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2nd Gen Ram Tech1994-2001 Rams: This section is for TECHNICAL discussions only, that involve the 1994 through 2001 Rams. For any non-tech discussions, please direct your attention to the "General discussion/NON-tech" sub sections.
You may elaborate what you need this improvement for? Are you running a big stereo amps, plow, lights what? If you are putting in a larger amp alternator you will need larger cables to supply the power. All has to do with amp draw/load/distance of wire. There is a chart on the crutchfield link. Also keep in mind battery cable uses thick strands of wire where audio power cable uses thin strands for the same cable gauge. Battery cable is not that flexible that's why the thin strand type is preferred for longer lengths and ease of installation.
So going to a 250 alternator, four kc lights on the roll bar, possibly 4 more to 7 more on the front and a winch in the future, you suggest doing it before I go modding?
Thicker wire for the alternator to battery. I would install relay/s for the lights. Make sure you use the correct gauge wire to the lights and power from the battery. And lets see a pic of it when it's done.
Yep, other than little things here and there it's running good just miss being lifted and loud. I was really only here because of the rockauto discount page cause I needed a new window motor, and figured I throw in a post.
"Big three upgrade" is common in the world of high powered competition car stereo. The idea is to improve the main power connections: battery to alternator, block to frame, and frame back to battery. Simply replace the stock 4 gauge battery cables with 0 gauge (or bigger) Makes it easier to supply juice to those "high powered" subs.
Or, maybe, lighting rigs, electric winches, snow plows, onboard welders, 120v generators, etc.
Big 3 upgrade you don’t replace anything you add to the stock electrical. I used 2/0 awg welding cable a run from the pos.+ on your alt. to the pos+ on your battery. Add another ground from your engine block to frame/chassis and a ground from the neg.- post on your battery to frame/chasis. Do not remove your stock electrical you just add to it
You may want to look at the dates of theses post's. 9 years old! Also Twmays hasn't been on here since: Last Activity: 09-07-2023 05:00 PM
Seems like they should be taken down if we are not alllwed to reply to them but it still doesn’t change the fact that what he posted was wrong 9 years ago and it’s wrong now.If someone posts/comments the wrong info shouldn’t it be correct especially if people can still see it after 9 years. Also if you wouid of looked at the dates today is my 1st day on here
So, elaborate me. Why is it wrong to remove stock wires when someone is doing big 3 upgrade?
There is nothing wrong. I see no reason to leave stock wires when I make new cables that are much thicker than stock ones. Not to mention that oldest of these 2nd gens are 30 years old, wiring might need work anyways.
"Big three upgrade" is common in the world of high powered competition car stereo. The idea is to improve the main power connections: battery to alternator, block to frame, and frame back to battery. Simply replace the stock 4 gauge battery cables with 0 gauge (or bigger) Makes it easier to supply juice to those "high powered" subs.
Or, maybe, lighting rigs, electric winches, snow plows, onboard welders, 120v generators, etc.
Common? I built a system in my LeBaron and never heard it before. And someone else also asked about it so i wouldn't say it's "common". If you are adding power hungry components (amps, winch lights etc) the stock wiring is to small of a gauge to supply the amount of amps needed to run them. More like "common" sense to me.
I've done around 100 or more installations over the past 45 years. I leave the stock wires in place and ensure the grounding points are clean, free of corrosion. I install a proper guage wire to the battery with a fuse as close to the battery as possible. The negative wire of the same size for the ground, as close to the amp (or large amp draw unit) as possible to metal. The winches I do the same for the positive and the negative goes directly to the battery. Back to the amps, about 2000 watts RMS is time for a whole system upgrade, alt, batt, and then the big 3. I would probably use a capacitor too. Multi amps I'd run a larger power cable with the fuse at the battery, then closer to the amps a splitter going to each amp. Many varibles for each installation. My corvette I had (04 ZO6) had a fiberglass body, just one varible. There isn't a one way that does it all.
I wouldn't do The BIG "3" unless running a substancial amp draw from the unit or old cables are junk (upgrade time ). Just make sure the connections are corrosion free.
