DIY Alternator wire fix

One issue I see with the kit is the use of 6AWG wire. When mine failed, the burned section of cable was similar to actual fine strand welding lead. I replaced the damaged section with #2 welding lead and a new lug. I had considered replacing or building a new harness but I decided against that since new harness or not, the damage was at the alternator connection. For protection, I put ACCELL high temp sparkplug boots over the new cable. If the lug does fail again, hopefully, there wont be any chance of a short since the cable is insulated.

 

No, actually too small. When my wire failed, I cut a section off and took it down to my electrical supply house to match up a new cable. The wire used in the harness is finely stranded #2 gauge wire, similar to #2 welding lead. The lead that I used had a used had an approximate conductor cross section of .375. The typical riding lawn mower battery cable is 4 gauge wire which is one size larger than the 6 gauge in the Painless kit.

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The problem was not where the terminal connected to the alternator, but with how the terminal was crimped on the wire itself. This is why Ferrari had to change how they made the harness and update the new harness. The 6 gauge wire is way too small for the output of the alternator. If anything, you should be going larger.
Why don't you just purchase the correct Ferrari part and install it the correct way?

 

Brian, are you saying that the 'newer' cars had the improved cable? I am trying to determine if my '04 was a recipient or I will have to add this to my To do List for the upcoming hibernation period.

 

$1500 for a cable that has an "updated harness" for a cable that runs from the back of the alternator to the starter.

Yeah I'll replace that cable with like kind or run one in parallel if it happens to me thank you. I'm pretty sure that a better part can be fabricated for under $100...

 

The 2g cable that I spliced in is equal to what was there. The 6g wire is more than likely standard THHN wire commonly found in most harnesses. What Ferrari spec'd in the harness is finely stranded similar to 600+ strand welding lead. I'll put it this way, I spent less money buying 10' of 2g welding lead, 2g 5/16 ring terminal, and associated other parts than the cost of that kit and in my opinion, I have a better termination than what the original was without modifying the harness using a kit designed for a "standard" type setup on a street/race car.

 

I just had the flashing battery light came on my 2000 360, measured the voltage when car ideals, only 12V, so I know my alternator is bad. But during the removal, I discovered the issue is actually with fried alternator cable due to heat and corrosion. I think this is a very common problem on 360, so fellows, next chance you get, please examine your alternator harness, as this could lead to some serious problem if not caught early.
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Rob and Curt are dead solid right about the proper repair for the Alt/Bat cable. Easy DIY or take your failed cable to NAPA and they can make one for you. Or, buy the same gauge/length cable from an online race shop like Summit or even Amazon for that matter. Failure at or near the crimp is common on any and all battery cable connections due to corrosion/heat which embrittles the metal and it eventually breaks. Very common. Paying Ferrari ~1k for a cable is crazy. Sort of like paying a Ferrari dealership to wash your car and certify the wash job with a stamp in your owners manual.

 

As I recall, that was one of the few actual recalls on a 360.

 

I thought about jerry rigging this, but I bought the upgraded harness with the factory part and never looked back.