Wiring question

[sogood]

I'm in the process of giving my Wellcraft a bit of a refurb, part of which is to replace the old fuse board and relocate it from under the dash to the head/toilet. I have much of the wiring identified but one thing has me wondering. All the wiring which is hot/live feeds are orange, except for one orange wire which is connected to the earth/ground on the old fuse board. Is this correct or possibly the result of some previous owners handiwork? PS. The engine is a mercruiser 5.7.

​I haven't traced the wire yet, but was just wondering. Thanks in advance.

 

[mjf55]

Sounds like something a previous owner did. Using standard color codes, Orange is used for:
Accessory Feed:
Ammeter to Alternator or Generator Output
Accessory Fuses or Switches
Common Feed:
Distribution Panel to Accessory Switch

I suggest tracing each feed to double make sure what they are.

 

[gm280]

If all the wires are of the same color, when you do trace each circuit out, label the wires for future needs. There is no better way to make quick repairs then to have the wires labeled. I usually print out the labels for each circuit and then wrap them on the wire. Then I use clear heat shrink tubing and shrink it down to protect the label. And you can read it and see where it goes without issue. The labels are only about an inch long, so you can slide that label right up to the connector as well. JMHO

 

[mjf55]

Good point on labeling gm280. Exactly what I did, label maker using small tape, stick on wire, clear heat shrink over the label. I also did grounds, as we all know they can cause problems also.

 

[sogood]

A belated thanks for the input guys. Still working on it and I have pretty much everything hooked up, working and identified, so it seems to be something retro/surplus. I'll trace it now that I can eliminate a lot of other things. Thanks again.

 

[gm280]

A belated thanks for the input guys. Still working on it and I have pretty much everything hooked up, working and identified, so it seems to be something retro/surplus. I'll trace it now that I can eliminate a lot of other things. Thanks again.

Well that sound great. Always nice to get a response to questions and hear a successful project working. Now would be the best time to draw out a wiring schematic as well for future issues. JMHO

 

[sogood]

Well that sound great. Always nice to get a response to questions and hear a successful project working. Now would be the best time to draw out a wiring schematic as well for future issues. JMHO

​Yes, I'm doing that as I go along. Simple schematics but with all the necessary details, just for future reference. Thanks for the response.