Hanging wire with Photos

[crieders]

Any idea what the white wire is for on the port side of the engine
On a different, note, I get no electric at the base of the mast for the steaming light and deck light. Is there a common fuse for them behind the electrical panal? I could not find it.

[Ron Hill]

Cliff : Have no idea what the white wire may have been connected to on the starboard side of the engine??

You haven't listed the production year of your boat, but the steaming and deck light should be attached to the same fuse/breaker on your main electrical panel (nav station).  Look in your owners manual on the DC electric page and trace those wires (they are listed!). 
In boats later than 1987 they will go into a single switches that are ganged to a breaker

A thought

[crieders]

Its 1990, Hull 1022
Its port looking at the engine, facing stern
Nothing is lacking a wire on that side

[Craig Illman]

My THEORY is that someone was looking for a ground source.   

[crieders]

Thats what I thought and I wonder if it should be grounded to the engine, somewhere?

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

I think ypu should trace it out and see where it goes. You could first check it with a meter to see if it has a voltage on it or a ground.

Mike

[Ron Hill]

Cliff : From what I can see, your pictures are of the starboard side of the engine - looking down and looking at the side.
One picture has the air breather and the other has the fuel filter in them!! 

Just don't know of any wiring needed on that side of an M25XP engine. 

[Stu Jackson]

...I get no electric at the base of the mast for the steaming light and deck light. Is there a common fuse for them behind the electrical panel? I could not find it.

The steaming and deck lights have two different switches and fuses on my 1986 electrical panel.  If you have a later panel, they'd have separate breakers.

[Ken Juul]

My guess at the white wire is a ground for something also.  But as said, trace carefully before blindly hooking it back up.  Anything else not working in the cockpit/aft cabin area?

Check the wiring at the base of the mast for loose connections or broken wires.  Could also be bad bulbs.

[Kyle Ewing]

I had a similar wire on Donnybrook.  It turned out to be a ground for an old loran or gps. 

[Stephen Butler]

Ours was a blue wire and it was a ground for the loran. 

[Ron Hill]

Cliff : I believe that Kyle has the solution, as LORAN needed a separate ground wire.

My LORAN ground wire went to a keel nut, but the engine would have been just as good.