Entire Wiring A Mess

[Mafiasquishy]

First of all let me say I am brand new to boating and working on boats. I have a 1989 Renken 1700 with a 1988 Force outboard on it. I know the motor runs great as it came off my other boat that the transom broke on. The Renken is a 17 ft fiberglass with a walk through windshield. The boat shop that put the motor on hooked up the controls but did not hook up the tach. I got under the dash and the wiring is cut and spliced and cut and dangling... Needless to say it is a mess. I think I have figured out the lights and the new bilge pump I put in to the toggle switches on the dash.. The speedometer is hooked up with the vacuum line run out the back of the boat into the white fin looking thing, so I assume it works. I have no idea how to even start rewiring the tach, fuel gauge, volt gauge. There are so many jump wires between gauges, some wires hooked to the end of bolts.. I am lost. I looked at the wiring diagram from another thread on here, but I can't make sense of it.. Anybody with patience and who wouldn't mind helping a newbie, I would greatly appreciate it.. I would like to put this boat in the water this weekend if I can get the wiring done.. Any help is welcomed, Thanks in advance. Oh, and one more thing.. The wires under the dash range in color from white, red, black, blue, green, purple... It looks seriously rigged.. I would like to just run new wires for all of it.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Wiring can be a tough one because it takes patience to do it right. Also, good quality crimpers, connectors and strippers make a lot of difference. When doing a crimp here or there, it is not as critical. When doing a lot, it makes a big difference.

I really can't be of any help other than to say, take lots of pics and don't unhook anything until you know where it goes. Then mark the wire and where it went. Since you don't have a wiring diagram, it might be easier to do 1 wire at a time so you don't get caught with a lose wire wondering where it goes or a connection with no wire to get there. Remember, you can always cut a little more off, but adding length is tough to do.

Also, get good quality wire. I like Ancor marine tinned wire. It works well and should help to fight corrosion in the wires. Crimp connectors with built in shrinkwrap make for nice tidy joints

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Well, the problem with marking the wires is that a lot of them are not connected. I can't figure out where the go or what they hook to. I bought this boat really cheap because I just needed one to put my motor on and now it's turning into a huge headache.. The colors don't match the wires coming off of my controls and I have no idea what goes where. I don't have the old boat to go off of.. I would really like to just pull all the wires off and start over, pretend im putting in a new cluster and starting from scratch but I don't know how.

 

[feklar]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

I found a wiring diagram for my boat, I suggest you do a search for yours. If you find this, it will tell you what color wires are found where, which is very handy. I'd also try to track someone down who owns the same boat and see if they might take their gauge panel out and take pics of what is hooked where.

As far as new wires, I'd suggest soddering your conections, don't use crimp connections, and always use a bit more wire (slack) than you need. Tight wires seem to get damaged easier.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Wiring gauges should not be a mystery since they only require +12 volts when the ignition key is in the RUN position. They require a ground connection, and they require a sender connection (the "S" terminal on the gauge). +12 volts for the gauges comes from the "A" (accessory) terminal on the ignition switch. Ground is ground wherever you find it but it is ultimately the engine block or the negative post on the battery. The "S" terminal on each gauge comes from the sender for that function whether it is the fuel tank, engine temperature, or trim. The tach doesn't use a sender but the "S" terminal is fed by the tach signal from the charging system. Voltmeters do not have a sender. Study one portion of the system at a time. Start with +12 volts. It comes from the "A" terminal on the switch, to the +12 volt or "I" terminal on the nearest gauge. It then jumps from that gauge to the "I" terminal on the next, then the next. Ground works the same way. Only the "S" connections are single connections from the applicable sender. If the gauges have an internal light -- and most do -- that wiring also follows the same daisy-chain principle. The light connection on the first gauge comes from the NAV light switch. Use the Generic Boat Wiring Diagram in the stickies at the very top of this form.

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

I looked at that diagram and I do not have a fuse panel or anything. I only have 3 switches. One is a Nav light on-off-on switch. One is a bilge pump switch and one is for a horn. (The boat has no horn). So what do the purple wires that attached to the end of the bolts do? I'm trying to make sure I have all this straight so first thing in the morning I can start cussing the boat again and maybe get it rewired.. Lol

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

ok. i think i have a really good idea on how to wire the gauges based on the wiring diagram.. I have a couple of questions.. The wires that are coming out of the controls should hook up somehwere under the dash. I know one should be the sending wire for the tach. Are the other two a hot and ground? If so where do they go? Also I don't know how to wire up a on-off-on Nav/Anchor switch.. I looked at a diagram and I don't know what a diode is.. The thing off to the side that the wire is run through. Is that the fuse next to the switch? I might be slowly getting this. Thanks in advance

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Unless you have a test light or a multi-tester (volt/ohm meter) you are putting yourself at a disadvantage but you can make headway easily on your simple system. Purple is +12 volts when the ignition is in the RUN position. That goes to the "I" (+12 volt) terminal on each gauge. Just jump from one to the next. Black is ground. Connect it to the ground terminal on one gauge then jump to the ground terminal from it to the next etc. Gray is the tach signal. Connect it to the "S" terminal on the tach. As for the NAV/ANC switch wiring that would depend on what type of switch you have. I will assume you have a three terminal switch since you asked about the diode. A diode is like a one way valve for current. Current can flow one direction through it but not the other way. Remember -- when you are under way BOTH the nav (red and green) and the white stern (all around) must be on. When you are anchor (not moving), then ONLY the stern light is to be on. You cannot make that happen with a three terminal switch unless you use a diode. That diode is available at any radio shack and a 1 amp will do nicely (about 50 cents). One wire from the nav light connects to the switch as shown in the diagram. The other wire is ground so you connect it where you connect all the other grounds. One wire from the stern light connects to the other end of the switch. +12 volts goes in the middle. The diode is polarity sensitive so make sure it is installed in the right direction. In your system you need a fuse in each circuit (before each switch).

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Mafiasquishy, I don't mean to be offensive, derogatory or hateful in any manner but if you're at a loss looking at the diagram and can't make heads or tails of three terminal switch you need to learn some basic electrical skills before you tear into this project and get in way over your head. There's some real experts on here but they can't physically put their hands on your boat and reading how to do something versus seeing someone demonstrate it are two very different things! I can tell you that your wiring is very simple once you understand the basics...I rewired my boat (which has a simmilar setup to yours) in a matter of hours but I've got years of electrical experience. Got a buddy that knows what they're doing? (Make sure they actually know what they're doing, not like my buddy who helped me roof my shed that said he knew how....no...I'm not going into that) Not only could some help from a knowledgable person get the job done in short order but they can teach you the basics in the meantime and then you'll know how to fix it when it breaks...and it's gonna break...it's a boat!

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Ok. I got the dash all wired up as far as the gauges go. All the gauges work. I even hooked them into the controls. (Pretty proud right now.) Once I understood the diagram it was pretty easy, just very tedious. On the light switch there are 6 prongs on the back of it and two prongs on the fuse that is mounted right beside it on the little panel. Is there an easy to understand diagram or anything available for this type of switch? I seriously appreciate the help. I just joined so I could post but when I first bought the other boat I used this forum to guide me through servicing the motor. You guys have been a huge help so far. I just need to figure out this light switch then I should be able to mount the seats and hit the water. thanks again.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Silvertip, I just got thinking (I know, dangerous). How the heck did we wire things before diodes were invented?

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

I got the light switch working and the gauges on the dash working. I feel pretty dang proud of myself right now. All I have to do is run wires from the bilge pump to the pump switch and then mount the seats. You guys are the best. Thanks so much for all the help.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Way to go! You must've known more than you thought you did!

Be sure everything is fused!

 

[Mafiasquishy]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Alright. I've got all gauges and switches working.. Only thing that doesn't work is the fuel gauge but I think its the float unit itself that isn't working. No big deal, I carry an extra 6 gallons on board. Lights work, bilge pump works, gauges work.. Seats are almost mounted and then I'm in the water tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for advice and help. Take care and safe boating.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Silvertip, I just got thinking (I know, dangerous). How the heck did we wire things before diodes were invented?

In the case of NAV lights, we used a switch like the six terminal you currently have so the diode was not required. Before diodes thee were selenium rectifiers.

 

[slow96z]

Re: Entire Wiring A Mess

Relays can also be used to isolate circuits when no diode is available.