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Mac said:
I'm planning out my electrical system/wiring for my car. It's not very technical but I'm interesting how you all have your electrical systems laid out.

I have -
- FuelTech FT550 ECU/Digital dash
- Switchpro - 8 button
- Using auto reset breakers

Basically looking for layouts and ideas. Any pics would be awesome.
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biggest issue i see here is 8 cirrcuits from the switch pro is nowhere near enough. you could almost use up your switch pro just for the lights.

i would go with a 32 channel AIM PDM.........30 circuits barley gets a car done.
 
1.ECU power
2. Ignition power
3. starter soenoid
4. Fuel Pump
5. Rdaiator Fan 1
6. Radiator Fan 2

these six 6 circuits would just run the engine, thats assuming you dont have any oi cooler fans, water pumps etc.

then add in just a handful of lighting circtuis, front, rear run, whip and you are already beyond your 8 circuit box.

then add in circuits for Radio, intercom, GPS, interior light, etc etc and you can see how fast this adds up.

a PDM will make wiring the car considerably easier and save a ton of wire and time as the architecture is much simple when you elimate a the fuses, relays and so forth that are not required for a PDM.

switch pros does have a 12 circuit box, but it doesnt interconnect with anything else, thats the real shortcoming of the switch pro system.
 
Mac said:
I was looking more for pictures of what and how people have wired their cars. Fuse/breakers, relays, etc...

I appreciate the mention. I'll get it, I'm just looking for ideas.
Click to expand...
This is about all I got.
All other wiring runs thru console up to Switch Pros.
Holley dash is a single harness, plug and play.
Then everything else goes to motor, which is pretty standard.IMG_0427.JPG
 
Use a PDM or similar and ditch the fuses and relays. All the electrical issues I ever had with my old sand car were either relay or fuse related. You can soft start and control your big draws like fans through the PDM using your temp sensors as inputs. Faults that result in overcurrent can have user set auto resets with error messages sent. You will never go back to fuses and relays.
 
I like using the 12 button switch pros. They have 17 outputs, 3 triggers, 12 buttons, and is much more programmable than the 8. Ill utilize the 3 triggers for fans and fuel pump from the ecu. These dont even need to take up a button and can work in the background. Ill usually have the fuel pump trigger also turn on a separate circuit for coils and injector power (each trigger can power up to 4 different outputs). Then ignition circuit can just turn on your ECU and dash. There is also power up circuits that can be programmed and will just turn on the output when the ignition turn on is powered (anything that needs constant power like radio, intercom, 12v charger etc).

The 8 button does have 2 triggers (1 dedicated and the light dimming wire can be programmed as a trigger instead). You can utilize the outputs for multiple things and run the output to breakers or fuses first so everything is protected but the 12 is nice as you can probably separate everything to its own circuit and set the amp limits for each device individually.
 
Mac said:
@Travelah Travis...You always create BEAUTIFUL work. If I could afford you, I'd have you wiring my whole car... :ROFLMAO:

The fuel pump, injectors, fans, etc...are all running through my FuelTech. I'm only using my SwitchPro for Main power (on/off), lights, radio and GPS.
Click to expand...
The Switch Pros handles overcurrent and relays for you. I take it the breakers are for the fuel pump, injectors, fans, etc?

Only word of advice, based on years of working on other people's shit and Navy systems some field technician bandaided for 10 years: use unique wire colors for every circuit. Not color coded ends. Not labels on the wire (though useful). Not numbers/hieroglyphs. Unique wire colors. Finding a break in the middle of the wire somewhere, then trying to figure out which of the 87 goddamned red wires it is and where it goes, or having labels fall off or fade, or a myriad of other things makes you want to punch babies and kill kittens when the whole group is watching you diagnose a problem as the sun is setting.

Also: make sure the relay plugs are accessible in a hurry. @Deviantduner had an issue we needed to tow him out for. Needed to have the ignition on for PS, but engine off. Disconnecting all the pumps/fans a monster turbo powerplant like his was real fun with the relay plugs buried in an access panel.

Oh, and don't solder shit. Good crimp connectors and strain relief:

1736283157624.png

If it doesn't grab the wire insulation like above, the flex point is where the wire comes out of the insulation. It will eventually fail, even with good high $ heat shrink. Ask me how I know.

I've converted all of my wiring over with these crimps and connectors:



(NOTE: the above link pictures the correct connectors, but doesn't include them. The more expensive kits with connectors included are barrel only, not strain relief)

And has worked well so far. The crimper is pure Chinesium, but is accurate enough for our work and has lasted through multiple cars. Here's a crimp I did as part of a relay harness:

1736283591799.png
 
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Dylanshaffer said:
Not the fanciest or even the cleanest, but pretty cheap to do and light years better than what was in the car before. 3 years in and no problems so far. View attachment 134674
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Those connectors with the built in heat shrink work great with automotive wire. They bond to the insulation and provide a surprising amount of strain relief.
 
Rockwood said:
Those connectors with the built in heat shrink work great with automotive wire. They bond to the insulation and provide a surprising amount of strain relief.
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Yeah I’ve been a huge fan of them, bit extra piece of mind for minimal cost increase. and you don’t get the connector crimped on and remember you forgot to put on the heat shrink!
 
Mac said:
@Travelah Travis...You always create BEAUTIFUL work. If I could afford you, I'd have you wiring my whole car... :ROFLMAO:

The fuel pump, injectors, fans, etc...are all running through my FuelTech. I'm only using my SwitchPro for Main power (on/off), lights, radio and GPS.
Click to expand...
The Fueltech will only control the switching for the fans and fuel pump, not the power supply. You will still need circuit protection of some type and a relay.

This is a generic V6 diagram from FT. You would ignore cyl. 5/6 and the smart coil extra ground wires.

 
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Mac said:
@Travelah Travis...You always create BEAUTIFUL work. If I could afford you, I'd have you wiring my whole car... :ROFLMAO:

The fuel pump, injectors, fans, etc...are all running through my FuelTech. I'm only using my SwitchPro for Main power (on/off), lights, radio and GPS.
Click to expand...
Thanks, if you need help laying it out or have any questions hit me up. (619) 261-3983
 
Mac said:
I'm planning out my electrical system/wiring for my car. It's not very technical but I'm interesting how you all have your electrical systems laid out.

I have -
- FuelTech FT550 ECU/Digital dash
- Switchpro - 8 button
- Using auto reset breakers

Basically looking for layouts and ideas. Any pics would be awesome.
Click to expand...
My car runs similar setup but with a terminator X, pro dash, and the MSD solid state relay pack. simplicity was the goal when I re-wired it last summer.

Switch pros 8 button runs ignition, starter, 5 light circuits, and coms. The switch pro unit lives under the dash closest to the lights/coms since that's a majority of the wires going to it. all the engine management lives under the rear seat on a sub panel that can be removed with the 4 bolts from under the car and hinged down for easy troubleshooting in the sand.

Term X feeds the MSD relay pack for Fuel Pump, Fan 1, Fan 2, and E water pump. for simplicity I did not have the switchpros control backups for fans, or anything aside from ignition to the Holley and starter engage. I did however wire in some toggle switches to override the fans and electric water pump that are stashed under my seat incase something goes wrong I can manually switch everything on or they can help in trouble shooting.

My battery master switch is under the dash, I can reach it from the seat buckled up, it kills everything in case there is an emergency. alternator charge signal wire is tied into the switch pro ignition so it is killed once master is off and the alternator doesn't back feed and keep things running.

4 total 12v constant power fuses AFTER the battery master switch:
1. Switch pro (the inline that its supplied with)
2. E Power steering
3. Holley Term X
4. Main power for MSD relays

There are also 4 fuses after the MSD box. I was not comfortable using just the 100A fuse powering the MSD, unlike the switch pros you cant set individual current limits so I added a small 4 fuse panel after the MSD to protect the fans/fuel and water pump incase any of those wires short or a fan starts to drawl too much.

This setup is super simple and it got rid of probably 20lb of wires going to and from the dash. all the separate relays, fuses etc...GONE! the digital dash killed all the gauge wires, that alone was a ton.
 
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