Wiring ?

[Taylorman]

So last night im hooking up my new GPS speedometer. Im laying under the dash trying to solder wires together. What a pain in the a** that is. I realized that the wiring under my dash looks like a rat nest. All wires are soldered and all connection are good but it looks like crap. I had to solder 5 grounds together to add my new gauge.
So my question is how do you guys have all your grounds connected under the dash for all the gauges. I have 5 gauges, a rpm window switch, lights and a couple of other things under the dash. I was thinking about trying to clean up the wiring a little. How do you guys have everything wired up under there.

[Squirtcha?]

Can't post any pictures because my rewire will be a winter project. I've been giving it some thought though. Just like you I feel a need to re-engineer things to clean it up some.
I think I'm going to use a terminal strip (like the one on the back of most people's motors) to jumper power and grounds off. Just run power to the first position on the strip and jumper to the next three or four spots (same with the grounds). That way you don't end up with a bunch of leads soldered together in a splice pit. You'd have 3 or 4 nice spots to pick up your power and grounds from.
I think if you take your time, it will turn out to be a nice clean installation.
Currently all my wires are run point to point. I have no terminal strip anywhere. Although it's always functioned, I have to wonder about the integrity of the wires/connectors. I've redone most of the connections at one time or another, but some of the leads are getting pretty short in length, and I hate splices.............
Being in the electronics game for 16 years, I've seen lots of problems attributable to bad splices.

[Havasu Hangin']

Just like a fuseblock for power wires, they sell a (non-fused) distribution block for grounds (no splicing needed).
Save yourself some headaches down the road- upgrade to 8 gauge power and ground wire from the engine/batteries to the new distibution/fuse blocks under the dash, then run you other 12 guage wires to you switches, guages, etc.

[Devilman]

That's the easiest & cleanest way... Friend of mine gave me one of those ground blocks. Screwed it up under the dash and ran a heavy gauge wire to ground it to the engine block. Now, I've got 8 or 10 places to ground things where it'll be a nice, solid ground. The wiring under there is atrocious, just haven't made it that far into getting rid of the rat nest. The fuel pump was grounded to the back of one of the gauges being one example. The fuel pump kept shutting down, that's what prompted me to get the ground block.... Took all of about 20 minutes to complete the job...

[Jetmugg]

As far as my guages, I just daisy-chained all of the grounds and 12V supply wires. This makes it a bit cleaner under the dash, but still not as nice as cleanly routed wires going to a distribution block.
SteveM.

[AZKC]

Just like a fuseblock for power wires, they sell a (non-fused) distribution block for grounds (no splicing needed).
Save yourself some headaches down the road- upgrade to 8 gauge power and ground wire from the engine/batteries to the new distibution/fuse blocks under the dash, then run you other 12 guage wires to you switches, guages, etc.
Ding!!!!
:D

[BrendellaJet]

Is there any harm in using 14 gauge wire instead of 12?

[Taylorman]

This looks like a pretty nice dist. block.
https://shogunindustries.com/Web_store/Graphics/products/groundit.jpg

[Captain no fun]

Hey, scotchcote a 3m product in an orange can, is a snot like brushable sealer for marine use. Use it to keep out corrosion!

[Tom Brown]

Like HH, I use fuse blocks to distribute power but I use two of them. One 6 gang fuse block distributes keyed power and one 6 gang fuse block distributes battery power.
A distribution block handles the grounds nicely.
Break out the P-Touch and label it up with black on clear labels.
Oh yes... I used a small piece of 3/8" plastic board (like Kingboard) to mount everything on so it's nice and tidy.
.... so I guess this is a 'me too' post. :cool:

[Taylorman]

Like HH, I use fuse blocks to distribute power but I use two of them. One 6 gang fuse block distributes keyed power and one 6 gang fuse block distributes battery power.
A distribution block handles the grounds nicely.
Break out the P-Touch and label it up with black on clear labels.
Oh yes... I used a small piece of 3/8" plastic board (like Kingboard) to mount everything on so it's nice and tidy.
.... so I guess this is a 'me too' post. :cool:
So the fuse block for power, they have one circuit breaker for the whole thing or does it have individual fuses for each component?
Where did you get these from?

[Oldsquirt]

So the fuse block for power, they have one circuit breaker for the whole thing or does it have individual fuses for each component?
Where did you get these from?
Kevin, you can do it any way you like, from simple to complex. If you only want one fuse or breaker to cover everything, you can do that. You can buy distribution blocks that allow a separate fuse for every circuit. You can even combine the two by having a main fuse/breaker feeding into separately fused branches. The latter is how most automobiles are wired.

[Havasu Hangin']

I would do both.
The reason is that each fuse/circuit breaker needs to protect against the wire overheating directly in front of it. For example, if one of the 12 gauge wires grounded, it may not carry enough current to the main breaker to trip it. Then...you have a fire on the 12 gauge wire.
A fuse block would just trip that fuse before the wire overheated.
The main circuit breaker would trip if the 8 gauge wire got grounded.

[Oldsquirt]

Here's a link to a possible supplier. I have seen some of their products at West Marine.Ancor Products (http://www.ancorproducts.com/)
Go into "products" and the "fuses". They have a neat little 6-gang fuse block that includes a multi-connector ground terminal. You can also find various size fuse blocks at you local auto parts outlet.

[Oldsquirt]

I would do both.
I agree. Even the majority of simple 18-19 foot jetboats have at least a circuit breaker at the engine terminal block with a further fuse at the ignition switch. Separate fuse to protect each branch adds to the level of protection.
By the way, what is the "official" ruling on wire ties per inch of harness? :)

[Havasu Hangin']

By the way, what is the "official" ruling on wire ties per inch of harness? :)
I guess it depends on whether your using the "DCB scale" or not?
:cool: