Does this take the cake?

[nitpik]

I have had this engine for almost thirty years, and only just noticed this rather strange label on a wire! It is a Volvo MD17C, and this is the wiring harness from the tachometer/rev counter sending unit on the side of the engine.
The blue wire is actually a ground, but how did it get that name?
(This is the original marking from the factory, and I have found the same designation on a spare harness from another MD17)

[44'cruisingcat]

Is it made of bread?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by nitpik

I have had this engine for almost thirty years, and only just noticed this rather strange label on a wire! It is a Volvo MD17C, and this is the wiring harness from the tachometer/rev counter sending unit on the side of the engine.
The blue wire is actually a ground, but how did it get that name?
(This is the original marking from the factory, and I have found the same designation on a spare harness from another MD17)Attachment 147800

I see some English humor there.

Here is how I see it...

In Elizabethan (Shakespeare's) time, there were oaths said that included "God's" and were sometimes used as curses or exclamations.

"God's Body" was an oath (like "dammit" or "dad gummit" or "dag nabbit" are in American slang). Similarly, in Hamlet "God's Body" was said as "Odds Bodikins" (God's Body).

I can see how that would apply IF that ground wire was not properly attached, and a shock received. ZzzzzzzAP!

[Knitcat]

Translate gods from swedish to english: gods(swedish)=goods (english)

Sent from my FRD-L09 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[jjhahn]

I think that the manufacturer has a religious sense of humor and is referring to Earth. The Ground.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, jjhahn.

[Seighlor]

Originally Posted by jjhahn

I think that the manufacturer has a religious sense of humor and is referring to Earth. The Ground.

That, too, was my first thought.

[ValiantV]

I'd be more puzzled about the other two wires with identical markings.....

[Elie]

On an MD17, the tachometer is fed via a special pickup sensor , and the 2 wires are the one that transmit signal to the tach dial.

[jacktheflyer]

So this is a ground wire that connects to the body of the instrument, the instrument light and the temperature gauge. Could it be Ground, something, something, Sender, Body?

[NoTies]

Soak it in wine

[nitpik]

Originally Posted by ValiantV

I'd be more puzzled about the other two wires with identical markings.....

The sensor on the engine block has two connectors, and the two wires transmit the engine speed info. back to the tachometer on the instrument panel. It appears it doesn't matter which way you connect those two wires, hence the lack of differentiation in their labels.

[nitpik]

Originally Posted by jacktheflyer

So this is a ground wire that connects to the body of the instrument, the instrument light and the temperature gauge. Could it be Ground, something, something, Sender, Body?

The blue wire marked "Gods Body" is definitely a grounding wire, and it connects to a substantial, dedicated stud on the engine block, near the rev counter sensor.
The G could well stand for ground, but what about the rest?
Maybe this is a mystery that will never be solved.
As suggested, maybe it's a joke on the part of a Volvo employee.

[nitpik]

[QUOTE=Knitcat;2393332]Translate gods from swedish to english: gods(swedish)=goods (english)

Thanks for the translation, but "Goods Body" is not makng any more sense to me.

[CaptTom]

I'm thinking just a poor translation to English. That also explains using "Rev" instead of "Tach".

Yes, the tach shows revs (revolutions) but it's not very common to use it this way. You may say "rev it up" but rarely "let's connect up the rev wire."

Even a good Swedish-to-English dictionary may not get to that level of subtlety.

For all we know, what we call "ground" (US English) or "earth" (UK English) may be something more akin to "body" in Swedish. It would make about as much sense.

It could be worse. It could be poorly translated from Chinese. I see WAY too many of those!