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I want to build a new engine harness.

jlee

jlee

Lifer
I've thought about this before, but since a failed distributor harness took my car out of service, I may rewire the whole engine bay. The existing wiring is old and crusty and a bit of a mess. Has anyone done this before?

I found GXL wire in 14 colors (I do have to document what I currently have, as I want to retain as close to OEM color coding as possible). Connectors will be tricky, as I would prefer all new ones and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find them. Someone went through a lot of work to create this spreadsheet, though, which will save me an immense amount of time. I should be able to get a spare engine harness as a template/core, so I don't have to take my car down while I'm building the harness.

Any recommendations on loom/heatshrink and a crimper? I want to build this once and never worry about it again. I'm tempted to put an Autosport bulkhead connector in as well, so when I drop the engine I can simply disconnect the entire harness at the trunk wall.
 
The crimper: get the correct one for the contacts. They're sort of, sort of not universal. Be warned that a crimper can easily cost $100.

I'm a bit surprised there isn't a single connector for the harness at the firewall. I'm certain most cars do have them, at least ones where I've paid attention.
 
NutBucket said:
The crimper: get the correct one for the contacts. They're sort of, sort of not universal. Be warned that a crimper can easily cost $100.

I'm a bit surprised there isn't a single connector for the harness at the firewall. I'm certain most cars do have them, at least ones where I've paid attention.
Click to expand...

The ECU is in the trunk and the wiring just passes through the engine/trunk wall. It's not a huge deal to disconnect (unplug from ECU and pull the grommet through) but a single connector would be rather elegant.

I've seen some crimpers in the $30-40 range, but I want a ratcheting one that will work perfectly every time so I expect that will not come cheap.
 
Again, the proper crimper is dependent on the connector. The data sheet for the connector will tell you what the correct crimper is.
 
NutBucket said:
Again, the proper crimper is dependent on the connector. The data sheet for the connector will tell you what the correct crimper is.
Click to expand...

I might end up needing two of them...there are different sized pins in the ECU connector. 🙁

Edit: jfc, please tell me there's an alternative to this!
 
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jlee ... all you need is this Paladin crimping tool .. it can do the Open Barrel type crimp terminals commonly found in automotive use (also in Molex terminals) ... A tool like this the crimp dies can be swapped for use on other connectors.

Paladin 1306 Crimper 1300 Non-Insulated AWG 22-12 ... it runs about $56 or so

http://www.markertek.com/product/pa...82860|pdv|c|&gclid=CJ-UzZzRtswCFYGFaQodZUMPzA

PAL-1306.JPG
 
J,
Not sure if this helps but I saw an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they had a new wiring harness made. In fact there is a video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5uqb_t1z8o

It is probably expensive, but there are places out there that will make a new harness for you. Just food for thought. As I have seen said elsewhere. Read this and take what you will, scrap the rest.
 
Stopsignhank said:
J,
Not sure if this helps but I saw an episode of Wheeler Dealers where they had a new wiring harness made. In fact there is a video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5uqb_t1z8o

It is probably expensive, but there are places out there that will make a new harness for you. Just food for thought. As I have seen said elsewhere. Read this and take what you will, scrap the rest.
Click to expand...

Their organization method is brilliant - I hadn't thought of making a scale diagram and building on a flat surface. Thanks! I only know of one guy who does MR2 harnesses and generally he uses an OEM harness as a core and just refurbishes it. If I do go through with it, I anticipate it to be an incredibly time-consuming project...but hell, what else am I gonna do? 😀
 
I crewed on a race team for ten years. The guy had three Corvettes on the team at its peak. We built the cars. He did the harnesses. All from scratch. Weatherpack connectors with the seals, terminals, everything. It was very tedious work made more labor intensive because for reliability he not only crimped the connectors, he soldered them too.

www.djrace.com
 
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