Wire degrade over time?

[04silverz 10+ year member]

May be a dumb question but does/will wire degrade over time as far as ability to allow current to flow? My main run of power wire is tsunami 0 gauge pr601 and is at minimum 10 years old. It is ofc.

Picked up some soundquest hybrid in a trade (70 cca/30ofc) and was gonna replace my main run as well as do big three but am now thinking of leaving tsunami in, doing big three in soundquest ad selling remainder of it for a few bucks.

So does wire go bad over time or should I leave well enough alone?

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[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

Everything degrades over time. Whether it is enough to actually effect performance is determined by how well it is connected and protected from the elements. Also, whether or not it is ever over heated due to high amperage (usually a factor of low voltage)

 

[04silverz 10+ year member]

Yeah guess I should've been a bit more clear. And your point is exactly what concerns me as usually when something slowly degrades its hard to notice due to such small changes which add up over time.

Wire has been out of elements as much as can be. Wire loom in engine bay and obviously out of weather inside the truck. It has been in probably 7 vehicles but I am good at taking care of my stuff

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

I've had the same wire in my truck for 10 years. Jacket has faded colors, but the wire is still fine. As long is it isn't directly exposed to harsh, out of the ordinary conditions on a regular basis, it should be fine for quite some time. If you ever have a catastrophic event (jacket melts from low voltage, accidentally cut jacket working on engine, car accident, etc) You may want to swap it out or at least pull it and go over it thoroughly to make sure it is still in good enough shape to be ran.

Check connections periodically and take care of your stuff. Taking care of stuff makes it last. This goes for all products not just car audio.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/2thumbs.gif.fdc3ba010dbb42b61704534b46d02fe4.gif

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

the thing I see fail most is going to be the connection at the battery. Corrosion creeps down the power wire and causes failure. But I live 3 miles from the pacific ocean so salt air ruins a lot around here.

 

[04silverz 10+ year member]

I've lived on or near salt water my entire life. Right now my front yard is the Chesapeake bay. Might have to look into the battery connection and call it a day. Use the new wire for big three and be done

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

I had some wire in a car since the mid 90's ^^ and when i pulled it out the wire had a charred and greenish look to it all the way through

 

[CrossoverOre 10+ year member]

I had some wire in a car since the mid 90's ^^ and when i pulled it out the wire had a charred and greenish look to it all the way through

that's what I'm talking about.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Copper corrodes and turns green over time. There is paste that you can get from electrical suppliers made for coating connections and protecting them from the elements. It's a black goo used for aluminum wire which corrodes even more than copper.