounds like you are not relying on the chassis for a conductor either. Is there a history of there being a problem using the chassis for the negative/common cable? It seems to be “standard operating procedure” in other cars, regardless of the body composition.

Here is the connector:
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/10317/10002/-1

When in doubt, add more grounds... that is my electrical motto! In theory there is no need to anything but ground through the chassis and it will work. If this is your single path for ground, then as corrosion happens, things become loose or the connections become less than ideal, then you will start seeing ground related issues. If you have redundant paths this is a non issue and will result in a much greater length of issue free service.

I ran mine along (and attached to) the heater core lines - 5 years no issues so far.

i ran them on either side of the gas tank. i split a piece of small diameter pvc and ran the pos. cable in it as a bit of extra protection.

If this is a dumb question i do apoligize but why do both cables have to go to the rear of the car? I am getting ready to move my battery to the front and this is probably something i should know. Thanks..

I always thought ground cables should be shorter than 24". Or is this just for stereo installations?

quote Originally posted by jackk_1: If this is a dumb question i do apoligize but why do both cables have to go to the rear of the car? I am getting ready to move my battery to the front and this is probably something i should know. Thanks..

Because its the best way you can be sure to get a solid ground connection to the engine block and a solid hot connection to the hot side of the starter. The cradle is a good ground, but it is not directly attached to the front of the car so we run a ground cable direct to the block from the battery. I ran mine beside the fuel tank and heater lines and have had absolutely no battery/electrical issues since installation 10 years ago and lotsa road miles.

Get some flexible weather proof conduit @ Lowes or Home Depot, and run it where ever you think is best. I ran my ground to the front suspension. Works fine for me.

Popular Subject

Fieroguru,
Thanks for the connector link. That gizmo IS the droid we’re looking for.
Above I mentioned my Austin Healey’s battery cable catastrophe. The factory had run the cable through a hole with a rubber grommet in the rear bulkhead. Ten years later, the rubber grommet was deteriorated and….
This “Through Panel Connector” may suffer the same fate in ten or twenty years but I’ll bet the materials are considerably better than what Lucas & British Leyland used in 1959.

“The British drink hot beer because they have Lucas refrigerators” is just one of a long list of Lucas jokes.

Austrian Import,
The length of a wire, its diameter and the current load are all interdependent.
The length of time that the cable is expected to function at its maximum load is also a factor as is the environment of the cable. Is it in open air? Is it closed up in a hot pipe chase?
The maximum electrical load in a car is from starter operation. That load is expected to be intermittent. Were you to run the starter for hours, you’d need bigger cables to avoid a meltdown. Of course you’d cook the starter and drain the battery long before that happened.
In all cases, the longer the wire, the bigger the required diameter. In general though, a very small loss of current to heat is tolerable.
In the case of the grounding of a piece of audio equipment, the current is small but the resistance may need to be virtually zero. Any line resistance will cause a drop in voltage and that will cause an amplifier to overheat.

Thanks gem1138. That makes a lot of sense now. :thumsup:
I'm guessing the positive cable on amps is usually very long, not by choice but by the fact that it has to come from across the vehicle. I take it Fiero configurations are much easier on amps then. (when they're mounted against the firewall.)

When I moved my battery to the front. I only ran the Hot (+) to the back of the car. I welded a ground connector (bolt) to the right front wheel well. I also welded a ground connector (bolt) to the right rear wheel well. then ran a ground cable (big) from the battery the the chassis ground and from the rear chassis ground to the engine. I have been running this for 5 years + with no problems.
I am also setting my 3.4 DOHC up the same way.

Joe Sokol

------------------
85 SE Daily driver with a 3.4 DOHC build underway
88 Formula/GT 4.9 Allante Intake (My Baby)

Fieroking,
What you did with your ground is exactly what I am thinking now.
That is, I am thinking of welding a threaded stud to the chassis in the front and the back to get a high grade connection. I might even do two each while I’m at it.
That sounds easier than running two cables.
Some electrically conductive grease on the threads could prevent corrosion and insure reliability “down the road”.