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Aux Fuse Panel In Cab?

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by Forster46, Jun 17, 2012.

  1. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:29 PM
    #1
    Forster46

    Forster46 [OP] Very nice how much?

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    Wasn't quite sure what section to throw this in, no electrical section.

    I have an 06 access cab, and have been needing to install an auxilary fuse box. One thing I have thought of but was never too sure about is location.

    Everyone mounts theirs in the same spot, which would be no issue. But the majority of the electronics I would be running on it, would be inside the cab. My question is would it be okay to mount a fuse box somewhere in the cab? I know there is room behind the backrest of the rear seats, because I removed them when BenWA installed the rear window kit, so I figure that would be a good spot, or under the cup holders. What do you guys think? I would mount the breaker in the engine bay, then run some 4 AWG through the cab to the box.

    The main reason I want to do this is because I dont want a ton of wires down by my feet going through the firewall, I already have too many.
     
  2. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:38 PM
    #2
    Drunknsloth

    Drunknsloth Indffrnce will be the fall of manknd but who cares

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    How many in cab electronics will you be running at the same time? If you run too high of amps then you will have to run a 4 gauge or larger wire through the fire wall to the Fuse Panel and then the same size to a ground.

    Edit: You already mentioned that. Where are you planning to get a 4 gauge through the fire wall?
     
  3. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:39 PM
    #3
    badger

    badger Well-Known Member

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    No reason not to. I mounted a Blue Sea unit in my cab. Do you need #4 cable though? #10 was plenty for my needs since it's mostly all low draw electronics.
     
  4. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:39 PM
    #4
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    +1

    Run a heavy gauge hot and ground from the battery to the new panel and put a breaker near the battery that is rated for no more than 80% of the rating of the cable.

    That will protect the cable adequately and you can run your sub panel in the cab.
     
  5. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:42 PM
    #5
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    Need to take the total current draw into account.
    #10 is fine for low-draw equipment, but #10 is only good for about 30 amps when the cable is enclosed.

    I hope you put a 30a breaker under the hood near the battery. A chaffed wire near the panel will turn that run of #10 into a smoking, burning pile of crap.
     
  6. Jun 17, 2012 at 5:55 PM
    #6
    Forster46

    Forster46 [OP] Very nice how much?

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    I have some exterior stuff, like a pair of hella 500s and I will soon have some strobes, but more interior things like power rear window, leds, cb, radar detector, and some other stuff soon probably.

    Never really got as far as how to run 4 AWG through the firewall... sure I could figure something out though. Isn't there another rubber gromment through the floor under the driver seat? Not sure how big, haven't looked for it.

    I will be getting the larger 12 position fuse box most likely
     
  7. Jun 17, 2012 at 6:13 PM
    #7
    badger

    badger Well-Known Member

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    My system has a relay under the hood and a fuse. It's only powered when the key is on acc. #10 is plenty unless you are planning to wire in high draw items like big amps. I just mentioned it because there is no need to make life difficult if you don't need to. Yes, it's the total draw that counts, but most electronic devices draw milliamps. Whether it is encased is irrelevant. It should never be getting hot. If it is, then you need a bigger cable.
     
  8. Jun 17, 2012 at 6:22 PM
    #8
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    I suggest that you get an education as an electrician before dispensing further advice on the topic.

    YOUR system might be safe, but someone is going to read your posts and not understand what you did and what you are powering and they are going to burn their truck down.
     
  9. Jun 17, 2012 at 7:09 PM
    #9
    Monkeyboy

    Monkeyboy Well-Known Member

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    Here's what I did for a spare fuse box in my access cab. I had already removed the seats and built up a platform so the dogs had a flat area to lounge around on.

    I brought the wire from the battery (#10) through this grommet - I sealed the hell out of it with silicone. Not pretty, but functional. Use a 30 amp fuse near the battery.

    [​IMG]

    I made a grounding plate to attach the radio to. The fuse box is bolted to the transmission hump. Again, I siliconed the hell out of it underneath to retard corrosion.

    [​IMG]

    This is what the finished project roughly looks like.

    [​IMG]

    Hope this helps.
     
  10. Jun 17, 2012 at 7:14 PM
    #10
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    Looks good.
     
  11. Jun 17, 2012 at 7:26 PM
    #11
    Monkeyboy

    Monkeyboy Well-Known Member

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    Forgot to answer this in my post.

    There are (at least) 4 grommets on each side - one on the rear floor, one directly beneath the seat, and two on the front floor.

    That I recall. I seem to think that there are a few others as well. The carpet comes up easily enough so you can find them without too much difficulty.

    The main trouble with using them is twofold. Firstly, running the wire down under the body and securing it against damage and the elements. Second, coming through the grommet requires putting a hole in it and then sealing that up well.

    It can be a pain in the ass to get the wires to lay flattish on the floor, too.

    Not to deter you - just so you know what you need to prepare to deal with.
     
  12. Jun 17, 2012 at 7:31 PM
    #12
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    When I ran the aux relay box on my Silverado, I ran the pair of #6 cables along the inside of the frame. The wires were tucked into split-loom, and there were plenty of harnesses and openings in the frame to zip-tie to.
    Of course, that 2500 was a fully boxed frame so the wiring was completely protected. Not the case on the Taco, but the same idea should provide a pretty well protected route.
     
  13. Jun 17, 2012 at 8:14 PM
    #13
    badger

    badger Well-Known Member

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    Maybe you're the one that needs an education. I made a simple suggestion because not every one needs #4 wire. If they aren't competent to do the work they shouldn't be doing it. It's just as irresponsible to suggest that #4 is safe in every situation. It's not. The wire requirement is determined by the continous load with a safety factor for any possible momentary loads. The three things you need to determine the correct wire size are as follows:

    1, the combined current load
    2, the length of run of the feed wire
    3, the maximum momentary load

    Ideally the resistance of the feed wire should not result in a voltage drop of more than .5 volts., .3 is better. Much less drop has no benefit. You can find the total resistance of the feed wire by multiplying the length of run by the ohms per foot. In the case of #10 wire the ohms per foot is .0012. A 10 foot run of #10 wire can handle a continous load of 30 amps at .36 volts drop. Well within acceptable limits, and you sure as hell don't need a 30amp fuse on that circuit either. The fuse is to burn before heating in the wire reaches dangerous levels. A 35 or 40 amp fuse would be plenty of protection.

    Now let's look at the proposed #4 wire. That wire has an ohms/foot of .00028. It has a load carrying capacity of 4X the #10 wire or 120 amps. If anyone has a need for that much load carrying capacity they will have to make sure that every component in the circuit, including connectors can carry that load. Most of these 12V fuse blocks are not designed for that much current. All you'll end up doing is shifting an impending meltdown to another component other than the wire.

    OP, Bottom line is, if you don't understand well enough to choose proper components, you had better leave the work to someone who does. Taking advice off a website like this is a crap shoot at best.
     
  14. Jun 17, 2012 at 11:41 PM
    #14
    Forster46

    Forster46 [OP] Very nice how much?

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    HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE!

    Haha your name is great. I only planned on the 4 AWG wire because it was what I see everyone else using. I could go with a slightly smaller size wire, I just haven't decided yet. I already know to make sure and get the right size fuses and breaker to handle the load.

    This thread was more about mounting locations of the actual fuse panel. Now all I need to do really is figure out how to run the larger wire from in the cab to the battery.
     
  15. Jun 17, 2012 at 11:50 PM
    #15
    joes06tacoma

    joes06tacoma Well-Known Member

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    Truth.

    Rich was a bit curt, perhaps. But he seems to error on the side of caution with this kind of thing, as we all should. I think He meant well.

    I have seen some scary electrical stuff, both in vehicles and houses. You and Rich are both right to caution people to take their time and make sure of what they are doing. I enjoy helping people with electrical stuff as well, since I've done it and am comfortable with it. But it does make me a little nervous, because advice over the interwebs can be a bit like playing the game "telephone".
     
  16. Jun 18, 2012 at 2:55 PM
    #16
    Forster46

    Forster46 [OP] Very nice how much?

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    Do any of you guys know where I can buy the fuse box for a good price? I have seen guys on here get them for 30 bucks. Online they are about 45 for the 12 terminal ones.

    The boat dealers in my area want about 70 bucks for the same one.
     
  17. Jun 18, 2012 at 3:09 PM
    #17
    Leggo

    Leggo slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

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  18. Jun 18, 2012 at 3:48 PM
    #18
    Monkeyboy

    Monkeyboy Well-Known Member

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    Amazon has them.

    You don't need 12 terminals, though. Get two 6 terminals if you're convinced you need that many.

    Also, you should realize that by hooking this up directly to the battery, anything you plug into it will also draw off the battery - no matter the key position. Any devices with a parasitic draw, or left on, can mean a dead battery.

    Be judicious about how you're powering your accessories.
     
  19. Jun 18, 2012 at 8:43 PM
    #19
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    Bingo.

    Some from seeing it, and some from personal experience before I new better. Thankfully I never fucked up a house (and I've been working traffic signals for 20 years), and my only vehicle hack jobs have been in the junk yard for close to 30 years... fortunately I was the last owner of all of them and they never did anything more than smoke a little :D

    Another bingo, which is why I ripped into Badger.
    He obviously knows his shit, but that level of "sharing" is going to do nothing but confuse the layman who just wants to mount an amp.
    Understanding the limitations of the net, and the big problems of troubleshooting with a 3000 mile long screwdriver and no eyes on the problem, I'm always going to err on the side of safety.

    We see these aux panels installed all the time with 100a breakers and wire that is obviously too small (talking 8ga!). That's not a breaker... that's a fusible link between the battery and breaker.
    For house wiring, 100a can't even be put on 2ga, even though it is listed as within spec when contained, and free air for 6ga.

    Personally, in a vehicle, I am always going to use the "contained" ratings. Even though the wiring is not contained within a conduit and stuffed in with other wires, it is still in a hot engine compartment, and exposed to the elements.

    Also my personal opinion is to avoid the use of any solid conductor wire, and any wire smaller than 18ga, simply for durability concerns. I know the factory harnesses go to 20 and 22ga, but they are also carefully routed and braced.

    So ya, I'm going to err on the side of safety.
    I'm not mass-producing items for market where the difference between 4ga and 8ga is going to break the bank. I don't HAVE to use the minimum acceptable products. The cost increase to add a good margin of safety is a small percentage of the entire project.
     
  20. Jun 18, 2012 at 9:49 PM
    #20
    joes06tacoma

    joes06tacoma Well-Known Member

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