like the title says.. about 2 years ago i mounted my battery to the rear trunk and so i installed a MIDI power distribution/ fuse block in place where the old positive battery terminal was

i ran the alternator, starter and 2 fuse box cables (8ga) to the output side of the distribution block and one 4 gauge power wire that ran from input all the way to the battery in the trunk

starter- 80a MIDI fuse

fuse box wire 1- 60a MIDI fuse

fuse box wire 2- 60a MIDI fuse

alternator- 80a MIDI fuse (i was told it was a 80a alternator)

it seemed to work fine for the first couple of months then i noticed that my battery light and brake light randomly came on and dash lights were dim.. so i went in and checked all my fuses from main fuse boxes (inside and engine bay) and all were fine then i lastly checked the distribution block and come to find out that the alternator fuse was blown and melted

so i replaced it with a even bigger 100a MIDI fuse and drove the car around and it help up for what has been a couple of months

...well yesterday the battery light and brake light popped on again and THIS time it melted all the fuses under there in the distribution block...i knew nothing was grounded out or else it would have blown right a away or a couple miles down the road but i double checked all the cables to make sure nothing is grounded out.. all checked out fine

replaced the whole distribution block with a AGU style fuse holder block

this time it popped after driving it a 10 miles home

any ideas on what it could be or what to check for???
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here are some pics of what happened to the block









replaced with this

 

you need bigger gauge wiring to you battery at least. for that long of a run and amperage, you should be using 0 gauge pure copper or 00 gauge CCA. I did my own battery relocation ,and I'm only using one fuse, i'll take pictures and show you if you would like.

 

really? it does kinda make sense because of the resistance and heat thats created.. just weird how im starting to have issues a year later.. this is like my 3rd NEW battery, replaced starter and alternator, added daisy chains of 4 gauge ground cables, upped the fuse amperage... noo clue?

 

high amp loads make a lot more heat due to resistance. What does your ground at the battery look like? consist of? want a picture of my set up?

 

whats ur alternator putting out? 14.20 is when the battery and brake light come on to indicatate over charge. also up grade the wires

 

yes please feel free to post up any pictures u have.. my ground is a 4 gauge thats grounded to the body of the car behind the drivers tail.. paint scraped and all

 

not sure how much its putting out and not sure how to find out.. its kinda of a pain to take it out so hoping theres a easier way.

upgrade to bigger than 4 gauge?? isnt that what it is from factory tho? (alt to battery, starter to battery) fuse box to battery is two 8ga

 

To the battery yes. The longer your wire run, the more resistance. More resistance = more heat. Heat/resistance = more voltage drop. Then you aren't getting the right voltage at the battery, so the alternator puts out more amps. You should run the biggest wire you can to the battery. 18-ish feet to the trunk is a long way to 80 amps on 4 guage. Here's a test, put it back together the way you had it, and see how hot that wire to the battery gets after a while.

 

hmm good point.. so the other outputs (fusebox & starter) wouldnt get as hot as the alternator because they dont require 80A?

but yea i will test it out just to see how hot it gets. my question is why didnt do this from the begining vs a year later?? and yea dont forget to post pictures of your setup

 

what type of fuse holder and fuses should i use

 

Get 0 gauge ground wire and one of these....
Just think you could of burned your car to the ground

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/COO...FU3UKgodlGorVQ

Godd luck

 

so i would need one of those for the alternator??then run a 0 gauge power wire to the battery?

 

All good info. But also to consider that the alternator does not put any extra output unless there is a draw. So if your battery is in good condition and no exesive draws, the alternator shouldnt be putting more than 12amps. 80 amps its its maximum output. I guess I'll test this theory since I just did my battery relocation, and I'll report

 

but like i was saying if you have a big voltage drop to the battery, the alternator will see a big draw, since you are undercharging the system.

 

I'll check the voltage difference tonight.