I have read a lot of threads on different forums showing DIY steps on how to wire the fuel pump with a 10 gauge wire directly to the battery/alternator. One thing that nobody seems to address is what to do about the portion of wire that actually goes into the fuel tank. It seems like most people just cut and splice into the factory harness 6-12" away from the connector that connects to the fuel bucket, which means there is still a good 18-36" of factory gauge wiring and the factory harness connector.

I realize the main goal here is to avoid voltage drop, and having the majority of the 12 feet or so of wire between the battery and the pump will help alleviate that, but then what should you do about the fuse/circuit breaker? It seems unwise to put a 30A fuse on the 10 gauge wire if there is still 2 feet of factory size ~16 gauge wire in the circuit.

Has anyone cut a hole in the top of the fuel bucket and installed some sort of sealed connector or cord grip so that the 10 gauge wires can run all the way to the pump itself? I haven't been able to find evidence of anyone doing so, and I can see why you wouldn't want to (leaks, fuel compatibility issues).

 

I have a twin pump but I ran 4 gauge back to a fused distribution block then from there it is about 15" of 14g wiring into the new harness and into the basket.

As for stock basket if you section down that 10g to 14g right at the connector then it would only be about 5" of small gauge wire to the pump inside the basket and that wouldn't be that bad since it is a short run. The 18 feet of 20g wiring just can't carry the current to the pump.

I guess you could use a compression type sealed connector on the basket to run the 10g all the way to the pump but I don't see it necessary.

About the fuse. The fuse should be up at the battery and is safety if the wire contacts ground more than just the pump burning up. That being said the short run of factory wire inside the tank can handle 30a of a short burst of current since the fuse will quickly blow.