I'm no auto electrician so this may well be a really obvious question to someone who is.

 

I need to rewire a small part of the car and want to use the correct wire that is identical to the existing wire.

 

It is quite a thin wire with 7 copper strands inside and quite a thin sheath (I can measure the wire thickness and total thickness if required).

 

I need three colours: brown, black with green stripe & purple with yellow stripe.

 

I've searched the obvious places (internet, Maplins, etc.) but have come up with nothing.

 

Not knowing the correct terminology for wires and sizes / ratings may be restricting my search a bit.

 

Can anyone help identify the wire or has the wire in the correct sizes & colours?

This any help?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge

There is a stranded wire definition there based on the diameter of each strand and I think once you work out the guage of the wire you will have more chance of sourcing it (although I am surprised Maplins were no help).

Obviously that will need a micrometer to exactly determine but I'm not sure you need to measure it perfectly.

Adam

Thanks Adam.

I have a micrometer and will take a proper look at the link tomorrow.

Maplins were limited on colour and not too convincing about the terminology.

Some Maplin stores (at least the bigger ones) know the acronym term AWG in my experience, so try that.

Adam

I'm not going to pretend that I understood even a quarter of what was in the link Adam. Sorry.

 

The wire I have is severn strands of approximately 0.25mm (possibly slightly less) diameter copper wire.

 

Does that mean I need a 7/0.1 (7 strands of 0.1 mm squared) or do I need 7/0.25 (7 strands of 0.25mm diameter) wire?

 

The external diameter of the sheath is approximately 1.25mm.

 

If one of these is correct, which one, and can any say where I can get this wire in the right colours in small quantities?

Each strand is AWG30 by that measurement although more common is 0.2mm strands (AWG32). You then have probably have a diameter of 3 times that when the seven are stranded together because it will be a bit like the cross section below when stranded together.  This is AWG22 or thereabouts.

 

  oo

 ooo

  oo

 

So on that basis you are probably after AWG22 made up of 7/0.2mm wires and I doubt matters too much if it is not quite AWG22.

 

See: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10m-7-0-2mm-Stranded-Equipment-Wire-Choice-of-11-Colours-Layout-Connecting-/330714933676?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item4d002569ac for example.

 

Adam

Thanks Adam.

Now to source some in the right colours...

I'm no auto electrician so this may well be a really obvious question to someone who is.

 

I need to rewire a small part of the car and want to use the correct wire that is identical to the existing wire.

 

It is quite a thin wire with 7 copper strands inside and quite a thin sheath (I can measure the wire thickness and total thickness if required).

 

I need three colours: brown, black with green stripe & purple with yellow stripe.

 

I've searched the obvious places (internet, Maplins, etc.) but have come up with nothing.

 

Not knowing the correct terminology for wires and sizes / ratings may be restricting my search a bit.

 

Can anyone help identify the wire or has the wire in the correct sizes & colours?

 

I don't think you will get the colours you want as they are not what you would call universal colours.

If I was you I would just go for the main colour or go to a scrap yard and chop out a chunk of wiring loom I don't think they would charge much. 

Nice idea, but I don't think that I am likely to find the right colours there. Our local scrap yard rarely has any modern VAG group cars in.