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Old 01-05-2016, 11:51 PM   #36
ray_mcavoy
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Sherman, ME
Posts: 2,355
Re: Ammeter not working

Quote:
Originally Posted by gable74 View Post
Great, thanks for the quick reply. What size wire would be recommended for the "shunt" or charging wire in the diagram listed? Would a #10 or #8 be sufficient?
You're welcome!

The stock 12ga wire will be fine for charging the battery.

However, with the engine off (or if the alternator can't keep up with demand), current to power the vehicle's electrical system will be drawn from the battery and run through that wire. So bumping it up to 10ga might not be a bad idea if you have some high draw loads that might run with the engine off. In fact, I think there were some factory applications that used 10ga here instead of 12.

The only issue with using too large of a wire for the "shunt" is that it's lower resistance will decrease the sensitivity of the ammeter.
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