My next project!!

[Hookup1]

There are a number of wire label makers out there. Prints on shrink tubing. May have to invest in one.

On the Molex connector - I have never had to dive that far into my panel wiring to see if there is a connector. I'll look though. Decide later what I'll do.

 

[Ky Grady]

There are a number of wire label makers out there. Prints on shrink tubing. May have to invest in one.

On the Molex connector - I have never had to dive that far into my panel wiring to see if there is a connector. I'll look though. Decide later what I'll do.

I didn't realize I had them until I removed my panel. It was buried behind the side console.
New Wire gave me a second set of labels to put on the boat side wiring as I'm finding the circuits.

 

[Hookup1]

So what did you do? Cut the old panel and harness out and send it to them?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Those are the red/black coming through the molex from the boat side of the existing harness?

Yes the 10 awg red & black are the power feed to the switches.

Hard to tell from your picture. Are the ones that say BATT a heavier gauge than the rest?
If I were you I would take that right to the terminal blocks under the dash (if you have them) and bypass the molex plug and harness.

I was about to do that today on mine but I don't have the proper yellow terminals for 10 awg. I always have everything I DON"T need.....

Everything is working except the livewell.

 

[Ky Grady]

So what did you do? Cut the old panel and harness out and send it to them?

Removed screws, unplugged molex connectors and hand carried it to New Wire. They are in Charleston SC, so I was there already, personally delivered to them.

 

[Ky Grady]

Yes the 10 awg red & black are the power feed to the switches.

Hard to tell from your picture. Are the ones that say BATT a heavier gauge than the rest?
If I were you I would take that right to the terminal blocks under the dash (if you have them) and bypass the molex plug and harness.

I was about to do that today on mine but I don't have the proper yellow terminals for 10 awg. I always have everything I DON"T need.....

Everything is working except the livewell.

12 AWG feeding the panel.

 

[SkunkBoat]

So the bundle of red wires has a molex? or are they bare ends?

You took the old panel out with molex plugs, not just take terminals off the switches?

When I got my panel from New Wire I only had them pre-wire all of the jumpers. I used the online tool to layout the panel. So I just had to plug the existing terminals onto the new switches (had to replace many terminals). So the grady wire colors go right to the switches.

My panel has wires from 3 differnt molex plugs.( There are bundles going aft, forward and down) I unplugged everything and separated out the wires to the panel and taped them into a bundle. Grady had them all intertwinedwith the wires that go from plug to plug.




One thing I notice is that there are no small black grounds ( like for lights and pumps) in the bundles nor on the neg terminal bus. I think they split out from butt splices mid-bundle from 12 AWG black wires.
That has me worried because those connections are hidden. I saw that in the hardtop ground to the spreader lights...inside the pipe, taped together.

 

[Ky Grady]

Correct. I removed the old panel and unplugged the molex connectors. The new panel is just bare wire ends, no molex.



The new panel has all grounds running through each switch and ending with a single black. The old wire bundles were similar, but since I have two bundles and possibly the third small bundle, I have 2 (3), blacks I need to connect to the new black wire from new panel. All accessories were working when I removed old panel, so as long as I connect each accessory wire from boat side of harness to corresponding wire on new panel, and I have my grounds connected, everything should work like it did.



I did away with the macerator circuit and the fuel tank sender circuit, so those wires in the old bundles won't be used. I'm running all new grounds and sender wires from each tank up to the new gauges and bypassing the existing wiring all together.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Yep that bottom picture is grady tapping grounds off the larger black wires.

The black wires on the switches have nothing to do with the circuits. They are only for the illumination of the switches.
So the + wires of the circuits come from the switches and the grounds are "out there somewhere" and return to the Neg terminal bus thru black wires.


Did all your panel wires come from one molex? If I pulled mine out that way I would have three molex plugs with wires looped between them as well as the ones with free ends to the panel.

 

[glacierbaze]

You probably only need one good ground for the light circuit, but if I were replacing that bunch of grounds sprouting off of the single wire, I would replace that connection with a ground bus.
Do you still have your old panel intact, so that you can at least see what color of wire comes off of each switch, to match your new red to the boat side of the connection?

 

[Ky Grady]

All my wires came through the molex, I had no loose ends going to panel. Sent you a PM.

 

[Ky Grady]

You probably only need one good ground for the light circuit, but if I were replacing that bunch of grounds sprouting off of the single wire, I would replace that connection with a ground bus.
Do you still have your old panel intact, so that you can at least see what color of wire comes off of each switch, to match your new red to the boat side of the connection?

Unfortunately no. New Wire disassembled my old panel to use it at a template. I have the wiring diagram in owners manual to go by.

 

[Hookup1]

You got me interested! I can't see not going back in with new Molex connectors - assuming they can still get them.

 

[Ky Grady]

You got me interested! I can't see not going back in with new Molex connectors - assuming they can still get them.

View attachment 33571 View attachment 33572

They didn't offer and I didn't ask. That would be a New Wire question.

 

[Ky Grady]

After talking with SkunkBoat on the phone, (Thank you), I'm taking a different line of thought. My molex connectors appear to be good on the panel side as far as corrosion is concerned, I'll check the boat side, but would think it will be the same. I will put electronic corrosion guard on the plugs before reassembly. Instead of cutting off the boat side molex, I will hook up all my circuits using the old panel side molex to the pigtails of the new panel After separating the harness out from the old panel, it's pretty straight forward. This can be done on the work bench instead of laying on my back in the boat figuring out my circuits. Once done, go back to the boat and plug molex back together and away we go. I hope!!!

 

[Hookup1]

Same conclusion I came to today.

The Molex connectors can't be eliminated on my boat - not enough access. They are available from Digikey though. The harness will be the expensive part.

I think I'll only go half way. I can make and replace all the jumpers. Replace the connectors and re-use the harness.

By the way I found a way to cleanup the wires where the water has wicked in under the insulation. If they are not too bad a Dremel tool with a wire brush and clean them up. May help you with your splicing.



I have everything out to Newwire for a quote.

 

[Ky Grady]

Same conclusion I came to today.

The Molex connectors can't be eliminated on my boat - not enough access. They are available from Digikey though. The harness will be the expensive part.

I think I'll only go half way. I can make and replace all the jumpers. Replace the connectors and re-use the harness.

By the way I found a way to cleanup the wires where the water has wicked in under the insulation. If they are not too bad a Dremel tool with a wire brush and clean them up. May help you with your splicing.

View attachment 33574

I have everything out to Newwire for a quote.

Thanks for the Dremel tip. As I'm assembling and putting ends on, I'll be using corrosion guard on all connections, it's messy, but piece of mind.

I've got a little over $1100 in my panel as a reference to your quote, which includes the back-lit Grady-White logo, which of course is extra.

 

[Hookup1]

Thanks for the Dremel tip. As I'm assembling and putting ends on, I'll be using corrosion guard on all connections, it's messy, but piece of mind.

I've got a little over $1100 in my panel as a reference to your quote, which includes the back-lit Grady-White logo, which of course is extra.

It may be a little late to suggest this but those Molex connectors might be easy and cheap to get. I did a Google search for 15 pin Molex and it sent me to Digikey. Going direct to Digikey is too complicated - too many selectors. If you do this you should have a Molex crimper not just any crimper. The pins have insulation support as well as the electrical connection.

With all the electrical crimp connectors the crimps require a certain type of crimper. Even Ancor. It's not easy to find this out and stores like West Marine might only stock one Ancor tool which isn't good enough for all the connector types on the rack.

One style is for insulated shrink connectors. Crimps in one spot.
Another works with insulated connectors that have wire strain reliefs on them. They have two crimp spots.
A third type of crimper is uninsulated connectors. They have two crimp spots. You could probably use something like this on the Molex connectors.

Edit: This may help SkunkBoat out. Sherico Automotive does sell striped marine wire in different gauge and colors. Not sure if they sell it by the foot anymore.

Striped Multi Colored Marine Tinned Copper Primary Wire - Sherco Automotive & Marine Supplies

Striped Marine Tinned Copper Primary Wire - Sherco Automotive & Marine Supplies

www.sherco-auto.com

 

[SkunkBoat]

As I said before , been decades since I re-pinned molex connectors. In my early life I have done it quite often. You really need the stripping and crimping tools..and eyes...and patience. As you say, they crimp the wire and they crimp the insulation. The stripping has to be exact.
You cannot do it right with a typical terminal crimper. The Navy and NASA have levels of certification to do it right.
There is is nothing worse than an intermittent connection hidden in a molex plug

It also works better with brand new wire not 25 yo boat wire.

As I said to KY, you are better off using properly sized disconnect terminals. You can deal with them one at a time and they are easier to do. Easier to find a mistake too.

Ky is fortunate that his boat has all of the switch leads coming from separate molex connectors. My 265 is not so. Mine still has more wires looping back to more molex connectors.

 

[SkunkBoat]

You got me interested! I can't see not going back in with new Molex connectors - assuming they can still get them.

View attachment 33571 View attachment 33572

OH! you have the old Euro Oval switches. YES. join the 21st century and get etched illuminated Contura switches

FYI, the euro switches were slightly narrower that the Contura. You may not fit 6 across on the same size panel and into the same cutout in your dash.
Measure 5 times, use their online panel layout, figure out what you can do... There are minimum spacing requirements.
You might have to expand your panel and widen your cutout a 1/4" to a 1/2" or maybe ditch the Fuel and an ACC and go with 5 across.

My original was 2 rows 5 across. I worked in 3 rows 4 across but bottom row has no breakers..uses fuse panel.
Didnt have to cut opening but had to move holes.



If you are lucky, you are like KY and your panel will unplug to molex plugs.

I had them do all of the jumpers. DON"T DO THAT YOURSELF. Thats a LOT of connections and they will do a better job than you. Money well spent.

I did not have them do the pigtails into a bundle. I just connected my old terminals back to the new switches.

Now if your panel goes out to molex plugs such that you can just plug it in...that might be worth having them do it. It won't be cheap.