how important is wire gauge?

R

rooooney

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
155
I plan on replacing a lot of the old wires on my boat- (distributor-coil-starter-solenoid- etc...) Is important that I replace the wires with the perfect gauge? Thanks
carb-boatpic006.jpg
 
M

maxxman04

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
352
Re: how important is wire gauge?

short answer, YES! or you can use a bit larger wire, but certainly not smaller.
 
M

maxxman04

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
352
Re: how important is wire gauge?

side note: try to maintain factory color coding, just in case the boat should go to someone else, they won't have a headache trying to figure out wires.
 
Zackman

Zackman

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
376
Re: how important is wire gauge?

Yes, particularly in the engine compartment. Not only is the guage important but also the wire type to reduce corrosion.​
 
G

gadget73

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
308
Re: how important is wire gauge?

You can go larger (smaller guage number), but do not go smaller. The bean counters have already made that wire as thin as it can be to do that job, so don't cheat. And the suggestion about retaining original wire coloring is a very good one. It makes for easier troubleshooting if needed.
 
M

maxxman04

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
352
Re: how important is wire gauge?

excellent point Zackman. proper marine grade wire and terminals is highly, highly recommended, otherwise you may find yourself redoing your own rewire job shortly.
 
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