Alarm tan/blue tracer wire

redlinj

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
277
Is this wire supposed to be HOT at all times? ie. Even with the ignition off? Am I missing something here? I'm attempting to install an alarm kit and found this wire to be hot all the time! Thanks.
 

bman440440

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 4, 2011
Messages
266
normally no... it should be ground... what are you working on? year, make, SN?
 

redlinj

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
277
'82 Grady came with a 3.7 and no alarm switches. Blew the engine and repowered with a late 80's 5.7. which has an engine harness with the tan /blue tracer alarm wire. While hooking up the switches noticed that the wire in question was hot---whether the ignition was on or off! I kinda know how the process works but the wire being hot all the time is puzzling to me.
 

Fun Times

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
9,249
Might have to trace all the wiring for the alarm system the best you can to see where everything seems connected.

Is your alarm the type with the delayed timer of 7 - 14 seconds such as these designs for example, http://www.ebay.com/itm/86047A18-Au...ash=item5d710f6b5f:g:DiYAAOSwjqVZG6Rw&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercruiser-...ash=item5d6bc93786:g:R0sAAOSwA3dYSs5p&vxp=mtr
s-l500.jpg
 

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
43,399
was hot---whether the ignition was on or off!

The wire is hot when the key is ON, but should not be when the key is OFF. Power comes from the purple wire going to the alarm. The alarm ground side is the Tan/Blue and goes to lube, temp and oil.

alarm.jpg
 

redlinj

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
277
Don't have the alarm hooked up yet. Its a sierra alarm kit, but I don't think that should have anything to do with the alarm wire being hot all the time. I have pulled the plug and tested each boat side plug pin with both the ignition off and on. I get no readings on any of the pins. Obviously, the alarm wire is now dead. So it has to be fed from the male plug. I hate to just cut wires and experiment haphazardly, but if I cut the alarm wire on the engine (female) side and splice into the purple on the male side(bypassing the plug) then the ignition when on should feed the alarm wire and cut the power when off. Then splicing the buzzer alarm into the purple wire under the dash should make the setup work as it should. Correct? Or am I jeering rigging everything? Ill see if I can locate the engine serial # but its a late 80's refurbished long block.
 

Bt Doctur

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
19,459
The wire going to the alarm when activated grounds the wire completing the circuit. There is no need to do any of that cutting and splicing. Power comes from the purple wire under the dash with the key on . start there. Then ground the tan/blue under the dash, alarm should sound.then go to the temp/oil pressure/drive res bottle and ground each one, alarm should sound each time
 
Top