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Questions about wiring for Battery Relocated to Console
I have decided to relocate the battery on my '86 Montauk/'86 90hp Evinrude from the stern to the console and have several questions about ways to rewire the battery(s). I will have about an 11' give or take, cable run from the battery in the console to the end of the tunnel in the stern. I will probably use 2AWG, based on what I've read on various posts. The + and - leads from the motor are about 6' long. These could be shortened by several feet when the battery is moved .
If I decide NOT to use a battery switch, is there some sort of terminal block I can use, possibly attaching it to some part of the gunwale, to join the + and - from the engine, and leads from the 'housewiring bus' to their counterparts on the new 11' cable? Is there some easy method of joining the cables? I do not want to splice or butt join them.
A battery switch is another option, particularly If I ever wanted to add a second battery. What is not clear to me is exactly what method is used to physically connect the - leads from the engine, 'house' block' and battery(s).
Any light anyone can shed would be greatly appreciated!
The wires from the engine to the battery should not be spliced. They should be one piece.
The only wire that is connected to the battery switch is the positive lead. The switch either makes or breaks the positive wire.
The negative - wire is run to one battery and then another jumper wire to the other battery. This is how the second battery is grounded to the engine and of course the first battery.
Thanks for the reply. Obviously I am very new to this aspect of my boat. Let me try to clairify my issue.
As you noted, battery switches only deal with the positive side of the circuit. Let's say I were to use a simple, on/off switch. How would I physically join the negitive sides, given that the switch does not provide for this?
Sorry to be so confused.
The negative wire should be one piece from engine to battery. That's the best.
It would be your choice if you want to splice it or buy the correct length for the negative cable.
I'm not sure which would be the best way to splice battery cables.
To really simplify, think of the circuit as a big loop, and start with only one battery. When the switch is closed to complete the loop, the current flows out of the positive side of the battery, through a short red cable to the switch, then through the long red cable that's connected down to the engine, then back to the battery negative terminal via the black battery cable. When the switch is open, the loop is broken and no current can flow.
For two batteries, it's pretty much the same. The black (negative) cable comes from the engine and connects to one battery negative terminal, and you also have a short black cable that connects the first battery negative to the second battery negative terminal. Each positive battery terminal has a short red cable that goes to the selector switch, then a long red cable runs from the switch to the engine. The selector switch acts just like the one in the single battery example, but because there are now two batteries, allows you to select only the first battery to be in the circuit, or only the second battery, or both batteries as well as an off position that opens the circuit just like in the first example.
