Consider this a warning for Big 3 people, fuse yo sht!!

[InfinitePeace 10+ year member]

I've been debating this in another thread with a few people and I can see the point of both sides to some degree, but it does look as though a fuse would not have helped in this instance. Of note is that the alternator manufacturer recommended against fusing the line between the battery and alternator. I personally hate this part of car audio, I hate electicity and it's something I've never been inclined to really wrap my head around which is why while I get the concepts, I'm having it 100% professionally done so that I don't screw something up, eventhough it sounds simple. Despite how fuses are helpful, I believe that from what I've read, a fuse in this situation would be superfulous in addition to the fact that the manufacturer of the alternator gave me about a 20 min spiel on why NOT to fuse this cable and why to use a smaller gauge wire than the rest; I was advised specifically to use as big a cable as I wanted for the other 2, but to use only 4 awg for a 180a alternator in addition to the stock wiring because the binding posts are too small for a 1/0 size wire.

Now, that said, not that I'm accusing the OP of doing anything sloppy, but is it possible that my last comment and that fact might be a contributing factor? Since the wire was too large, it heated up on the small binding post (per what Ohio Gen said would happen) and then the metal became malleable and just slowly bent with the taut cable and eventually made slight contact and arced? Taking a stab in the dark, but just trying to use what I've learned from the people that make the alternators.

 

[SethPhillips 5,000+ posts]

i have yet to do a big 3 without a fuse...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

I've been debating this in another thread with a few people and I can see the point of both sides to some degree, but it does look as though a fuse would not have helped in this instance. Of note is that the alternator manufacturer recommended against fusing the line between the battery and alternator. I personally hate this part of car audio, I hate electicity and it's something I've never been inclined to really wrap my head around which is why while I get the concepts, I'm having it 100% professionally done so that I don't screw something up, eventhough it sounds simple. Despite how fuses are helpful, I believe that from what I've read, a fuse in this situation would be superfulous in addition to the fact that the manufacturer of the alternator gave me about a 20 min spiel on why NOT to fuse this cable and why to use a smaller gauge wire than the rest; I was advised specifically to use as big a cable as I wanted for the other 2, but to use only 4 awg for a 180a alternator in addition to the stock wiring because the binding posts are too small for a 1/0 size wire.
Now, that said, not that I'm accusing the OP of doing anything sloppy, but is it possible that my last comment and that fact might be a contributing factor? Since the wire was too large, it heated up on the small binding post (per what Ohio Gen said would happen) and then the metal became malleable and just slowly bent with the taut cable and eventually made slight contact and arced? Taking a stab in the dark, but just trying to use what I've learned from the people that make the alternators.

Anything is possible, but ive seen plenty of other people run the same size cable as i did, of course, i am an unlucky sob most of the time.

My alt = fail. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

i have yet to do a big 3 without a fuse...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

And never again shall i.

 

[timelessr1 10+ year member]

Anything is possible, but ive seen plenty of other people run the same size cable as i did, of course, i am an unlucky sob most of the time.
My alt = fail. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

And never again shall i.

Let me throw something out there then....

IF you are going to put a fuse on this wire in the future...where are you going to put the fuse? really close to the battery? or really close to the alternator?

The reason I ask is b/c if you put the fuse close to the battery, then the senerio that you had happen to you can definetley happen again...that fuse wont help when your cars running. If you put the fuse close to the alternator, and you get a short somehow between the battery and the fuse (remember the fuse is close to the alt in this senerio) then the fuse is useless since the short happens before the fuse.

So how is a fuse going to help you?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Good points fellas, Im going to have to support what a few guys have said, in that in this case a fuse really wouldnt have stopped the lug from arcing itself to the case of the alternator. It could have helped if something had happened on the other end of some sort, but again if the lug is what is grounding out a fuse isnt goin to solve that problem.......

 

[shortyg83 10+ year member]

Problem is to fuse it correctly you need a fuse at the alt and at the battery or else there is still current coming from one side.

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

^^^ Correct!

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

And when is that going to be necessary? If the middle of the wire shorts on something lol

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

and what if this had done more damage and spread along the line? Couldnt it have damaged my battery?

Also, arent alts internally fused? So why didnt that pop?

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

and what if this had done more damage and spread along the line? Couldnt it have damaged my battery?

Also, arent alts internally fused? So why didnt that pop?

Good point, I guess it technically could have been grounding your battery out also.......

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

I fuse on that wire could do one of two things, save your alt on one side, or save your batt on the other, depending on what goes wrong......the way I see it anyway

 

[timelessr1 10+ year member]

and what if this had done more damage and spread along the line? Couldnt it have damaged my battery?

Also, arent alts internally fused? So why didnt that pop?

I completely agree with you there...I'm actually really surprised that your battery is fine. Was your battery dead after this fiasco? I'm surprised the wire didnt weld its self to the alt casing using the power from the battery.

Maybe this is why auto manufactures dont actually run a line from the Alt to the battery. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif I'm not saying that doing it doesnt help..I know for a fact it does help, but you have to outway the possibility of something like this happening. Car manufactures could easily throw a 4 guage from the alt to the battery to help the entire car get a little easier juice, but they choose not to for some reason...and this might be it...that for it to be 100% save you need a fuse on both ends...maybe even throw another in the middle for good measure.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

I completely agree with you there...I'm actually really surprised that your battery is fine. Was your battery dead after this fiasco? I'm surprised the wire didnt weld its self to the alt casing using the power from the battery.
Maybe this is why auto manufactures dont actually run a line from the Alt to the battery. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif I'm not saying that doing it doesnt help..I know for a fact it does help, but you have to outway the possibility of something like this happening. Car manufactures could easily throw a 4 guage from the alt to the battery to help the entire car get a little easier juice, but they choose not to for some reason...and this might be it...that for it to be 100% save you need a fuse on both ends...maybe even throw another in the middle for good measure.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif there is a wire from the factory that runs from the alt to the battery, which is fused.....how else would the alternator maintain the battery?

the big 3 is simply upgrading that wire, by adding on an additional wire of a larger size to accomadate larger current flow.

 

[2002XLT 5,000+ posts]

battery was fine. And while a fuse may or may not have prevented this, i definantly now see that it would be a good idea, if for nothing else then to stop the damage at the point of breakdown.

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Like I said before, a fuse on this wire is only going to save either the alt, or the battery in an event of a failure.......im suprised the damage wasnt worse actually, hence the wire was still attached since it welded itself to the casing and there was still juice traveling through it. A fuse in this case would simply have cut the power going throught he cable from the battery, but it would have done nothing for your alternator.

So actually, in this case, it shows that not fusing this wire, really didnt make much of a difference.