Clearly I know nothing about wiring

[blynch]

My green bow light is toast, the bulb is not working and is all corroded into the socket.

I bought a replacement fixture that seems to be the closest replica to the original part that's currently made (boat is a 1994 so I realize the components have changed a bit)

Old on the left, new on the right.




How do I wire in the new part? The old has one black wire and one that looks almost like faintly faded green (hard to see in the pic). The wires both terminate inside the fixture as shown. The new part has two black wires that plug into where the bulb is.

Can I cut the existing wires and join the new ones to them? If so, how to know which to connect to which?

 

[DennisG01]

In a circuit like this, with a bulb like that, it makes no difference. Good to ask, though!

 

[blynch]

In a circuit like this, with a bulb like that, it makes no difference. Good to ask, though!

That makes it easy, thank you!

 

[DennisG01]

Sure!

The other thing you can do is just crimp female spade connectors on your existing wiring. All the same in the end, though.

 

[Captglasshole]

My starboard nav light is blown out too. Can you send me the link for the one you bought?

 

[blynch]

My starboard nav light is blown out too. Can you send me the link for the one you bought?

Amazon.com

Here it is. It appears to be a pretty exact match aside from the wiring and the different bulb type.

 

[SkunkBoat]

In a circuit like this, with a bulb like that, it makes no difference. Good to ask, though!

yep
If it was an LED bulb it would matter. 50/50 chance you get it right the first time....

If you use an LED replacement Festoon bulb in that fixture then if it doesn't work, turn the bulb upside down.

Amazes me that Perko and Attwood don't make LED versions of their old fixtures. Same housing and screw pattern. That would be too easy....

 

[Fishtales]

Upgrade to the LED lights and change both. Less power use and easy swap out (splice wires and install).

 

[Fishtales]

So many choices out there. Google marine marker lights. Attwood and Perko make some as well.

 

[DennisG01]

yep
If it was an LED bulb it would matter. 50/50 chance you get it right the first time....

Good point - I looked at his pic, but I "thought" it was an incandescent.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Good point - I looked at his pic, but I "thought" it was an incandescent.

LED fixtures usually come with a black and red. Sometimes its a black and white and for some reason the Black is the positive.

 

[DennisG01]

LED fixtures usually come with a black and red. Sometimes its a black and white and for some reason the Black is the positive.

Assuming the manufacturer puts some thought into it...

Black is + in AC wiring... but, yeah, doesn't really correlate to DC. Probably by a manufacturer that isn't really well versed in marine wiring?

Oh, and just to make it even more confusing... yellow is the new black in DC... but not everyone follows that

 

[SkunkBoat]

Assuming the manufacturer puts some thought into it...

Black is + in AC wiring... but, yeah, doesn't really correlate to DC. Probably by a manufacturer that isn't really well versed in marine wiring?

Oh, and just to make it even more confusing... yellow is the new black in DC... but not everyone follows that

"Black is + in AC wiring..." come on Dennis, think about that statement!

Black is "Hot" not "+", there is no "+"

Yellow has always been the "correct" Negative when there is a mix of AC and DC wiring on the vessel. That is to avoid confusion of Black wires.

I think the black & white thing in LED fixtures is a chinese or euorpean thing.
Some of the new fuel senders use the white to ground and black to the gauge.

 

[DennisG01]

"Black is + in AC wiring..." come on Dennis, think about that statement!

Black is "Hot" not "+", there is no "+"

Yellow has always been the "correct" Negative when there is a mix of AC and DC wiring on the vessel. That is to avoid confusion of Black wires.

I think the black & white thing in LED fixtures is a chinese or euorpean thing.
Some of the new fuel senders use the white to ground and black to the gauge.

Hot... True!

Yellow... has it? I thought it was around the mid-2000's that it came on the scene? Or, at least, that's the first I can remember it... But then... I guess nearly 2 decades isn't exactly "new", is it? Man, how time flies!