Category: car electrics

Is wiring a vehicle easy to do?

Cars are complicated. Especially engine – it needs to be fed the proper amounts of air, fuel, and spark. The suspension and brakes must be in tip-top shape. The wheels and tires, transmission, cooling system, gauges—even the seats—must all function properly.  With all these being really important, many often neglect the importance of the vehicles electrical wiring system.

Poor wiring will keep your electrical components from operating at full potential.  Many people would never consider the idea of wiring a vehicle. It can be daunting. — so we’ve put together a few tips to help you understand the basics.

Round Up The Right Tools  – Start with a quality set of wire strippers – they will usually include a group of holes to fit most wire gauges. This enables the stripping of the insulation off your wires without accidentally cutting into the wire conductors. A wire cripper is necessary when you install solderless connectors. Most quality crimpers have two or three sections on the nose to fit various lug sizes. You can even get crimpers with wire cutting and wire stripping sections.

A soldering Iron is needed for splicing wires or securing oversized connectors that cannot be crimped. You will need solder designed specifically for electronics and wiring . Here are some other items that should be in your electrical toolbox:

• A wire brush for removing heavy corrosion, oil, or grease before soldering
• A volt/ohm meter to measure voltage and resistance levels in your circuits
• A test light to test for power within a circuit
• Shrink tubing to insulate connections from outside elements. The tubing slides over the connector or solder joint and permanently shrinks when heated

Gauge Your Wiring Needs
A factory wiring harness includes the necessary wiring for standard electrical components like windshield wipers, horn, headlights, etc. However, when you add electrical or electronic components to your vehicle, like high-end audio or racing electronics, you need to choose the proper wire on your own. There are three factors to consider: size, material, and color.

Wire size is measured by gauge—the smaller the gauge number, the larger the wire. The gauge you need depends on the current draw of the accessory and the wire length between the accessory and the power source. In general, the larger the current draw, the larger gauge wire you need to properly power the accessory.

One factor to consider with long lengths of wire is voltage drop. The longer the wire, the greater the voltage drop. You can offset voltage drop by increasing the size of the wire. As a rule of thumb, try to maintain a less than 0.5% voltage drop to assure maximum performance.

Wire material is usually aluminum or copper. For automotive purposes, we recommend stranded copper wire for the greatest flexibility and conductivity.
Wire color may not seem important at first glance, but it becomes crucial when you try to trace a faulty circuit down the road. To keep yourself from tearing your hair out, color-code your wire by accessory. It will help you keep track of which wire goes where during installation and troubleshooting.

Make the Connection
There are two main types of connectors: soldered and solderless. Soldered connectors are necessary with oversized wiring or if you’re splicing wires together. Solderess, or crimp, connectors can be used for most other wiring, and we’d recommend using them wherever possible.

Solderless connectors are the easiest to use and provide a good, strong connection. Usually, solderless connectors come with color-coded insulators, so you know which gauge wire they are designed for. Solderless connectors come in a variety of configurations:

Butt connectors are shaped like cylinders and are ideal for joining two wire ends together. A wire end is inserted into each end of the connector, which is crimped to complete the connection.

Spade connectors are ideal for components that are removed or serviced often. A male connector on one end of the wire fits into a female connector on the other end of the wire, completing the connection. To disconnect, just pull the connectors apart.

Ring connectors are used to secure wire to screw-type terminals; they are secured by the terminal screw.
When installing any type of connector—soldered or solderless—it is a good idea to use shrink tubing. Shrink tubing is relatively easy to install and provides added protection against electrical shorts and outside elements.

Choose the Right Components

There is more to wiring a vehicle than, well, wire. For example, you will need some sort of overload protection to protect your expensive electronics. The three basic types of overload protection are fuses, fusible links, and circuit breakers:

• Fuses are designed to blow when the circuits they protect are fed more power than the fuses are rated for. Fuses are rated by amperage; popular sizes are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, and 30 amp. Always use a fuse rated slightly higher than the accessory. For example, if an electric fan is rated at 19.5 amps, use a 25 amp fuse.
• Fusible links are another option. They are special wires made from an alloy with a lower melting point than regular copper wire. The link is spliced inline with an accessory’s power wire. In the event of an electrical overload the link will melt, preventing power from reaching the protected accessory.
• A circuit breaker will switch off power to the protected accessory in an overload situation. When the overload has been corrected, the circuit breaker is reset. Circuit breakers come in manual reset and automatic reset versions, and in the same popular amperage ratings as fuses.

You should also install relays with your wiring if your electrical accessories require a bigger current draw than a standard power switch is rated to handle. And since most switches are designed to work with very limited currents, relays are required just about every time to wire a new aftermarket electrical accessory.

Relays are extremely useful for handling high-amperage electrical accessories like large electric fans, fuel pumps, and HID headlights. They are activated by an electric coil and controlled by a switch. When the relay is closed, no power goes to the accessory in question. When you flip the accessory switch, an electric coil in the relay opens, sending power to the accessory.

There are plenty of other products to make your wiring tasks easier, including switch panels, multi-circuit main and auxiliary fuse blocks, toggle, push-button, and remote-mount switches, and of course, wiring harnesses for everything from fog lights and gauges to complete vehicles.

Map Out a Plan

Before you begin your wiring project, map out a plan. Lay out the wiring or wiring harness so you know where each wire goes and that you have enough wire to complete the job. Locate the fuse box in an easy to reach location like your glove compartment or center console. Place the necessary relays, fusible link, or circuit breakers at connections between your power source and your electrical accessory.

If the wiring isn’t labeled already, label each wire or harness with the name of the components they route to. If the wiring or harness will be going through the firewall, use a grommet in the hole so the sheetmetal won’t cut through the wires. Don’t secure the connectors until the wiring is through the firewall.

Choose a spot on or near the firewall for the common ground point for the harness, and one point for a chassis ground on the negative side of the vehicle. This method gives you a single path to the negative side of the vehicle and provides a more effective ground. Use 10 gauge or bigger wire to connect the common ground to your chassis ground.

Please note these are only tips. We in no way recommend doing this if you are not confident or qualified in this field. If you are unsure, then please do get in touch and we will be happy to help

Winter advice for keeping your motor running in the cold

When it starts to get a little chilly, as it often does in the UK, it’s not uncommon to find your car not running as it should. For things like starter motors, car batteries, and alternators, damp and cold conditions can caused issues.

Battery Problems – The most common fault tends to be the battery. If you hear a faint notice when you try to turn the ignition it could be that you have a flt battery. You might want to check your dashboard lights. If they are not coming on this is a sign that there may be an issue with the battery. To prevent this from happening it may be worth charging your battery

Alternator Problems –If you have a new battery and it keeps going flat, the problem probably lies here. When you jump start your car and the engine dies immediately, this points to a faulty alternator. Another sign with an issue with the alternator is that your dashboard lights and possibly your headlights will flicker. In these situations, it’s recommended to book your vehicle in with an experienced auto electrician. Where electrics are involved it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Broken Starter Motor – The most obvious sign of a broken starter motor is a clicking sound when you turn the ignition key, followed by the engine refusing to start. You can usually tell if it’s the starter motor rather than the battery at fault if all the lights and in car electrics are working. Similar to the alternator, because you are dealing with electrics, it’s always better to visit a professional auto electrical specialist.

Using the wrong oil – If your oil has too much cold viscosity (resistance to flow), you won’t be able to start your car in cold temperatures. On the flip side, excessive hot viscosity means engine components won’t be adequately protected, leading to premature wear. A good idea here would be to check your car’s handbook to see what type of oil the manufacturer recommends, and switch to a thinner grade if possible in winter. It’s not usually for this simple tip to be the difference between a trip to see your mechanic and keeping your car healthy in the winter months

Find an Auto Electrician near you – If you are experiencing any of these problems or just want to make sure your car is running to its best during the winter, its always recommend that you take your car in to a professional mechanic.  If you live in or around Widnes and want to get your car electrics checked out then the team at Widnes Auto Electrical would be more than happy to help.