Heavy gauge wire

[CuttingEdgeNY]

I have a project boat that i'm restoring. In the wiring harness there is a heavy gauge, orange wire that goes up to the helm and ends up at the alternator. I'm doing all the wiring at the helm controls now, and need to know what that is usually for. There is a hand full of wires that go to the helm, can anyone tell me the few that I'm missing and correct anything wrong including the heavy gauge orange wire? Here is what they are:

Heavy Gauge:
Red - From Starter Solenoid. Goes to key switch as constant power?
Orange - From Alternator - Goes to ?
Black - From starter Solenoid - Goes to ground for all electronics at helm

Regular Gauge:
Red - ?
Yellow - ?
White - From neutral saftey switch - Goes to ignition switch
Grey - From coil - to tach
Purple - From coil resistor - Goes to ignition switch
Tan - Water Temp Sender
Blue - Oil sender

Also, there is a set of wires that I believe went to the factory (1972) trim tabs. Can anybody tell me how they get wired?
They are: Yellow, light blue, light green, and red


Thanks,
Ken

 

[CuttingEdgeNY]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

Is there anybody out there that can answer any of these questions? Please help!!

 

[NYBo]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

While the color-coding for boat wiring is pretty much standardized, it would help to know what motor and boat you're working on.

 

[CuttingEdgeNY]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

Thanks for the reply. Its a 1972 28' luhrs flybridge and single 1976 chrysler 360 5.9L motor
Thanks Again

 

[NYBo]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

Here is a chart of standard wire colors:

Wiring colors

However, almost anything could have happened in your boat since 1972, even if it started out complying with the chart.

What exactly do you mean by "heavy gauge"- 10 gauge, perhaps?

 

[CuttingEdgeNY]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

Here is a chart of standard wire colors:

Wiring colors

However, almost anything could have happened in your boat since 1972, even if it started out complying with the chart.

What exactly do you mean by "heavy gauge"- 10 gauge, perhaps?

Yes, its probably 10 ga. Maybe like a 1/4" or so. The chart says that orange goes from ammeter to alternator, and distribution panel to accessory switches. Does that mean, that directly from the alternator the heavy orange wire goes to an ammeter, and from the ammeter to feed the switches that control all the 12v systems on the boat, like blower, bilge pumps, nav and anch lights, and radio?

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Heavy gauge wire

Yes, and it is also the same color used between the dash system feed wire (heavier gauge) and the breaker or fuse panel. On my boat there is orange from the key switch to the breakers to the accessory switches. Then there is purple (ignition switched) wire to the gauges and key-on things like radios and sensors. Lastly there is blue to the lighted items. Hope this helps.