Monday, November 18, 2013
What Gauge Is a Battery Cable
A car battery has a positive and negative post. Most cars have negative grounds, which means there is a large cable connecting the negative post to the engine block. The positive cable carries electricity to the starter and other vital places like the lights.
Battery Function
The battery provides a direct current to start the engine. Once the engine is running, all electrical energy is derived from the rotation of the alternator. During normal operation, the alternator not only provides alternating current to operate the various electrical units, but it also directs a small amount of electricity back to the battery for recharging.
Wire Parts
Battery cable wires have two basic parts. Tightly-wrapped strands of copper wire create an inner conductive unit, which is encased in a waterproof plastic material that acts as an insulator. When buying wire for battery cables, be aware of smaller gauge wires wrapped in heavy insulation, which may appear to be heavier than their actual size.
Actual Wire Size
The cables that conduct the direct current from the two battery posts to the block for grounding and to the starter to engage the engine draw the biggest current. These wires should be four-gauge. The wire from the positive post to the alternator is usually eight-gauge.
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