Interpretation ID: aiam1962
Commander
Engineering Section
Department of California Highway Patrol
P. O. Box 898
Sacramento
CA 95804;
Dear Mr. Heath: This is in reply to your letter of May 21, 1975, requesting answers t two questions 'relating to the requirements for 16 or 18 gage wire specified by [SAE Standard] J589' ['Turn Signal Switches'] in Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108.; You first asked: >>>'1. Once the switch has met test requirements using the 16 or 1 gage wire, can a switch manufacturer change the wire gage to a smaller or larger size for installation and use on a vehicle?'<<<; We are uncertain as to what you mean. If you intended to refer to th vehicle manufacturer, the answer to the question is yes. He may use a gage other than 16 or 18 when the switch is installed in his vehicle. The test set forth in J589 is a laboratory test measuring voltage drop that must be met by a switch when 16 or 18 gage wire is used.; You next asked: >>>'2. Would a switch which was tested with other than 16 or 18 gag wire (larger or smaller) meet the certification requirements of Part 567 of the federal standards?'<<<; When a manufacturer certifies conformance to Standard No. 108, he i indicating that the turn signal switch will meet the requirements of SAE J589 if tested with 16 or 18 gage wire. He may use any method he chooses to ensure this. This agency does not, through its certification requirements or otherwise, instruct manufacturers how to test their products.; Thank you for your suggestion that we amend Standard No. 108 t incorporate SAE J589 which does not specify the gage of wire for test purposes. We have already proposed adoption of J589b in Notice 3 of Docket No. 69-19.; Yours truly, Richard B. Dyson, Assistant Chief Counsel