Trying to find connector

[steveinusa]

I have a yanmar 2gm and panel but no wires. Making my own wiring harness but having trouble finding decent male/female connectors or plugs.
Probably need 6 conductor plugs;
12 v power from Bat.
Ground
Starter solenoid
Oil press
Water temp
Rpm
Anyone know of a supplier and / or plugs?
Need for behind panel and close to engine.
Thanks for any tips..
Steve

[Bill Seal]

Google Weatherpak (those things under the hood of your car)

[john61ct]

Amphenol-Deutsch better than weatherpack. Check out the LADD website for info https://laddinc.com/products/connector-selector/

[Bill Seal]

Or just splice these things in
Square 6-Plug Trunk Connector Set #47995

[Lancerbye]

Try www.digikey.ca .excellent fast service. I had the 10k potentiometer on my rudder position transmitter go flaky after 10 years and a lot of use. Ordered exact replacement from digi-key on Wednesday and it was delivered up at the top end of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.

[boatbod]

The originals are Deutch connectors, but frankly waterproof butt splices are way better.

[Lake-Effect]

There's any number of multi-pin connectors that could serve in this application, especially if you can ensure the connector is protected from the environment, sealed into a plastic conduit box, or similar.

Besides the connectors already mentioned, a common 7-pin trailer lights connector could work. I've bought some solid "military" styled multi-pin connectors from China that I'm going to try in one application. They seem pretty robust. You could even go with a terminal strip and crimped lugs, as long as the lugs are permanently labeled and documented, or you have matched wire colours.

And so on.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by boatbod

frankly waterproof butt splices are way better.

Maybe for permanent wiring, but not so much when you need to dis-/re-connect.

For higher currents, anyone come across Anderson type waterproof housings at reasonable pricing?

MC4 is a pain, and usually only up to 10GA

[boatbod]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Maybe for permanent wiring, but not so much when you need to dis-/re-connect.

For higher currents, anyone come across Anderson type waterproof housings at reasonable pricing?

MC4 is a pain, and usually only up to 10GA

It's an installed engine not an outboard. How often do you really need to disconnect?

[jimbunyard]

If you only have six wires I'd go with simple individual insulated male and female spade connectors. This can also aid in trouble-shooting down the line; for instance, one can disconnect individual circuits for testing while leaving power connected, impossible with a six gang connector...and spades are fairly ubiquitous and generally interchangeable between manufacturers.

[jimbunyard]

And, just to stir the pot a little, I'd crimp, solder, heat shrink, and Ox-guard (or equivalent) them before putting the harness into service...of course I'm just old school, know how to solder and loathe connecter-rooted electrical problems...

[john61ct]

Solder can be counter-productive, especially in a use case with vibration.

A good crimp eliminates the need for anything else, and since the strands are all solid-fused with zero air gap, no water, much less solder could even get in there anyway.

[jamhass]

Good quality trailer connectors work well, seal with a little dielectric grease and appropriately sized heat shrink tubing and they will serve nicely. If/when you need to disconnect, just cut the seal and reseal when done.

[thunderhoof]

+1 on the trailer connectors. They can be found 2-6 wires and 14-10 gauge. I use uninsulated crimp butt connectors for each wire joint with a dab of Ox-guard and shrink sleeve over each. These may not be the best for very low current such as meter wires where gold plated contact connectors may be best if protected against moisture intrusion. In locations where there may be splashing, shrink a suitable size sleeve over the connector itself. The sleeve is easily cut away if necessary.

[micheck]

If you have the Molex ratchet crimper or equjivelent, Molex makes so many combinations of connectors that it'll take three days to read their catelog