So I decided to finally convert all those 2 prong cords to 3 prong to properly ground some older machines which have had the ground cord cut off or just not wired in. (tired of feeling the 'buzz' on the siderails when not wearing shoes and figured it would help on some minor issues with static sounds in speakers etc.)

I am using this receptacle from home depot which makes life easier as the wire receptacles are labled 'black', 'white' and of course green for the 'ground' which should correspond to the wire sleeves in the power cord.:

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BUT what happens when the wire sleeves are not color coded (only the ground was color coded green)? There is at least writing on one of the wires and the other just black. In the pic you can't see the writing (bad shot) but it is on the other side of the left wire:

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Here is a pic of the inside of the cab where the power cord connects to. The wire with the writng is connected on the far left and the solid black wire is on the far right with ground in the middle:

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So which wire is the one with writing on it considered...black or white?

And what would happen if I accidently wired it incorrectly (i.e. switched the 'black' and 'white' wires)and plugged it in?

Thanks for the replies and clarification!

I did not even realize the textured and smooth side of the wires untill all of you pointed that out!

Ok so will get another cord and just to make sure I connect it correctly to the terminals in the cab could you all confirm that the orignal cord was wired correctly and that this is what I am going to do (black/hot/smooth wire on the LEFT terminal?):

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The only thing throwing me off now is that I see a blue wire coming from the bottom left and a brown one coming from the bottom right. I thought blue was neutral and brown was hot?
Or do those bottom wires have nothing to do with the top ones?

Ok will test when I get back home... Will the test work since it is unplugged?

Great tool for future use thanks!

Well for now, since I don't have an outlet checker I am just going to assume that the cord wiring was properly installed since it was working fine before I decided to add a ground to it.

I now understand the smooth and textured wire coding instead of color coding of the old power cord. The blue and brown wires in the cab just threw me off but for now I will just replace the cord following the existing wiring.

Since it was working fine before, I assume that I don't have to worry about it catching fire or other catastrophe on it just by adding ground right?

Thanks for all the help, I have many pins but I still have alot to learn about electricity (obviously!) .

Thanks Pin-It, very helpful article!

Yes to do it right I should of tested before cutting the cord lol! But glad I learned from this thread, thanks appreciate all the input everyone, I am sure to put this to good use in the future!