Burnt wires - What to do?

[dbm_nj]

The Exhaust on my 1998 5.0L Mercruiser engine got extremely overheated and burnt the covering on several wires (see photo).
I am thinking of stripping the wires as much as possible then coating each in liquid tape and then wrapping each in electrical tape.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[gm280]

Well that is one way to do it. But if it were mine, I would remove every burnt wire and replace them with the same gauge and color and know it was done right. But that is just my opinion. I don't trust make-shift work and therefore would remove them. But other will chime in here and offer their opinions as well... Just be safe...

 

[Scott Danforth]

I'm with GM280. any job worth doing is worth doing right. I would even search ebay for a used harness and simply replace it.

 

[GA_Boater]

+3 That isn't a cover up and hope fix. Also the copper starts to corrode and becomes brittle after having the insulation burned off, leading to problems down the road. Either splice in new or find a harness.

 

[dbm_nj]

Thanks for your responses - I searched eBay and Google but didn't find any replacement wire harness so I will just repair it as originally described. The liquid tape & electrical tape will only cover 12-18 inches of each wire so I will still see the correct colors if I need to trace a circuit. I don't intend to sell the boat when I am done with it, I will donate it sometime (hopefully) several years from now. I am in my mid-seventies and this will be my last boat.

 

[gm280]

Thanks for your responses - I searched eBay and Google but didn't find any replacement wire harness so I will just repair it as originally described. The liquid tape & electrical tape will only cover 12-18 inches of each wire so I will still see the correct colors if I need to trace a circuit. I don't intend to sell the boat when I am done with it, I will donate it sometime (hopefully) several years from now. I am in my mid-seventies and this will be my last boat.

I am presently buying marine wires to make all new harnesses for both my engine and the control cable. And it is really hard to fine the colors when some are red with blue strip and such. However, you can buy wires and get colored markers and make you own stripped versions and it s simple to do. Marine wire is very easy to buy and not expensive either. So search the net for the basic color wire and make your own stripped versions... JMHO!

 

[Tnstratofam]

One more thing to consider is that by having the outer sheathing now melted off and the wirring underneath contaminated, the wires continuity and load carrying capacity "Could" have been affected. This may cause the devices the wirring is powering or the relays the wirring is supposed to send and recieve signals to and from not to work correctly. Or even work intermittently. For piece of mind, and to keep from trying to chase down a short, I would recommmend repairing the damaged wires. It may be a little time consuming now, but if you coat them in liquid tape and you have a short you're gonna be in a bigger mess I would think.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Thanks for your responses - I searched eBay and Google but didn't find any replacement wire harness so I will just repair it as originally described. The liquid tape & electrical tape will only cover 12-18 inches of each wire so I will still see the correct colors if I need to trace a circuit. I don't intend to sell the boat when I am done with it, I will donate it sometime (hopefully) several years from now. I am in my mid-seventies and this will be my last boat.

you couldnt have looked too hard

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=mercruiser+wiring+harness&_sacat=0

there are 181 results, and of them, about 7 of them for the 5.7 liter.

Here is one specifically for a 1998 boat for under $80 http://www.ebay.com/itm/ENGINE-HARN...644-/111712898051?hash=item1a029b8c03&vxp=mtr

 

[dbm_nj]

Once again thanks guys, but I am going to stick with my original (and cheap) repair method. The boat is 17 years old and is only worth about $6,000 and so far this Season I have spent almost $3,000 on it (Heat Exchanger & entire Exhaust system, plus a new trailer hitch & wiring) and another $600 is still needed to correct the non-functioning diverter solenoids. I've had it!! THE END..