preferred electrical connectors

parratt1

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
46
I have a 72 johnson outboard 25hp. A mouse chewed on some wiring I need to replace. The manual calls for packard connectors for joining the wires. I don't recall seeing packard connectors at Napa. Are those still the preferred connectors or is there a better option? I want to be safe and not cut corners but something readily available anywhere would be great instead of ordering.
Thank you as always!
 

jhebert

Ensign
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Messages
902
I don't know what the OMC technical writer in 1972 had in mind when he wrote the recommendation to use "packard connectors." Perhaps he intended to mean Delphi's Packard brand of Weather-Pak connectors.

For joining a individual electrical conductor that was accidentally cut, use a butt-splice crimp connector. Insulate the splice with insulation material suitable for the voltage rating. Protect the splice from water intrusion with suitable methods. I don't think you will require that this connection be undone in the future, so it makes little sense to use two connectors that can be mated or unmated for repair.

Take care with insulated wiring from 1972. The insulation is now 43-years old and may be very dry and brittle. The copper conductor may be contaminated by migration of some of the insulation material onto the copper or by oxidation due to ingress of air or water. Special care may be necessary to get the copper clean so it can be soldered or make a good connection in a crimped connector.

It might be simpler and easier to just replace an individual conductor that has been damaged with a new one, rather than splice it. On small boats with 25-HP outboard engines, the longest electrical conductor is not very long. Replacement of the whole conductor might be hardly more expensive than a splice.
 
Last edited:

UncleWillie

Captain
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
3,995
If the OP is looking for actual connectors an not just wire splicing connectors;
He is probably referring to Packard Series 56 Connectors. Popular prior to 1990.
They are a high reliability version of the modern QuickConnect/ FastOn connectors.
 

parratt1

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
46
I don't know what the OMC technical writer in 1972 had in mind when he wrote the recommendation to use "packard connectors." Perhaps he intended to mean Delphi's Packard brand of Weather-Pak connectors.

For joining a individual electrical conductor that was accidentally cut, use a butt-splice crimp connector. Insulate the splice with insulation material suitable for the voltage rating. Protect the splice from water intrusion with suitable methods. I don't think you will require that this connection be undone in the future, so it makes little sense to use two connectors that can be mated or unmated for repair.

Take care with insulated wiring from 1972. The insulation is now 43-years old and may be very dry and brittle. The copper conductor may be contaminated by migration of some of the insulation material onto the copper or by oxidation due to ingress of air or water. Special care may be necessary to get the copper clean so it can be soldered or make a good connection in a crimped connector.

It might be simpler and easier to just replace an individual conductor that has been damaged with a new one, rather than splice it. On small boats with 25-HP outboard engines, the longest electrical conductor is not very long. Replacement of the whole conductor might be hardly more expensive than a splice.

Replacing the wiring is exactly what I have I mind. There is very little wiring in there so I think I will be good to go doing this on my own! I am inquiring about those packard connectors only because the wires were so brittle that they snapped off at the connection when I tried to undo the connectors
 

fishrdan

Admiral
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
I'm with jhebert in that 1972 wiring has most likely seen it's better days, probably best to replace all of it as I think you have indicated. (I had a 72 boat, and the wire insulation was literally crumbling,,,,)

As for the replacement wire, do yourself a favor and go to http://www.genuinedealz.com/ to buy it. They sell high strand count "marine" wire that's tinned and has good quality insulation, it's much higher quality than the cheap automotive wire that can be bought locally, but costs about the same, free 2 day shipping too.. The also sell connectors of various types, not sure if they have what you're looking for, but it's worth looking.
 

jhebert

Ensign
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Messages
902
Replacing the wiring is exactly what I have I mind. There is very little wiring in there so I think I will be good to go doing this on my own! I am inquiring about those packard connectors only because the wires were so brittle that they snapped off at the connection when I tried to undo the connectors

If you want to remain completely compatible with the c.1972 methods, I suppose you will have to find a source for the connectors that were used. However, if you don't feel the need to remain backward-compatible with 1972, you can select more modern connectors. The present day BRP engines tend to use more modern connectors like the DEUTSCH connector, also made by Amphenol and others, or the AMP SEAL TITE connectors. These can be sourced from any good electronics vendor. I prefer MOUSER ELECTRONICS as a place to buy them due to the ease at dealing with orders in small quantities.

GENUINEDEALZ is a good source for marine-grade wire.

Electrical connectors come in a nearly infinite variety, and this can make specifying and ordering them a task that is far more complicated than the electrical circuitry they will connect. The line of connectors I mentioned as an alternative to the Deutsch products is called the TE CONNECTIVITY. See

http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?N=4292478053

for some guidance. You must order all the parts of the connector individually: the body, the contacts, the seals, and any sealing plugs. I don't know if you have the experience with ordering electrical connectors to navigate all the hazards. It can be a difficult process.
 
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