Radiator Melting Wires?

[tesla]

I have a jumble of GPS and heat troller wiring sitting next to and on the radiator neck and cap which is under the dash panel. Hot enough there to melt the wiring?

 

[mcatrophy]

I have a jumble of GPS and heat troller wiring sitting next to and on the radiator neck and cap which is under the dash panel. Hot enough there to melt the wiring?

As long as it's nowhere near the headers, it won't melt. But some wire insulation will harden and crack if it gets as hot as the radiator, so I'd suggest tying it away from direct contact.

 

[ionbeam]

Edit: While I was typing mcatrophy was posting, and once again with a great answer!

...Hot enough there to melt the wiring?

Absolutely. Using the correct wire is important. If you used almost any of the automotive grade wires you are fine. If you used headphone wire you are in trouble. With any common sense wire selection you should be ok. Just about any wire that is rated for automotive use should withstand radiator temperatures of up to ~220ºF.

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One problem with consumer automotive wire is the size of the strands and strand count inside the insulation. Consumer automotive wire typically has fairly large gauge strands with low strand count making it stiff and hard to work with. If you have the time and access, it is worth it to seek out commercial grade wire. Places like McMaster Carr, Grainger's and MSC are to good industrial supply catalogs and there are hundreds of electronic supply companies. Ideally, you would be looking for wire with insulation called THHN or irridiated PVC. These places will give you access to wire that has smaller strand size and higher strand count making the wire much easier to work with, yet retains excellent power handling.

 

[Solo]

And if you are still worried about it, enclosing the wire bunch in split conduit might give you peace of mind and protect the wires from any adverse heat-related problems. The stuff is available at every auto parts store.

 

[tesla]

Thanks for the input guys

 

[Bounce]

Get in there and clean it up. If you can remove some length, do so. If you can't (HID wires, etc.), then dress it up and use some wire ties to route it up out out the way. A little effort now may save a roadside repair later.