Anybody know what this is?

[TomG]

I was able to spend a few precious hours on the boat today working on the new MMI stainless steel standpipe exhaust system (which is going to be fantastic, BTW) and tracing out the electrical system. My boat, a Tartan-30, has the A-4 just behind the mast offset to port and very low in the boat. I have the typical rats-nest of wiring from 30-odd years of use and many of the circuits I've been able to chase down. One of the circuits that has me puzzled is this one:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1df30b3127ccefc438fe2353800000030O00AZM2Thw5cNW QPbz4G/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

It's the white square 8-pin connector in the middle of the picture. I'm thinking it might be the original lighting circuit for the mast lights, but I'm not sure.

Any ideas?

[ndutton]

Eight pins seems like an awful lot for mast lighting. Here's a picture of the corroded 8 pin engine harness plug I removed this past week. 3213
Any chance your plug is from an old engine harness? Where do the wires go? What are the attached wire gauges and colors?

[TomG]

Neil,

My boat had a new/rebuilt Moyer A-4 installed a 3 years ago under the previous owner. I was also thinking that it could be an old engine wiring harness, but it seems odd that when the new engine was installed the old wiring harness would not be used. Like most wiring on my boat, the end disappears into the "great unknown" under the port settee.

[ndutton]

I dunno, your mystery plug is 8 pins, my old engine harness plug is 8 pins, typical mast lighting would be 6 pins at most (anchor, steaming, deck lights, if they all had their own ground), a mast lighting plug would likely have smaller pins than yours.

Wire gauges and colors could be a huge clue. 10 gauge red-orange-black, 14 gauge white, 16 gauge purple-blue-tan-gray should pretty much guarantee it's an old abandoned engine harness.

[Laker]

Looks a bit like the harness on my Boss snow plow , but I doubt that's it.

Laker

[msmith10]

It could be for wind speed/direction. I think mine uses 7 or 8 conductors.

[67c&ccorv]

It looks like the 8-pin connector for the A-4 dash panel.

Cheers!