Wiring Harness

[gpd955]

Hello,

I have an A4 in my '79 Catalina 30. The engine runs very well, however, I have had some problems when I am out on the water that has me concerned. Once in a while, I turn the key and nothing happens at all! The ammeter moves but the engine doesn't turn over.

An "Engine Guy" that was working in the marina on one occassion when this occured did a check of the engine and determined that I probably need a new wiring harness. He suggested an emergency fix, which I needed to employ the other day and it worked fine. I use a wire with a clip on each end and I bypass the wiring harness by connecting it to the "S" terminal in the solenoid and the "Output" terminal on the alternator and then turning the key. It works every time but I am sure that it isn't the best thing to do!!

Do you have any other solutions or do you agree that it is the wiring harness. If it is, can they be purchased through Moyer Marine.

Jack Manning
S/V Victim of Fate
Atlantic City, NJ
gpd955@msn.com

[Don Moyer]

Jack,

Unless someone replaced it, your Catalina 30 has a long wiring harness between the engine and the control panel in the cockpit which includes three 8-pin quick-disconnects. Two of these disconnects are easily inspected, one being located at the engine, and the other immediately behind the instrument panel.

The third quick-disconnect is hidden under the cabin sole and can only be found by removing the square wooden access panel through which the stuffing box of the prop shaft is serviced and reaching (a couple feet) over toward the galley stove area. In our Catalina 30, this third quick-disconnect was lying in a puddle of bilge water, and the contacts themselves were corroded to the point that two of them pulled apart as I tried to separate the two halves of the disconnect.

Everything electrical that your Atomic 4 needs to start and run goes through these disconnects, including the important primary ignition circuit. If this circuit opens up, it will shut down your engine just as if someone accidentally turned off the ignition switch. I would inspect all three of these disconnects and see if you can clean them. If any of these disconnects are in poor condition, especially the one in the center, it's probably best to replace the whole harness. We have a wiring kit dimensioned to accommodate the Catalina 30 in our online catalog. Here's a link to the instructions which accompany the kit, so you can determine if it's something you're comfortable with doing yourself.

Don