HELP!- Wiring Issues

[Kenneth K]

Will I burn the boat down?

Not as long as the batteries are disconnected !

It looks good! It looks like you've met the mfg's wiring requirements, moved the "battery positive" up to the bus bar, and that you power everything only when the key switch is on. I like the (+) and (-) bus bars.

 

[Kenneth K]

Another observation from the photo in post #60: It looks like you clipped the old orange ammeter wire from the panel (that's good). It also looks like the orange wire is a larger diameter wire (maybe 10ga) than the yellow wire that powers the starter solenoid (maybe 16 ga).

In the future, you might want to swap the smaller yellow wire with the larger (unused) orange wire to energize the starter. With a smaller voltage drop through the larger wire, you might see better starter solenoid engagement.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Another observation from the photo in post #60: It looks like you clipped the old orange ammeter wire from the panel (that's good). It also looks like the orange wire is a larger diameter wire (maybe 10ga) than the yellow wire that powers the starter solenoid (maybe 16 ga).

In the future, you might want to swap the smaller yellow wire with the larger (unused) orange wire to energize the starter. With a smaller voltage drop through the larger wire, you might see better starter solenoid engagement.

Thanks for the benediction on the alarm wiring, Ken.
That orange wire is as we got it. On the E35 electric diagram dated 1982 there is a 10ga orange wire listed as '**** bilge pump' in approximately that location. The wire passes forward through the trailer plug area (now a bundle of splices) and ends near the starter in a similarly clipped fashion. I've been meaning to replace the ammeter with a voltmeter, but haven't got around to it. I'll keep your suggestion in mind when I address rewiring.

 

[Kenneth K]

That orange wire is as we got it. On the E35 electric diagram dated 1982 there is a 10ga orange wire listed as '**** bilge pump' in approximately that location.

Check the engine wiring diagram (wires labeled #4 & #5).


That orange wire originally connected the alternator output to the ammeter. Another 10ga wire carried alternator current back to the starter post. Yeah, that was the original fire-hazard/trailer plug melter/ undercharging timebomb (running 50 amps of alternator current through 40 ft (round trip) of 10 gauge wire just to locate an ammeter at the engine panel).

It would be highly unusual to run bilge pump wiring through the trailer plug/engine harness wiring. But then again, POs have been known to try just about anything.