Which line is more important for good cranking current?

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Saml01

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I have a cable in my possession that runs from the positive terminal of the battery to the alternator in a car. It is the perfect length to reach from the battery to the starter on the vmax. I want to replace my entire lead possibly improving my cranking current. I have done everything on my bike to improve the two brush starters efficiency but it still sucks. I was looking at some of the smaller ground wires on the bike and they are pretty brittle. I assume the same could apply to the starter positive and is causing the shitty cranking.

However, I am not sure which is more important in this situation, the positive or the ground.

Thoughts?
 
I hate it when obvious answers are obvious.

Guess im changing both.
 
Yeah....DC current flows in a loop from positive to negative. Any bottleneck in the system will impede current flow.

You can rebuild the 2-brush as well, which I've heard can make a huge difference. A lot of the amperage can be lost from a poor connection at the brushes, which is what wears out.
 
I believe the electron flow is actually from the negative to the positive! Although both are equally important the ground must really have good cabling and connection.

Sean
 
Although both are important, I agree with Sean.. Bad grounds cause many more problems than the positive connection... Good Luck.
 
I believe the electron flow is actually from the negative to the positive!

Sean

It is, I had it backward..... Current flows out of the + and in to the - terminals.

The odd thing is that negatively charged electrons actually carry the energy...so all electricity is "negatively" charged, the + and - are just arbitrary definitions to create a convention.
 
Yeah....DC current flows in a loop from positive to negative. Any bottleneck in the system will impede current flow.

You can rebuild the 2-brush as well, which I've heard can make a huge difference. A lot of the amperage can be lost from a poor connection at the brushes, which is what wears out.

I rebuilt the starter a while ago. It got much better but still not as good as it should be.
 
They are both equally important
+1, when figuring wire size in a circuit, both are considered as parts of the lenght of the electrical path. I like multistrand wire with insulation rated for marine use. Flexible, heat resistant, and a little more expensive, but worth it.
Steve-o
 
Anyone swap their stock cables and notice a difference?

I dont want to spend money for nothing.
 
I soldered all the possible problem connections on my 89. It starts way better now hot or cold...

The ground that connects by the oil fill cap is very important, Hint....:biglaugh:
 
How about that kit sold by the guy from Great Britain? Haven't some of you tried that and are sold on it? He sells a Heavy Duty Ground Kit and a Starter Kit. Often combines them and sells on eBay. Here is a link. Scroll down to see the kits mentioned.

http://vmaxchat.yuku.com/topic/6187
 
Nice kit. Let me see what I can muster up for less first. Ill report back.
 
M-cman,
I considered that kit when I was having a "hot start" problem with my 06 when it was new. But instead I soldered the important connections like SpecOps13 suggests, including the "crimp fix", soldered the ground strap lug / wire connection at the engine, and added an additional / seperate ground wire from the rectifier assembly. This solved all my problems and starting / charging is no longer a problem ... cold or hot !
And with a new Odyssey PC-680 battery installed recently to replace the stock OEM acid lead wet battery that finally died .... bike is better than it's ever been ! :eusa_dance:
 
A 2006 with a hot start problem is very strange. Did you do all those fixes all at once or one at a time? Which one actually fixed the problem?
 
Saml01,
the soldering of the ground strap lug that attaches at the engine block (next to the oil fill cap) solved my "hot start" problem, and I know at least two others that reported that after they did the same, it solved their hot start problems too.

I did the "crimp fix" within months of getting my V-Max, as recommened by many to hopefully prevent any future battery charging problems.

I added the additional ground wire to the rectifier assembly after reading info from the Great Britain guy selling his Heavy Duty Ground Kit / Starter Kit which contained it; he said it was an important part of his kit. Figured I could add this instead of buying his complete kit. Worked for me !
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260605743613&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I got this in the mail today. Its a bit longer than the stock cable and doesnt bolt up to the battery easily but with a little finesse and careful routing I got it connected. Cold starting definitely seems faster, hot starting isnt really faster but stronger. The bike only needs one turn to fire anyway, and it seems to do it more positively.

So for 7 bucks, its a worth while upgrade.

I'm debating replacing the positive now with the same line just longer.
 
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