Using a central battery distribution block

Justutt67

Justutt67

Member
I am starting the install of my kwik wire 14 kit and have been reading up on a central battery distribution block. I pulled 2 of them out of Chevy trucks in the salvage yard the other day. One has 5 lugs and one has 2. I was thinking about bolting them to the firewall and using one for grounds and one for battery positives. I am not a wiring expert so I wanna run this by someone who May know what to do.

I was thinking of running the battery cable to the starter solenoid then running a wire from there to the buss bar (distribution block) and running the alternator output lug to the buss bar (distribution block). I am also running a delco cs130 alternator so I can run a remote voltage sensing wire to the buss bar as well. This seams like a good way to power up headlamp, electric fan, and fuel injection relays. Also can I run the #16 starter solenoid with the maxi fuse off the buss bar also. Not sure but I think this is the wire that gives the fuse block its power. Or it could be the #15 alternator wire that powers the fuse block? Anyone installed one of these kits that can help me out?
 
Well believe it or not I found exactly what I was looking for while doing more research last night. The only thing I'm not clear on with this guys setup is how he wired to his starter. Looks like he went straight from battery to distribution block and I was going to go from battery to starter solenoid and from solenoid to distribution block. Supposedly wired this way you have less voltage drop system wide. Check it out lots of good info on this site.

http://www.alanhorvath.com/54chevy/mad_electrical.php
 
The voltage sense wire will probably just show the higher voltage. If this were my Scout I'd wire everything off the fuse block. Anything else planned to run off that huge alternator?
 
Hi chappie! Well I guess I didn't know that was considered a "huge" alternator? The only reason I am using it is cause I swapped in a TBI 350 w/700r4 and that's the alternator it came with. I will have a winch and a stereo but that's about it.

Do you know what the #15 wire does in the kwik wire system? It says "originates from fuse panel and is connected to alternator battery lug" but what is its function? I assume the #16 wire is what powers the fuse panel cause it's the one that has the maxi fuse.

Lots of people just jumper the alternator sensing wire back to the battery output lug but that wouldn't sense actual system voltage just alternator output voltage. Sensing from a distribution block should keep the system at 14 volts shouldn't it?
 
The kw14 kit has dedicated, fuse-protected circuits for headlights, cooling fan and fuel pump, along with a block-mounted fan relay, so no need to re-invent those wheels. Same goes for the exciter wire, which is #14. The kw instructions, which can be downloaded as a pdf from the kw website, show it terminating at the "l" terminal of a cs 130. A cs 130 has roughly the same physical dimensions as a 10/12si with max output ratings of roughly 100 amps, so I wouldn't consider them huge in either way. A cs 144 on the other hand is huge in both ways.

There is no #15 circuit identified or specified in the kw instructions, so it doesn't exist.

#16 supplies the constant battery feed to the fuse panel. How it comes in contact with the battery + is left as a matter of most logical and appropriate choice by the end user. A common and convenient choice is the large terminal of the starter solenoid, because that terminal is in series with the battery in many GM vehicles. It could alternatively be run to the distribution block that is in direct series with the battery pos terminal. Many folks with GM systems have installed remote starter relays which will commonly render the large starter terminal dead except during starter cranking. In those cases, it ceases to be a viable power distribution point. The fewer smaller gauge wires subjected to exhaust manifold heat, the better.
 
Thanks for the reply scoutboy. I see that it has a relay built in for the electric fan I think I had read that before but it totally skipped my mind. The head lights dont though. Is a bright lights relay system not necessary with the kw kit? Lights get plenty bright without? I must have either a newer or older kw kit cause mine clearly has a #15 wire for the alternator. It almost looks like it May go to the voltage sensing wire on the cs130 but I am not sure the instructions aren't clear on that. I will post some pics of it.

 
That #15 10 ga wire is the main feed into the fuse block from the alt. For lights, I'd spend the $ on led headlights 2x or so bright at about 1/2 the amps. No need for a relay then.
 
Well I think the #16 wire is what powers the fuse panel cause it has the 50 amp maxi fuse in it. I'm almost starting to think it's asking me to hook the alternator voltage sensing terminal to the #15 wire. If that's the case then the alternator would sense voltage from the fuse panel and voltage loss would be very minimal. I have emailed kwikwire to ask what the function of wire #15 is. It May be used to keep full charge at the fuse panel.
 
Yes, that's correct regarding #16 as I stated in my prior post. I see now what you mean about #15. That's the battery charging wire. Puzzling that the current instructions would make no reference to it. It will go to terminal 's' on your alternator while #14 exciter will go to terminal 'l'.

So...

#14 to alt 'l'
#15 to alt 's'
#16 to battery positive...but not the actual positive post on the battery. Should be a distribution point downstream from it such as the starter-mounted solenoid battery terminal or a firewall mounted distribution block that is in direct series with the battery. Make sense?
 
Yes scoutboy it is making sense now. One last question do I need #14 to go from from fuse panel to a trouble light then to l terminal? I keep reading about that wire needing a trouble light or resistor in order to work properly or is the kw kit pre wired to have enough resistance?

I think I May be reading too much about automotive wiring and I'm making it harder than it is. What I am reading is probably more for modernizing an old wiring system.
 
I think you'll need a little bulb. The original Scout wiring utilized a resistor wire for this purpose. #14 in your kit is just a standard awg wire like all the others.
 
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