72 Thunderbird Formula w/twin 165hp Mercs

[alldodge]

Don't see an issue but need some help to verify, is your ALT wired like this

 

[alldodge]

Go figure the manual tells ya how to remove the amp meter and install the volt meter. So what they are saying is the White wire is used to power the meter (same as purple on new design). Tape the Red/White back, and connect the Red to the Red/White.

They do bring up a great point which I missed. You need to connect the meter to the white wire on the positive side, other wise the meter cannot be turned off

 

[ahmincha]

Mark the only electricle advice I can give you is to use connectors with built in shrink wrap. Napa sells them and they have butt connectors with different size gauge per side

 

[Mark72233]

Ok. My alternator is the old single wire style and the single wire is that thick red with white stripe wire. It runs from the Alt to that big circuit breaker in the front of the engine then comes back out running up to the helm.

 

[Mark72233]

Thanks ahmincha, and I doubled down on that by getting connectors with the shrink wrap and than I also slide a longer separate one over the wire to cover the connector with a second longer layer.

 

[archbuilder]

Cool looks like Alldodge has you heading down the correct path! Looking forward to splash Mark!

 

[Mark72233]

At lunch today I thought of and confirmed something. I knew I had a set of gauges and engine harness from the donor boat, which had a Merc 165hp in it. So during lunch I checked and sure enough I have the gauges and it is an Amp gauge with the red, blk and red with white stripe wires hooked to it. Tonight just to get things going I am going to change out the Volt Gauge for this Amp gauge and mirror how everything is hooked up to these gauges and give it a try. Most of the connections look like what I have already done. Short term it at least gets the port engine and gauges running until I either buy another similar Amp gauge or come up with something else.

 

[archbuilder]

You should start a boat salvage, lol!

 

[Mark72233]

Change in plans again. This seems to be a reoccurring theme for me lately to have a plan and change it several times. I took the Amp gauge off the panel and side note the gauges and main wire bundle look very good. Anyway the more I thought about it the more I wanted to keep the gauges I already had in place so back to plan A and throw caution to the wind and let's just trust that AllDodge knows what he is talking about so I hooked the red wire with white stripe up to the positive side of Volt gauge. I hooked the main red positive wire to the battery side of ignition switch and ran a thick jump wire from ignition battery to the chair terminal I showed in an earlier post connected to the some post as the red/white stripe wire. Hooked everything else like we planned and turned the battery switch on and no smoke or heated wires or switches. Turned the key to on and still no smoke but gauge needles jumped like they should and hour meter was working so onto trying to crank it up so I dropped some fuel down the carb throat and gave the key a turn and bang the engine turned over and cranked right up. RPM shot up to idle 650-700RPMS, oil pressure, volts everything worked. I have no fuel in the tank so I couldn't run it but for a few seconds but it worked and no burned up anything. So a big Thank You to everyone and especially AllDodge

 

[Mark72233]

Arch I have sold a ton of items on evilbay which supports me with plenty of boat money to turn around and buy more stuff.

 

[archbuilder]

Cool on the start up Mark! That is a great feeling!

 

[nurseman]

I think some video is in order!!! Lets hear and see em running :happy:

 

[Mark72233]

Arch and Nurse thanks. Yes I almost cried after all the issues I have had to finally have something work out was nice. Nurse I am going to put some gas in the tank this weekend and get a video of them running.

 

[Mark72233]

I have a shifter control wire question. My new old stock throttle/shifter comes with 2 wires that has 2 yellow wires with a red stripe for each side. See pic of one of these two wire sets. Where does this hook up to. The wires are about 6 feet long so to short to run back to the engines. I will have to research.

 

[sphelps]

Glad your getting the kinks worked out Mark ...
I usually stay out of the mechanical problem discussions ... I would do more harm than good I'm sure ..
But I am looking forward to hearing those puppy"s run .. !!

 

[alldodge]

I have a shifter control wire question. My new old stock throttle/shifter comes with 2 wires that has 2 yellow wires with a red stripe for each side. See pic of one of these two wire sets. Where does this hook up to. The wires are about 6 feet long so to short to run back to the engines. I will have to research.

They should be the neutral safety switch. Use an ohm meter and move it in gear and it should open

Glad the voltmeter worked out, and sorry I got much into removing the amp meter, you didn't want to do that

Edit: BTW which wire did you use to connect to the volt meter?

 

[Mark72233]

Thanks AllDodge I will try the ohm meter on the shifter. On the engine wires I capped the purple wire which was the second wire coming off the oil pressure sensor, the white wire I connected to the starter and jumped it to the gauges that needed a positive wire which I think on the port side was the fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge and the RPM gauge. The brown wire went to the RPM gauge, the black wire went to negative on the volt gauge, the red wire went to battery side of start switch with a jump wire over to the positive side of the volt gauge where I also attached the red wire with white stripe. The yellow went to the starter switch also I think the run side. Anyway everything seemed to work. Once I get some fuel it the tank Saturday I will crank them both up which will be the first time they have run with gauges attached I can finally see what RPM they are idling at and check water temp and oil pressure. AllDodge Thanks again for the help. Back to the wires from the shifter if it is the neutral safety switch wires where do they hook into.

 

[alldodge]

the red wire went to battery side of start switch with a jump wire over to the positive side of the volt gauge where I also attached the red wire with white stripe.

Nothing will happen but when I was talking about connecting the red and red/white together was when I was thinking you were getting rid of the amp meter and replacing it with a volt meter. Doing this an still having the amp meter installed will mean the amp meter will not work. Nothing bad will happen but it will have the same potential on both sides of the meter

Then later got to thinking more (getting my self in trouble) and by connecting the meter to the red will keep the meter always ON reading battery voltage. This is why I mentioned it should be connected to the white wire

So I guess to clarify, do you have an amp and volt meter?

 

[Mark72233]

Volt meter and it is only on when I turn the key on. I will double check when I get home

 

[Mark72233]

Ok, couldn't wait so went home and sure enough both gauges are on, ready 12 volts with no key in or on. I pulled the red wires on both gauges and both go dead but are also dead when I turn the key to on. So what's a solution. Ok going back to Amp gauge idea. Just kidding I want to stay with the matching volt gauges.