Real Fiero Tech

How many amps does a typical GM starter draw while cranking? I know this will vary on a warm vs cold engine and summer vs winter.

Depends on the starter. Low compression I4 starters draw less current than high torque starters for high compression V8's. But I think 200 amps is a good round average number.

The reason I ask is becuase my battery has been relocated to the front. Having a live wire running that long scares me. I'd like to put a fuse (one of those marine type) up by the battery. Need something sufficient for the starter, but will pop should the battery wire get chaffed.

You can measure it yourself... Install the wire as-is, and measure the resistance from one end to the other. Have someone crank it while you measure the voltage drop from one end to the other. Current = V/R.

How do you measure the resistance of the wire? Wouldn't you need to be flowing huge amounts of current before it even developes any measureable amount of resistance? :scratch:

yeah, I don't know what I was thinking...

calculate, not measure.

http://www.bnoack.com/index.html?http&& ... tance.html

OR look it up or call a starter/alternator place and ask them.



always gotta do stuff the hard way.

Summit racing has some really good relocation kits. The kits have the battery ends as well as some funky clear-covered braided hose. They also sell main junction boxes you can put right next to your battery to address the live wire problem.

That's what I'm running

Got a link to what you're using for a main junction box? I found the relocation kits on Summit, but they don't have any kind of fuse. Thanks!

all you want a fuse for is incase the cable gets chaffed and shorts out? time better spent keeping it from rubbing on anything conductive - fuses are a bad idea in the primary feed line IMO

affirmative... GM doesn't even put a fuse in the starter wire on the stock wiring.

How much current can the starter pull? How much current can your battery supply?