Re: Battery cable gauge

[jeff-register]

Jeff,
Loading a wire depends on a few items, what type of insulation is it wrapped with?, How many strands are in the cable & yes use copper stranded type cable. You are running intermittant duty with a starter so that cuts the size down a little. I wasn’t too sure so I looked it up at 6 gauge for a Chevy pick up starter. This is big enough to spin over a V-8 sized starter so I would say even a #8 wire stranded with good insulation would function. Have you checked your starter for factory current load? A starter can have a locked rotor & any wire would get hot. If the motor is tuned up & fresh brushes & bearings in the starter it should work well at number eight wire using THHN or THWN type insulation to save a little weight. This type of insulation is also gas & oil resistant as well. Welding cable functions well also, many strands & tough insulation too. Then again are accessories being loaded on the same cable too? Please include everything.
Jeff