Hey all,

I'm looking to purchase (have made) new cables for my new alternator (high output, 230a) and batteries (05 Excursion). I understand there are vendors who sell premade kits, but the pricing is outrageously marked up, and some of the cables are overkill.
Does anyone have the list of cables I should be looking to get (looking for efficient, balanced power distribution), and the lengths? On the battery side of things, I have the lugs I intend to use picked out, but am not sure when the other end should be... so that info would help as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
P

 

Here's a thread that will tell you all you need and then some:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tery-life.html

 

If I could do it again I would have them made to order instead of paying an outrageous markup for them in a kit.

 

For the alternator cable with a 230a alternator, I have a video for that on YouTube.

 

Thanks for the link... spent the rest of my night reading that thread, lol.

Thanks for the work you've put in for this community, and those vidja's.

 

Thank you - Keeps me out of trouble.

I've got two different designs laid out to replace the battery cable setup, but haven't confirmed them as yet. Are you running any faster spinning starter?

 

I will be running a 6.4 starter shortly, but it's a few items back on the priority list.
So if that should be accounted for now, I'd like to. Also, I know the previously mentioned thread doesn't specifically speak to system draw and battery charging, but with what you've identified... any need to add any extra grounds, or charge lines, in an attempt to keep the batteries topped off (14.5~ or higher would be nice for idle/warm voltage) and manage about 1000 watt RMS sub/amp?

Thanks again,

 

So... lets put it out on the table that I really know very little about wiring, power, etc.
Is higher than 14.4 an actual thing? I know I've read people stating at cruise, they see 14.8 or whatever after a high output alternator and upgraded wiring, but is that relevant/true?
I've also read that battery life span is a direct result of drain and inadequate charge, and with the appropriate cabling and a high output alternator, a batteries life can easily see 7-10 years.

I apologize if I am making you (or anyone) repeat yourself.

Thanks,
P

 

The voltage ceiling is dependent on the voltage regulator in the alternator. The assembly line alternators on these trucks top out at 14.2-14.4v. Depending on the chosen alternator in the aftermarket, that can vary. You can see some designs go anywhere from 14.0 to 14.6v. You've mentioned a 230a alternator, so if that's a Leece-Neville, despite their literature, there's is designed to 14.6v. If you are up to 14.8v on this motor, there's a regulator issue or a bad choice.

Also despite their literature, L-N regulators are temperature adjusting, and all alternators should be. That is actually a good thing, as underhood temperatures rise you want the voltage to lower to not harm the batteries, and that voltage should be about 13.8v at max.

Those voltages are at the alternator of the first battery post. After that, with every connection, you will have a voltage drop. The same connection will have a higher voltage drop when more current is tasked through it. So clean, tight connections are the way to minimize that.

Cables/wires will also have a voltage drop. That depends on their length mostly, but also in diameter. Again, the more current you flow, the more the voltage drop.

Reading of the voltage are also skewed by our PCM reporting, and it's harness connections. It's not uncommon to have people see as high as 0.5v difference in what is reported to what is measured with a voltmeter off the alternator or first battery connection.

Battery life has a lot of factors, and the common aftermarket replacement in these trucks is more like 3 years on average but has variables. The construction of the battery has a big influence, more then I care to get into in this post.

The temperature has a big influence, not too hot and not too cold. I'll add a chart but for these trucks that's optimistic. The reason it's optimistic is that battery life is also dependent on the starting depth of discharge, how much is pulled out of the reservoir every time we start.

With every start a small percentage of lead molecules oxidize, never to be reconverted back. They oxidize. The purer the lead, the less oxidation. So if you pull 25% of the reservoir and 0.001% oxidizes, you've got 500 times starting life. If you pul 50% of the reservoir and 0.001% oxidizes, you've got 250 times starting life. The quality of the battery, the depth of discharge. The thicker the lead plates, the more virgin they are, the longer life.

If not fully charged, there is less reserve, so it's like having a smaller battery. A deeper discharge percentage, more opportunity for oxidation during that event and with the battery at a lower state of charge in general. And as the battery oxidizes, the internal resistance goes up. The more resistance, the more voltage drop, both in giving out its charge and accepting a recharge. when you saw a drop to 11.0v during starting, you now see 10.0v. And it takes longer to recharge.

Recharging every last molecule may take 24 hours and at a tickle by then. In the typical day of the use of a vehicle, they never achieve a full replenishment. In all the buss (transit) fleets I've worked with over the three decades, NYC, D.C., LA, and others, some will place the bus on a charging station if the bus sits for two days, and some have done that every night! And these critters drive a long day without much restarting. When you have a very large fleet of vehicles that take 4 to 6 batteries per vehicle, it gets expensive to not get optimum battery life out of those very large expensive batteries.

So to get the optimum life out of a vehicle battery, in a situation of a modern truck, like the busses, that do have a continuous minuscule draw compared to a 1960's vehicles, occasional weekend overnight charging once a month can have a benefit. At the test facility I was in charge of, we had over two dozen vehicles yet only six may have been in a testing program over a few months. Setting up an alternating charging routine where every vehicle had a trickle charger for one day before the next greatly increased our battery life.

But in the end, with every start, we lose a little battery life.

 

Holy post of info - thanks @TooManyToys.

So I am pulling the plug on the wires today from Gregs Marine Wire Supply, as they offer length in inches. It appears they use steel (maybe zinc plated?), or aluminum lugs instead of copper (like GenuineDealz), but I am hoping that's not a big deal.
Is the most recent list (near the bottom) of wires you suggested on your thread, still the current recommended list?

Lastly, I am replacing the stock battery wire terminals on mine to a marine style, top post. Which means I need to cut, and lug the ends of my stock wires... does anyone know the gauges?

 

The GenuineDealz site can get confusing. Before you start to order lengths you need to print or copy their table for stating the length. But I've had an easier time with Greg's since they do "inches". Greg's are tinned copper.

Are you replacing the entire cable assembly or just adding too? Because that makes a difference. Yeah, the factory lugs are terrible.

 

The alternator to battery cable is 4ga, the battery to battery positive is 2ga, the ground cables are 1/0 and the battery to starter is 2/0.

Lugs get funky, every manufacturer has a different wall and opening.

 

Oh, I see - well that's perfect then (I'll stick with Gregs).

I am NOT replacing the stock wiring, just adding to it. I understand more copper is better, as long as you maintain balance.

 

Hmmm, 2/0 for the battery to starter is an issue (getting into big boy crimpers...). My crimper only goes up to 1/0 (the amazon special).

 

QUOTE 05X.....
Is the most recent list (near the bottom) of wires you suggested on your thread, still the current recommended list?


Post the list.