Wire gauges
 

I want to clean up the wiring on my 2000 Cherokee. The fog lights and light bar are wired with all sorts of wire gauges and wire nuts and butt connectors. In short its a mess. What gauge wire should I use?:confused: I'll have low voltage wire from the relays to the dashboard and higher voltage to the lights themselves. Appreciate any input. Thanks

16 gauge wire should be more than sufficent. 14 if you want overkill.

*sigh*


You cannot know the correct gauge until you know the current draw and the distance. A 25 watt light bar has different requirements than a 250 watt light bar.

Once you have that, there are, at last count, 3.2 bazillion websites that will calculate the correct gauge for you. Make sure you are using one for DC. It's different for AC.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=wire+gauge...&t=ffsb&ia=web


Also, never use wire nuts in a vehicle. They are not resistant to vibration. Quality butt connectors actually provide a better connection than soldering, provided you do it right. Many don't, which is why some people think that butt connectors aren't good. It's actually easier to get a good crimp than a good solder joint. It might interest you to know that the marine insurance institute recommends crimp connectors, but permits soldering. Crimp connectors are also specified in many critical applications where soldering is not allowed.



Note what he says about the seam. It applies to butt connectors as well. Use a proper tool (NOT the kind he shows at first), and quality connectors 3M nylon is best), and you'll be a happy camper.



More good info:

Mystery plug
 

i have a 2001 jeep cherokee sport and under the front bumper in the middle ish there is a little plug that looks like it goes to the fog lights cause my fog lights don't work. It runs from the middle of the bumper to the passenger side and goes up with all the other cables... please help

Thread hijacking is not appreciated. Neither is groveling. Neither is posting in the wrong forum. Open your eyes, look around, and find the right place.

Current draw can be calculated by dividing the wattage of the accessory by the voltage. I often divide by 12 volts instead of 14 to act as a safety factor. From there you need to estimate the length of the wiring (better to be long than short) and then consult a chart or calculator to determine the proper gauge wire. Install a fuse that is lower than the wire is rated to handle. The point is to blow fuses before melting wires!

Read over the light bar. In that case, yes do the calculations. However if you're replacing wiring that was originally factory, use the same gauge from factory which according to the FSM is 16 gauge for fog lights.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!