Wiring Harness Repair

What is the proper way to repair old fragile wires on the wiring harness to the engine. I would think splicing in the wires would cause more damage than good. Are the plug spades available on the connectors so that I can repair everything correctly, & should I worry about replacing the wires with the same color for future reference. Are these parts available somewhere, Or would it be cheaper just to buy a new harness?

the answer lies in ....can you solder a wire correctly, and if not can you learn?? or care to??

if not, buy a harness, crimp connections are shit, but the problems with a new harness is that many of them don't fit all that well, and then havn't the correct wires for your modifications if any.....

being an old ET, I found it easier to just redo my own harness outta factory wiring, and it's fine for some 7 years now, almost....

:shocking::shocking:

Soldering want be a problem. I'm assumming that you are refering to using the factory connectors and soldering the wires back to them. On the factory wiring, what do you mean? Are the correctly colored wires available without having to buy a 100ft of each color. I would probably need around a dozen colors to correctly make my repairs to the engine harness.

Thanks

Many of the more common connectors are still available. I think there are some kits put together on Ebay (search Packard connectors or Delphi). The specialty connectors are not available however. In that case, soldering is your best option. Also, the insulation on underhood wiring is rated different than interior.

In the end, by the time you buy all the wire, shells, pins etc., you might be better off with the Lectric Limited stuff (Birds link).

Dust, I have the comment that by time you spend nearly a grand for a harness, you can fix your own shit lots quicker, Jeebus so spend a few evenings just cutting and splicing, there is typically enough wire in the stock harness to do most anything you want especially if you unwrap it, I just UKnife it the length and then redo with that black corrogated shit and some tie wraps when done, thing is, MY car is never ever actually DONE, been a rolling project for 15 years now, and somehow methinks that may continue...eh??

:shocking::shocking::shocking: Hense my comment above about your mods to the car now or in the future......wire in small quantities available for the asking along with connectors for free at most junkyards....get your side cutters, we call them dykes....and go to town.....all the wire in the world....choose a pickup or other large vehicle.....more length....the connectors on my car are all junkyard donations, on account of them being free and long enough tags on the wires to splice/solder/wrap and burry in the harness, never seen untill of course I cut it apart for yet another mod.....

:shocking:

Forget soldering, get the heat shrink tubes with the solder inside. Simply heat shrink the 2 ends, then heat the center until the solder liquifies and spreads. Nothing to it.

Twin_Turbo said:

Forget soldering, get the heat shrink tubes with the solder inside. Simply heat shrink the 2 ends, then heat the center until the solder liquifies and spreads. Nothing to it.

Click to expand...

Price and availability please>>>> slicker than snot on a brass doorknob for sure but buying quantities if not available at Radio Shack can run into time and money....

honestly, I have a time finding any shrink wrap here in Jax....and the price is stupid too.....so I just tape and then stick in the harness wrap, and hell with it, :hi:

Thanks, lot of great suggestions.

I wasn't aware that the electrical insulation for wires for an engine was different, or that there was shrink wrap available with solder in it I have looked at the Electric Limited & Year One harnesses available. Not quite sure which way to go. I have got to do something about my AIC motors relaibility.

www.delcity.net has a lot of the wire, connectors etc, that are needed for automotive work. That might be a good place to start.

Dirtbuster1 said:

Thanks, lot of great suggestions.

I wasn't aware that the electrical insulation for wires for an engine was different, or that there was shrink wrap available with solder in it I have looked at the Electric Limited & Year One harnesses available. Not quite sure which way to go. I have got to do something about my AIC motors relaibility.

Click to expand...

Dbuster, on one of the forums just recently there is a thread about a guy mounting two tbody injectors on a twin AFB/dual quad early chebby manifold....and he noted the twin IAC motors and the problems with them running out of synch on the cross fires, so he ran a pipe in between the two throttle bodies, and eliminated one of the motors.....which makes total sense to me, especially since you are having a hair tearing experience with this type problem.....I know that for instance, I have the same IAC on my early L98 tbody and it's not the fastest reacting thing in the world.....

but can be altered in it's response a bit by some cleaning and WD40....but it don't seem to last long.....

mrvette said:

Twin_Turbo said:

Forget soldering, get the heat shrink tubes with the solder inside. Simply heat shrink the 2 ends, then heat the center until the solder liquifies and spreads. Nothing to it.

Click to expand...

Price and availability please>>>> slicker than snot on a brass doorknob for sure but buying quantities if not available at Radio Shack can run into time and money....

honestly, I have a time finding any shrink wrap here in Jax....and the price is stupid too.....so I just tape and then stick in the harness wrap, and hell with it, :hi:

Click to expand...

Be damned if I know what they cost. 50 cents a piece? maybe more



Anyway, there comes a time when ease of use takes precedence over cheap. With these things it's so much easier to solder up wiring, especially when working in the car. No hot soldering iron to make nice burn holes in your carpet and what not.

Ordinary shrink tubing costs next to nothing, that stuff is dirt cheap!

I am in agreement with Gene and the the rest of you guys here. Repair is far easier and economical. Yes, being the ultra conservative person that I am with this sort of stuff, soldering the connections for extra good measure is what I do. Having said that, there is one hell of a lot of military equipment out there that utilize crimp type connections. When I re-wired RamJet with a custom wire harness for my Accel Gen VII installation. I used the process described in the following link adding standard shrink fit tubing over the top of the splice.

Tyco wire to wire splice


For my money you can take that black plastic corrugated cable tubing that most aftermarket automotive cable harness manufactures use and pitch it.
I did the custom wire harness in the 70 Corvette using quality Nylon (plastic) braided sleeving and shrink tubing. That made for a much cleaner and better harness than using the lousy accordion plastic tubing.

http://www.eis-inc.com/Files/pdf/supplier_showcase_page_downloads/federalmogul/Expando.pdf

Gene, Yes I know you could use a "Western Union splice" with solder and shrink tubing, and do it cheaper, but for my money and my car, I think this is worth the effort.

Bullshark

Bullshark said:

I am in agreement with Gene and the the rest of you guys here. Repair is far easier and economical. Yes, being the ultra conservative person that I am with this sort of stuff, soldering the connections for extra good measure is what I do. Having said that, there is one hell of a lot of military equipment out there that utilize crimp type connections. When I re-wired RamJet with a custom wire harness for my Accel Gen VII installation. I used the process described in the following link adding standard shrink fit tubing over the top of the splice.

Tyco wire to wire splice


For my money you can take that black plastic corrugated cable tubing that most aftermarket automotive cable harness manufactures use and pitch it.
I did the custom wire harness in the 70 Corvette using quality Nylon (plastic) braided sleeving and shrink tubing. That made for a much cleaner and better harness than using the lousy accordion plastic tubing.

http://www.eis-inc.com/Files/pdf/supplier_showcase_page_downloads/federalmogul/Expando.pdf

Gene, Yes I know you could use a "Western Union splice" with solder and shrink tubing, and do it cheaper, but for my money and my car, I think this is worth the effort.

Bullshark

Click to expand...

Yeh, I hear you man, but for this 15 years continued project now....I just do the cheep convenient solution, to be changed later on....inevitable....

:friends:

mrvette said:

Dirtbuster1 said:

Thanks, lot of great suggestions.

I wasn't aware that the electrical insulation for wires for an engine was different, or that there was shrink wrap available with solder in it I have looked at the Electric Limited & Year One harnesses available. Not quite sure which way to go. I have got to do something about my AIC motors relaibility.

Click to expand...

Dbuster, on one of the forums just recently there is a thread about a guy mounting two tbody injectors on a twin AFB/dual quad early chebby manifold....and he noted the twin IAC motors and the problems with them running out of synch on the cross fires, so he ran a pipe in between the two throttle bodies, and eliminated one of the motors.....which makes total sense to me, especially since you are having a hair tearing experience with this type problem.....I know that for instance, I have the same IAC on my early L98 tbody and it's not the fastest reacting thing in the world.....

but can be altered in it's response a bit by some cleaning and WD40....but it don't seem to last long.....

Click to expand...

Gene,

I actually read that thread last night. Steve is the guy that reburbished my TB's. He installed ball bearings in place of the original bushings. He installed them back on the top plate of the intake and balanced the units. He does very good work . I was surprised he didn't recommended that to me while he had the units. I think that my TB's was the test unit for installing the fuel pressure gauge on TB's. He installed a schrader valve where I can hook up a hose for fuel pressure checks. I will probably get the details from him on the mod.

Now if I could get some feed back on my engine problem thread I could sleep better tonight.

Thanks

Herb

Dirtbuster1 said:

Now if I could get some feed back on my engine problem thread I could sleep better tonight.

Thanks

Herb

Click to expand...

Sorry I can't help you much man, just in general but having VERY limited experiences with the Xfire have a couple 6 packs and you sleep very well....

:smash:

methinks that tube running from one to the other and just ONE IAC will finally cure your problem....YMMV but I hope not....

IF you decide to do your own, PM me, and I'll do a thread on it. I have been meaning to do one on automotive wiring techniques, IE, soldering, crimping do's and don'ts. Just have been busy as snot. (I have two customer cars in my driveway, and 3 backlogged)

Thanks Jeff,

It would be hard to justify spending any more money on the engine, until I find out what the problem with it is. Time is not a problem, & with this Ga. heat I can do this inside where it's cool. I need to look around and see if I can find the heat shrink connectors that TT suggested. I would also think that increasing the size of the wire would give me some added protection.A Thread would be nice if you have the time. Sounds like you have your hands full with 5 cars waiting on you.

Herb

My TB harness is now toast. It is now time to make what repairs I can or scrap this CFI. Todays little fire has melted the harness. What type of wires other than used wires can I use to take the engine heat. I'm thinking that I can use electrical numbers to mark each wires to keep them seperated & in order. I called around town & talked to the electrical supply houses, and they said that only a motor rebuild shop might have the wires that will take that temperature. What is the proper insulation needed to take the engine heat. I could call some junkyards to see if they would sell some newer harnesses just to have the correct insulation on the wires. I think I can salvage my connectors to make the best of a bad situation.

Bullshark said:

I am in agreement with Gene and the the rest of you guys here. Repair is far easier and economical. Yes, being the ultra conservative person that I am with this sort of stuff, soldering the connections for extra good measure is what I do. Having said that, there is one hell of a lot of military equipment out there that utilize crimp type connections. When I re-wired RamJet with a custom wire harness for my Accel Gen VII installation. I used the process described in the following link adding standard shrink fit tubing over the top of the splice.

Tyco wire to wire splice


For my money you can take that black plastic corrugated cable tubing that most aftermarket automotive cable harness manufactures use and pitch it.
I did the custom wire harness in the 70 Corvette using quality Nylon (plastic) braided sleeving and shrink tubing. That made for a much cleaner and better harness than using the lousy accordion plastic tubing.

http://www.eis-inc.com/Files/pdf/supplier_showcase_page_downloads/federalmogul/Expando.pdf

Gene, Yes I know you could use a "Western Union splice" with solder and shrink tubing, and do it cheaper, but for my money and my car, I think this is worth the effort.

Bullshark

Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I do, but I do not always solder it. Just depends on what it's for. One good trick is to cover the joint after it's complete with silicone grease before heat shrinking. It will ooze out when shrunk, and act like "ickey pick", the stuff the phone company uses in U/G phone wires to prevent moisture intrusion. It works rather well in all conditions except complete immersion in water for long periods.