Engine Harness Upgrade

[Kevin Henderson]

I NEED to do this upgrade and I'm preparing to do so.  I have read the numerous wikis and threads on the subject and I don't really have difficulty getting through a well written schematic.  However, I am also a visual person and would like to see some good photos of the conversion.  There does not seem to be any on the website.  If anyone has photos and descriptions of the engine harness upgrade it would be GREATLY appreciated. TIA

[Stu Jackson]

Kevin, I understand your desire for photographs, but in all the years I've been doing electrical wiring on boats, I've found that photographs are usually not very helpful when it comes to this subject (i.e., wiring parts together).  For "How To" books about basic electrical wiring, you'll notice that photographs are fine for showing tools and parts, but are rarely used for the actual wiring.  They use wiring diagrams for that.

I, too, found the wiring diagrams with the harness article pretty daunting.  To "focus" myself and the work I had to do when I installed my regulator, I developed these sketches which may help you.  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4548.0.html

Let's hope you're one of the last, if not THE last people with older boats who NEED to do this upgrade.

[Exodus]

Stu,

I just had mine done about 6 months ago, so there are still others that need this as well I would imagine.

Jason

[Ralph Masters]

Kevin,
Next time we're at the marina together I'll let you crawl through Ciao Bella and take a good look.  Even looking at it it's kind of daunting.

Ralph

[Ron Hill]

Kevin : You don't need a picture !
I have pulled engines from a C34 3 times and reinstalled engines 3 times and NEVER used the Seaward connectors.  Don't buy them as they are a waste of money!!!

I've written a few articles for Mainsheet and was the one that alerted C34 owners about the wiring harness upgrade back in the early 1990s. 

Take each wire from the old 8 pin connectors and clip them one at a time from each side.  Strip and solder them together (pre-cover each connection with heat shrink) then go on to the next pair etc.  You will never have an electrical problem and never have a need to use the expensive connectors that Seaward wants to sell you.  Do this at the engine electrical panel and at the engine. 

The wiring harness with the connectors was made so it was easier for the production line at the factory.  You will never use them again.  If engines need to be removed you/they will disconnect at the engine NOT the connector.

Hard to believe, but trust me as I've been there done that.  A few thoughts to save you $$ and grief !!   

[Ralph Masters]

Ron, Kevin,
Sound advice.  My boat had been upgraded several years ago by the PO and they put in the connector strip, it sounds much easier to just snip one at a time and solder together and heat shrink then do the next one.  It maybe a bit of a job getting behind the pannel in the lazzert but you can also try to pull the engine control pannel out and have access that way.

Ralph
Ciao Bella

[Kevin Henderson]

Thanks everyone.  Ralph, I hope to be down at the boat this weekend and I would love it if you would allow me to see first hand the conversion/upgrade.  I think it sounds to be one of those things that looks to be more daunting than it actually is.  Heck, if it ever stops raining this winter here in San Diego I may actually have an opportunity to get down in the lazzerette and do some electrical work. 

[Ron Hill]

Kevin : The reason that I was so adamant about not needing a picture is that I found that color codes on the diagrams for the wires did not match what was actually there!!!!(ie. a white may connect into a pink!)

I've stated this MANY times in Mainsheet articles and advised to connect one wire at a time!! 
Been there done that!!

[Kirk Garner]

Hey Kevin, I did mine several months ago and if I can do it just about anybody who can read and is willing to take the time to methodically go thru the process can do it. You absolutely do need to trace the wires though as several on mine were different colors from end to end. One thing I would really recommend is that you open up the aft cabin by removing the port and aft wall partitions (an electric screwdriver is great...... lots of screws!) which really gives you free access to the existing wiring and running the new harness. This would also be a great time to pull and clean the fuel tank (Ron Hill article in Technotes) and replace the fuel lines. Again, sounds much harder than it is and truly worth the piece of mind, you won't believe how much crap is growing in your tank unless it's been done by the po.

Good luck!
Kirk

[mel low]

Kevin
I agree with what others have written. I replaced my harness and fuel hoses this winter.  Kirk is right remove the rear walls and everything is in the open. As Ron said just take one at a time and it will happen. Good Luck

[Ralph Masters]

Kevin,
won't be at the boat this weekend, have to go to Eugene, Or. on business.  Be back the second of april but would be glad to hand you a flash light and beer and let you wonder around and look at wire runs.  I think it's the first step in getting your PQS for the boat.

Ralph

[scotty]

A question for y'all. (with a short preface).  I still have the Amp meter on my control panel.  I'm supposed to change it to a Volt meter (right?).  When I do so, do I have to rewire that circuit?  I couldn't tell by reading the wiki or the forum threads.  Where do I go to find a schematic for this?
Someone started the upgrade on my boat by putting butt connectors at the top - at the control panel.  They did a very clean job,  each of the wires is clean and free of corrosion, and each is separate from the others.  I plan to leave these alone for now.  The engine end still has the old style black taped plug.  I plan to solder these as per the instructions from Ron (thanks Ron).
Please excuse me for saying this again, but I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the information everyone shares on this forum.  It has been a huge help to me.  Thanks Everyone.

[Stu Jackson]

Scotty,

The engine wiring harness "full story" and the wiring diagrams are in the C34 Tech wiki, here:  http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Engine_Harness_Upgrade

The difference between the ammeter wiring and the voltmeter wiring is explained in the writeup and in the wiring diagrams attached to that article.  

I explained the differences between ammeters and voltmeters in the "Ammeters & Shunts 101" topic, here: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6032.0.html, which provides back-links to the Critical Upgrades page and the ammeter discussions.

It's not so much "rewiring that circuit" as it is of taking the ammeter OUT of the battery charging circuit and replacing it with the voltmeter which is easily connected at the panel to any red & black wire (in parallel to measure voltage), where the ammeter was in series to measure the current.  I guess you could say you're re-wiring that circuit...

Read the Gerry Douglas/Seaward wiki article, and if you have any more questions, please ask.

I think most people have trouble getting their heads around that little orange wire between the starter solenoid and the alternator.  The answer to that is discussed in Reply #11, here:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4949.0.html

It sounds like you'll still have to revise some of the wiring at the control panel end, where your new butt connectors are located, to swap out the voltmeter for the ammeter.

[scotty]

Excellent.     Thanks Stu!!