TM wiring on my Champion - older 71 lb MG - Do I need the 12V connection

[kmelford]

I have an older 71 lb Motorguide TM on my 96 Champion. I'm replacing the batteries and noticed there are is a red and orange positive wire. After some research it sounds like it's set up for both a 12V or 24V configuration. I have a few questions I'm hoping some can help me with. Do I need to wire up both the 24V and 12V wires or can I just tie in the 24V wire? Is the orange the 24V connection? Is there a wiring diagram available?

Thanks for any feedback.

[Tx Champ]

If you don't have a 12/24 TM I wouldn't worry about it. Orange is the 24v wire, red is 12v. Make sure your fuse or circuit breaker is adequate for your TM

[kmelford]

Thank you! When I got into it, it turns out that the wiring board at the bow was only only connected to the 12V cable which means I've been running off 12V since I bought the boat a year ago. I changed it to the 24V cable with new batteries and I expect better and longer performance. Thanks.

[Ed R]

Thank you! When I got into it, it turns out that the wiring board at the bow was only only connected to the 12V cable which means I've been running off 12V since I bought the boat a year ago. I changed it to the 24V cable with new batteries and I expect better and longer performance. Thanks.

If your batteries were/are wired the way Reggie's diagram shows, it would not matter if they used the red or orange wire, it would be a 24V system.