I discovered the joys of goo gone. If you use goo gone in small amounts, just enough to drip down in to the tape and wires, it will destroy all that sticky stuff holding the tape on. I used it for everything now. I believe it's made with citrus oil so it's not a caustic chemical or solvent. It could make all the difference even if you're just going to cut the tape off, this stuff will save you from all that sticky garbage on your hands, clothes, car, tools. It's just one more little thing to make wire harness redressing less of a chore!
Note: using the seam ripper at 2:28 & 4:20, to protect the wires inside, I insert the ball under the tape to reduce the occurrence of nicking the wire(s) and the pointed side only to separate one layer from the others, then insert the ball side to cut. In addition, to the safety tips in the video, always push the ripper away from your body & body parts to reduce the chance for injury. Thank you for the great video, especially the tape selection information.
Awesome video. Always left my harness alone but this will definitely complete the look. A video on how to replace broken connectors with new ones would be great too.
The 3M friction tape is the same as the car manufactures used in the 1960s and early 70s, I have a friend that worked in the industry. So it is not a bad choice.
I was looking for advice on removing it from my 08 honda fit safely, however, I just wanted to chime in and show some appreciation for a great video with very clear instructions. Your voice is cheerful too, so it makes this headache with my car less depressing. I've saved the video for later, after I diagnose and replace whatever wires need it. And when I'm done, I'm going to binge watch your channel :) Never stop doing what you do, and thank you.
Awesome video, thanks for all the great tips. Just finished up restoring my wiring loom, the seam ripper really is such a good tool for the job, so glad I seen this before attempting it.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm in the process of replacing the coil pack wiring harness on my 1.8 T Jetta on a longitudinal engine. This was very helpful.
This video was everything I was looking for; it's all the information I needed. I can't thank you enough for providing this information. A lot of it is common sense, but it's nice to see someone who's actually doing it from start to finish.
I sometimes find that the wire insulator has cracked near the connector, especially in high-heat areas. Examples of this would be Coil Pack Connectors and Headlight Connectors. Instead of cutting the wires, I first attempt to de-pin the connector and cover with Marine Heat Shrink over the individual wires. You can find a box of different sizes available at Harbor Freight Tools. Marine Heat Shrink tubing has an extra adhesive sealing layer inside. When you apply heat to shrink it in place, it seals against the individual copper wire strands, giving it a little extra waterproofing and protection. This is important to note for any areas exposed to rain and weather or that may come into contact with any other liquids.
I remember watching this video a while back. The tape is an excellent idea. Went to amazon and found it but came back to watch the video and used your affiliate link. Thanks for helping me and letting me help you.
Hope you guys love this one! The MK3 wiring is so ugly. LOL This makes a world of difference. Now I am off to go collaborate with Engineering Explained, ChrisFix, EricTheCarGuy, Matt Maran Motoring, Briansmobile1, Classic G Body, and Bleepin Jeep :)
HumbleMechanic Uh oh.. There are two types of people in this world: those who love wiring and those who despise it. You're definitely in the better half. Pretty sure I'm not.
HumbleMechanic That friction tape looks like stick/hockey tape. Used mainly for the blade and handle of a hockey stick... at least where I come from. Also makes a decent water ignorant bandage when paired with paper towel.
+YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit this is spot on. Haha. I think the people that love it have a little bit of a glitch in their brain. And I say that as someone who has said glitch.
Koshunae I'm OK with wiring that goes in a straight line, like an extension cord. It's not hard, it's just that when you look at a billion colorful wires that go everywhere and could burn your car down, it's a little intimidating.
I'm unsure if that's the case with your tape, but I'd use heat resistant tape. These cloth tapes sometimes like to set on fire. I usually do a 'lighter test' on the tapes to see if in case of a short or contact with hot parts, like the exhaust headers, it would set on fire or just melt. Better safe than sorry.
I wrapped my loom with an alternative for about $4 for around 80ft roll that I found in my local department store. It was the only one which was heat resistive there. The original MK4 loom tape would actually set on fire with a lighter and the one I wrapped my loom with wouldn't, so I'm quite confident. But then again, my mk4 loom was pretty crusty, haha
Im about to attempt this on my 94 pontiac firebird... I already know its going to be a headache. I bought the car from someone who likes to tinker with wires, so there was 8 grounds from the loom on one bolt next to the throttle body... this is going to be fun. its going to be so worth it when its done :) It took me 2 weeks to get the car running... rewired the starter, output shaft speed sensor, resistor for the theftlock 2 bypass,Tps,Iac sensors.. I have my work cut out for me..
So happy I found your video. Restoring 72' Monte Carlo with ziebart all over the wiring harnesses... I am also adding an after market wiper delay as well as power window and power door locks. Great advise. Thank you.
The devil is in the details HM. Btw my son texted me yesterday asking if I heard of your channel. Lol. I told I'm subbed to you.i feel like I've let him down by not showing him my world of automotive repair. Hope he starts watching all your videos. I'm confident he will enjoy them.thanks HM for all you do.cheers
Great work.. exactly the same way iam doing it, electrical tape came loose over time, so newer use that in cars, I always use the real fabric tape, the same as used original, that works..
I understand this was a while ago....on an older harness.20+ yrs....testing, insulation missing...use liquid tape instead of actually cutting and butt connections....ya gonna wrap and encase in wire harness tubes... clean job. Great man!! Lastly s check for conductivity before buttoning up Loom
How common is it for the wiring underneath to develop a short or break from re-installation? My car randomly shut off, after the harness was reinstalled (from an auto accident). We found a loose terminal pin, and it seemed to fix issue. But wondering is it easy to damage wires (just from taking out and putting back in).
A note for Canadians: Hockey Tape. Maybe a note for Americans too? Check at the sports sections of stores, if they have hockey sticks, they ought to have black hockey tape, you can get a pack of rolls at a reasonable price.
Noob question: at 7:52, you repair the sliced sheathing by cutting and crimping a butt connector. Providing none/not many wires are cut also, why not leave the original wire intact and only use liquid tape to seal the gap?
I have seen that friction tape get very sticky and ugly when used in the engine bay because of heat, so i usually use the plastic shielding outside normal tape as oem wiring...
I always use self-amalgamating tape : uv resistant, totally waterproof and weather resistant. Be sure to wrap the electrical wire first with a thin tape so the s.a.t. won’t amalgamate with the wiring. Handy when you have to get to any wiring for repairs.
Excellent video Question tho please I have purchased a selespeed harness which is the same part number but one connector is different fitting Can I cut off this connector and fit the one from my old harness obviously making sure wires go to same contacts
Any tips on preventing ignition coil connector wires from becoming brittle and cracking. Are there any type of sprays that can be applied to the wire insulation to help it last longer. Thanks
Yeah definitely dealt with my fair share of original car harnesses oldest probably a 1957 Pontiac bonneville and someone has always messed with them got to love the hours of fixing problems and rebuilding them it has got to the point of therapeutic but it flips between that and all out rage while fixing 95 problems under the dash of a 79 trans am that’s us 5 radios police scanners and led lights added lol
I'm working on one now that has a rats nest of random old wires. MULTIPLE window, door locks, radios trailer brakes, LED, wireless key fob receiver, extra alarms, it never ends. I honestly don't know how to proceed. I've just been slowly removing stuff as I come across it.
At 8:00 you are using a heat shrink connector for the repair of the wire. I would have have soldered these together as the copper looked fine. The heat connector will definately leave a bulk underneath the tape.
+MElmo both are perfectly fine. When it comes to wiring vw says no soldier. Ever! Lol If I was doing more than 1 wire, I would stagger the connectors to prevent that bulking up of the connector. It probably would have been okay just to put some liquid shrink wrap on it and tape it. Heck it probably would have been fine doing nothing.
I do not doubt that you solution is fine. It was only because of the bulking I would personally chose to solder the wires as you were doing this for the visuals. I did not doubt you craftmanship. Never :-) I regards to VW saying no solder: why? What's wrong with soldering a wireharness (compared to other solutions)?
LOL, no worries at all. This is a topic like many other that people have "their way" and if done properly, both are right. I think VW stays away from solider because it often times is a worse repair. It also can leave open the opportunity to cause more damage. I have seen more bad wiring repairs with solider than crimps. I have also seen cooked modules due to someone doing a poor job
I've actually seen way more bad wiring repairs with crimps than with solder. Some people even come up with other ways to connect wires that are much worse, like just twisting the wires together and tape it down, or use screw terminals :-o. However, I think the manufacturers never ever use solder on a wiring loom because heating the copper makes it more brittle so it breaks easier. But that's mostly theory, i've never seen a copper wire break next to the soldered connection, unless it was in a position where it is constantly moving (not taped to other wires).
NO SOLDERING??? WHAT???? vw says what??? screw that,they solder everything,ecus,modules, lol!!! having said that, CAREFUL with soldering wires that are to be flexed(door jamb loom!); do NOT allow the solder to PENETRATE through the copper strands to either side!!! this will make the wire rigid as a board,and it will NOT flex; it WILL BREAK; solder it(if you do) FAST, use little solder, with a hundred watt iron!! do not let the solder run thru the wire
I'm trying to replace the wiring from my maf sensor on my 2010 6.6 back to the main connection. How can you connect a new wire into the main connection properly?
That looks like a VR6 in a GTI? I have an R32 that needs some wiring loom surgery, will probably go with the braided sheathing over the harness as well, that is the way to go if you want to add more bling - nice video!
Any tips on where to find a complete with connectors chassis wiring harness for sale for 90 Chevy c1500?? I have been looking for weeks. Appears I may have to use a universal harness because my wires are brittle and connectors as well
Charles, great vid and explanation on how to freshen up the wire loom. I have an old GM truck that needs such a refreshing of the wire looms. One problem I have run into is that the loom coming from the dash and connects to the loom in the engine bay meets at a plastic housing (or block) at the firewall. The pins of each loom meet together in this housing which is filled with a pitch-like substance (i suppose for weather and moisture protection). I would like to remove the substance and clean up the pins before assembling it altogether. Would the WD40 product be sufficient to do the job or do you have a recommendation of another product to use in this case? The space between the pins is quite tight and I doubt if I can get sufficient room around each pin to clean/scrape with a emery board. Do have another solution? Thanks millions.
I come because my wife's friend (single, older, broke) has an 05 Sedona. She had the power steering pump changed. The mechanic noticed a mouse ate through the insulation of "some wires" and replaced the section of bad wire. Now, you guessed it, the transmission slams into 2nd then enters 1 gear only limp mode. She described her issues but didn't mention that it was just worked on. She mentioned that her tach stopped working so (before I knew the back story) I went to change the ignition failure sensor hoping for a long shot fix thinking that might be causing the transmission issues. That's when i noticed all the wiring to the transmission was "new". So my question is: How the world can I diagnose the wiring without a wiring diagram? The mechanic is playing dumb to the repair now claiming her transmission went bad right after the repair. (Well... Not playing) He actually spliced wires and ran new ones so the plug has 1 new connectors inside the housing ran with 6 inches of new wire connected to a blob of the original wiring harness. So it's all plugged in the correct ports but I don't know if he mixed up the pins.
Hey, I’m super new to mechanic stuff, and I want to buy a car/truck with some stuff that needs fixing, so I can buy it for cheaper. Anyway, my brothers say this stuff is super hard to do, but it doesn’t seem to be that way. Do most mechanic shops do this?
i'm trying to fix my wiring harness right now but no mechanic in the memphis area knows how to fix it since it's so old. i have a 1995 pontiac firebird 3.4L engine. and my mom says i have to scrap it. but the wiring harness and the windshield motor are the only two things that are wrong with the car so i've just been trying to watch youtube videos to see if i can try to fix it myself. i really don't want to let this car go.
So I got a 2009 Chevy cobalt lt and the wiper pump isn’t getting any power. Is there a new harness I can buy and rerun it though? I’m not good with wires so I don’t want to fuck with the old ones that look frayed.
do you know or have recommendation to purchase harness for my Chevy Blazer AWD, ENGINE 4.3L AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4L60E WITH PNP SWITCH, O2 SENSOR 1 SENSOR 2, AIR CONDITIONER
Hi, I need an advice please, my engine harness of my camaro got burned just a little piece but some of the wires got burned and that caused the check engine light on so I need to fix it but the whole harness it’s kinda expensive…. What can I do? Can I buy wire and fix the burned part or what can you recommend? Thank you
Hey young man; Thanks for the vid help. I am trying to find a vid/pic on how the factory splices were made. It looks like my durango has a wire mishap involving the crank and cam sensors and the tan/yellow wire to PCM pin 18. I also have issue with 5v from crank sensor to cam. The connection is in a tight space back corner of engine fuel rail and I am slowly pealing tape working towards the splice and do not want to damage. Best; Tom
humbleMechanic if you wanted to actually change one full wire from sensor end to sensor end would you be able to get the exact oem connector for the ends? Or would you just do a butt connector as you did in the video?
On my Intrepid....having starting/stalling problem....a local recommended a engine wiring harness....I cannot find one....can mine be repaired/restored?....
I have a 83 nissan 720, was wondering about the wiring harness, and it has numerous amount of wiring and hoses. I would like to just make it simple, headlights, tail lights, blinkers, and wipers in the engine bay the starter, alternator, battery, and coils and the trucks fuel pump. Everything else is just more of a convenience for those who need it, I bought it for a work truck and reliability, is that a possibility to do? Thanks in advance.
I want to restore my wire harness by changing all the wiring to new wiring. Any ideas where can I get a wiring kit to do so? I have a stock sr20de. I just want to do the engine harness
Im driving a golf 5 2.0 fsi BLY manual , due to its high mileage I recently fitted a BLX engine on the car. Problem is my old engine was manual, so the wiring harness differs from that of the BLX engine which came from a DSG car. Is there any way I can tap into my old harness and modify it to fit the BLX engine or should I buy a wiring harness built for the BLX engine. NB* My car is still running on the manual transmission
Hey Charles, I picked up an OBD1 VR6 for my Mk1, would like to cam it and maybe Supercharge it in the future, just wonder if you think I should leave it obd1 with stock harness, or convert to obd2 and get a plug and play harness from Eurowise?
He's mentioned before to not do the wiring tight as that'll increase chaffing as the engine does move some and the wiring has to go with it. It's why I always seem to find bad wiring in a poorly repaired from a previous mechanic.
+geruner I don't think the tape I used is. I know they make regular electrical tape in yellow. I do agree that it would get dirty, but do your build your way. I might look for some split loom that's yellow instead. That way you can take t off easy and clean it
My car is a 1988 Mitsubishi Precis LS and I use a tooth brush to clean it... take it to car shows... only I got t boned and am still trying to get it up and running again. The original idea was to see it on a dark highway and tinker without getting a white shirt dirty and went from there. Thanks for the time and reply.
I left a screwdriver in my engine bay and it shorted something. Next thing you know smoke pouring out of the engine bay 😂 Nice electrical fire, burned half of the wiring harness. I spent all of today splicing and soldering, no more issues thankfully. Never again. Put it out just in time.
I've sprayed CRC Electrical cleaner into those plastic housings only to find the spray causing the silicone seal in the bottom of the connector to swell preventing the mating connector to completely engage. Do you find the WD40 product you're using not to be an issue there?
I'm looking for some advice on how to replace my wiring harness in the third brake light area on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT. The third brake light wiring harness where the three bulbs go has melted. I went to change my third brake light bulbs because they were not on and saw that the wiring harness where the three brake light bulbs screw into are all melted and I don't know how that happened. I took it to the ford service department and was told by the mechanic that they didn't have that wiring harness for my vehicle and to check with salvage yards. I still haven't been able to find that part anywhere online or locally. So if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate the help on any advice to get this repair done on my third brake light on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT. Just a newbie diy female that's trying to learn and fix my own vehicle repairs.😊💅🏼
I'm looking for some advice on how to replace my wiring harness in the third brake light area on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT. I went to change my third brake light bulbs because they were not on and saw that the wiring harness where the three brake light bulbs screw into are all melted and I don't know how that happened. I took it to the ford service department and was told by the mechanic that they didn't have that wiring harness for my vehicle and to check with salvage yards. I still haven't been able to find that part anywhere online or locally. So if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate the help on any advice to get this repair done on my third brake light on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT. Just a newbie diy female that's trying to learn and fix my own vehicle repairs.😊💅🏼
Hi man! I'm not sure if you will see this but perhaps someone else will that could give me some insight, im doing my timing chains on my vr6 mk4 12v.. I got everything done and I'm assembling the shifter rod back in, the only thing I'm confused about it the whole shifter rod came out when I was taking it out along with a little wire and I can't find where it connects too, does anyone have a guide or info where I can find where it plugs? Thank you!
I just put a new wire harness on my 2006 Buick Lucerne the connector will hooks up to the starter wire the only wire that don't have no fire to it what could be the problem my car won't say anything or click or nothing
I'm about to tear apart my rally car and go over all the wire harnesses and strip out all the garbage that we no longer need (power window and lock circuits, any auto transmission stuff, air conditioning circuitry, etc etc) and one thing I'm doing along the way is, when looking at a factory service manual wiring diagram, I am writing on every plug I can what the FSM designation for the plug is, so that way in the future if I find a plug unplugged, which I should not after this tear down, I can easily cross reference it and find out what it goes to.
I like! I'm sure this is my problem. Or ECM.I mistakenly attached a purple turn on wire into a purple wire and a white and black wire for my clock,for turn on wire for an after market amp, I dont know why I did the white and black,but I only attached it to the purple wire.And I attached speaker wire to front and back speaker wires,which turned out to be the wrong color wires for the front right and rear left wire.My 2003 camry 2.4 xle JBL audio system has purple and pink wire for the left front speaker and green and blue for the right.i assumed the r speaker was purple and pink,so I attached the speaker wire for both speakers. Actually,the right speaker uses green and blue.Also,the rear right wires for the speaker are red and white,I attached speaker wire to both rear speakers,but actually the left is black and yellow. I frayed off the insulation of all these wires and attached the speaker wire directly to ALL the wires.Once I attached my power wire from battery to amp,it sparked at amp,but did not blow in line fuse of power wire.I sure made a mess of things.Either my ECM is now bad,but there are no burn mark's on ECM,or the wiring I attached the white and black and purple,of my clock to turn on the amp are bad or the front right red and white wires are bad and the left rear red and white are bad.I attached all these wires behind my radio at dash.Question:if you understand everything,if you dont,I completely understand. Should I make new connections to the wires I mistakenly cut into? (Front right and left rear) Thank you so much!
If you were trying to get your wiring harness to look better why did you use the crimp wire connector? Why not solder and heat shrink so you didn't end up with a large lube ?
+Manuel Salvatierra I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. You can tug wires. You have to be careful, but wires as pretty damn strong. Except when you leave something connected and remove the engine. Haha
How do I remove my entire wiring harness like that? I've disconnected from all of the sensors but the harness seems to disappear somewhere deep in the engine bay lol
Back Seat Garage okay, no scissors, a knife works, pliers work, you can get creative with a torch, if you just tie it to something and drive away it may take it out? just kidding!!!
What I did was just pull as much out as I could. I didn't pull anything away from the firewall. I just worked around it. The truth is, that is a super pain in the ass, and it doesn't come out looking as good as when you have the harness exposed. Another tip is to do that with an older roll. That will allow you to have a smaller mass of tape to work with (less tape on the roll). That is how I did it.
Riding off the smaller roll: Split your roll, use a small length of wooden dowel (or a pen/pencil), and roll part of the reel off onto the dowel. If the dowels are cut up just an inch or two long, you can use it about as easy as a short roll of tape, and/or you can cut manageable lengths for the section of harness you're wrapping.
I discovered the joys of goo gone. If you use goo gone in small amounts, just enough to drip down in to the tape and wires, it will destroy all that sticky stuff holding the tape on. I used it for everything now. I believe it's made with citrus oil so it's not a caustic chemical or solvent. It could make all the difference even if you're just going to cut the tape off, this stuff will save you from all that sticky garbage on your hands, clothes, car, tools. It's just one more little thing to make wire harness redressing less of a chore!
Note: using the seam ripper at 2:28 & 4:20, to protect the wires inside, I insert the ball under the tape to reduce the occurrence of nicking the wire(s) and the pointed side only to separate one layer from the others, then insert the ball side to cut. In addition, to the safety tips in the video, always push the ripper away from your body & body parts to reduce the chance for injury. Thank you for the great video, especially the tape selection information.
Awesome video. Always left my harness alone but this will definitely complete the look. A video on how to replace broken connectors with new ones would be great too.
The 3M friction tape is the same as the car manufactures used in the 1960s and early 70s, I have a friend that worked in the industry. So it is not a bad choice.
Most things used in cars from back then werent exactly premium grade
@@americanpride9733 Well then I would think that 3M being a premium product has improved since then.
I was looking for advice on removing it from my 08 honda fit safely, however, I just wanted to chime in and show some appreciation for a great video with very clear instructions. Your voice is cheerful too, so it makes this headache with my car less depressing. I've saved the video for later, after I diagnose and replace whatever wires need it. And when I'm done, I'm going to binge watch your channel :) Never stop doing what you do, and thank you.
Awesome video, thanks for all the great tips. Just finished up restoring my wiring loom, the seam ripper really is such a good tool for the job, so glad I seen this before attempting it.
awesome!
Seam ripper was such a great trip!
Thank you so much for this video. I'm in the process of replacing the coil pack wiring harness on my 1.8 T Jetta on a longitudinal engine. This was very helpful.
This video was everything I was looking for; it's all the information I needed. I can't thank you enough for providing this information. A lot of it is common sense, but it's nice to see someone who's actually doing it from start to finish.
I sometimes find that the wire insulator has cracked near the connector, especially in high-heat areas. Examples of this would be Coil Pack Connectors and Headlight Connectors. Instead of cutting the wires, I first attempt to de-pin the connector and cover with Marine Heat Shrink over the individual wires. You can find a box of different sizes available at Harbor Freight Tools. Marine Heat Shrink tubing has an extra adhesive sealing layer inside. When you apply heat to shrink it in place, it seals against the individual copper wire strands, giving it a little extra waterproofing and protection. This is important to note for any areas exposed to rain and weather or that may come into contact with any other liquids.
I remember watching this video a while back. The tape is an excellent idea. Went to amazon and found it but came back to watch the video and used your affiliate link. Thanks for helping me and letting me help you.
Thank you so much!!! 🙏🙏🍻🍻
Finally some competition for chrisfix
Never
Great job....my grandson NEEDS this done to his 2007 Buick Lacrosse 😞....I wish you were close by❗ Maybe he and I will be up to it before long....🙏
Hope you guys love this one! The MK3 wiring is so ugly. LOL This makes a world of difference.
Now I am off to go collaborate with Engineering Explained, ChrisFix, EricTheCarGuy, Matt Maran Motoring, Briansmobile1, Classic G Body, and Bleepin Jeep :)
HumbleMechanic Uh oh.. There are two types of people in this world: those who love wiring and those who despise it. You're definitely in the better half. Pretty sure I'm not.
HumbleMechanic That friction tape looks like stick/hockey tape. Used mainly for the blade and handle of a hockey stick... at least where I come from. Also makes a decent water ignorant bandage when paired with paper towel.
+YerBrwnDogAteMyRabit this is spot on. Haha. I think the people that love it have a little bit of a glitch in their brain. And I say that as someone who has said glitch.
I have the glitch too. I love wiring and electrical work haha
Koshunae I'm OK with wiring that goes in a straight line, like an extension cord. It's not hard, it's just that when you look at a billion colorful wires that go everywhere and could burn your car down, it's a little intimidating.
I'm unsure if that's the case with your tape, but I'd use heat resistant tape. These cloth tapes sometimes like to set on fire. I usually do a 'lighter test' on the tapes to see if in case of a short or contact with hot parts, like the exhaust headers, it would set on fire or just melt. Better safe than sorry.
+Gatis Girdenis agree better safe than sorry!!
This is high heat engine tape. It's the same thing many German companies use for their engine tape.
I wrapped my loom with an alternative for about $4 for around 80ft roll that I found in my local department store. It was the only one which was heat resistive there. The original MK4 loom tape would actually set on fire with a lighter and the one I wrapped my loom with wouldn't, so I'm quite confident. But then again, my mk4 loom was pretty crusty, haha
Im about to attempt this on my 94 pontiac firebird... I already know its going to be a headache. I bought the car from someone who likes to tinker with wires, so there was 8 grounds from the loom on one bolt next to the throttle body... this is going to be fun. its going to be so worth it when its done :) It took me 2 weeks to get the car running... rewired the starter, output shaft speed sensor, resistor for the theftlock 2 bypass,Tps,Iac sensors.. I have my work cut out for me..
So happy I found your video. Restoring 72' Monte Carlo with ziebart all over the wiring harnesses... I am also adding an after market wiper delay as well as power window and power door locks. Great advise. Thank you.
I just got done doing this to my Celica engine harness. That tape is amazing stuff.
+Kevin Steeno nice!!!
The devil is in the details HM. Btw my son texted me yesterday asking if I heard of your channel. Lol. I told I'm subbed to you.i feel like I've let him down by not showing him my world of automotive repair. Hope he starts watching all your videos. I'm confident he will enjoy them.thanks HM for all you do.cheers
DUDE! That is awesome. Thank you both for the support.
Great work.. exactly the same way iam doing it, electrical tape came loose over time, so newer use that in cars, I always use the real fabric tape, the same as used original, that works..
After watching that I just want to rip the electrical guts out of my van and do the same!!!!! Nice vid
Thank you for this video. I was about to buy a new harness till I found your video.
I understand this was a while ago....on an older harness.20+ yrs....testing, insulation missing...use liquid tape instead of actually cutting and butt connections....ya gonna wrap and encase in wire harness tubes... clean job. Great man!!
Lastly s check for conductivity before buttoning up Loom
Checking before wrapping. 100%!!
How common is it for the wiring underneath to develop a short or break from re-installation? My car randomly shut off, after the harness was reinstalled (from an auto accident). We found a loose terminal pin, and it seemed to fix issue. But wondering is it easy to damage wires (just from taking out and putting back in).
Ive never felt so emotional watching TH-cam
Damaged insulation with exposed conductor @ 5:19 ? The white/brown-stripe wire above your right hand
Your video production quality is awesome.
Hello 🌞Advice, You need to put dw40 in all the car's electrical harnesses to avoid problems in the future 👌🏻 once a year ever
A note for Canadians: Hockey Tape. Maybe a note for Americans too? Check at the sports sections of stores, if they have hockey sticks, they ought to have black hockey tape, you can get a pack of rolls at a reasonable price.
Right, but is hockey tape designed to get hot like good electrical tape in an engine bay?
DE Nichols I tried it on my car, not good at all in engine bay.
But what if I don't want my car randomly slamming other cars into the wall?
Hi, just need yr advice whthr its advisable to re-wire the whole engine harness on my Chrysler Grand Voyager yr 2000.
Noob question: at 7:52, you repair the sliced sheathing by cutting and crimping a butt connector. Providing none/not many wires are cut also, why not leave the original wire intact and only use liquid tape to seal the gap?
Great video, thanks. Do you have any videos where you have to repair corrosion/breaks in an engine wire harness?
I have seen that friction tape get very sticky and ugly when used in the engine bay because of heat, so i usually use the plastic shielding outside normal tape as oem wiring...
I always use self-amalgamating tape : uv resistant, totally waterproof and weather resistant. Be sure to wrap the electrical wire first with a thin tape so the s.a.t. won’t amalgamate with the wiring. Handy when you have to get to any wiring for repairs.
Excellent video
Question tho please I have purchased a selespeed harness which is the same part number but one connector is different fitting
Can I cut off this connector and fit the one from my old harness obviously making sure wires go to same contacts
You are always great I'm from india
India is a lovely country. I would love to visit one day.
Any tips on preventing ignition coil connector wires from becoming brittle and cracking.
Are there any type of sprays that can be applied to the wire insulation to help it last longer.
Thanks
Yeah definitely dealt with my fair share of original car harnesses oldest probably a 1957 Pontiac bonneville and someone has always messed with them got to love the hours of fixing problems and rebuilding them it has got to the point of therapeutic but it flips between that and all out rage while fixing 95 problems under the dash of a 79 trans am that’s us 5 radios police scanners and led lights added lol
I'm working on one now that has a rats nest of random old wires.
MULTIPLE window, door locks, radios trailer brakes, LED, wireless key fob receiver, extra alarms, it never ends. I honestly don't know how to proceed. I've just been slowly removing stuff as I come across it.
At 8:00 you are using a heat shrink connector for the repair of the wire. I would have have soldered these together as the copper looked fine. The heat connector will definately leave a bulk underneath the tape.
+MElmo both are perfectly fine.
When it comes to wiring vw says no soldier. Ever! Lol
If I was doing more than 1 wire, I would stagger the connectors to prevent that bulking up of the connector.
It probably would have been okay just to put some liquid shrink wrap on it and tape it. Heck it probably would have been fine doing nothing.
I do not doubt that you solution is fine. It was only because of the bulking I would personally chose to solder the wires as you were doing this for the visuals. I did not doubt you craftmanship. Never :-)
I regards to VW saying no solder: why? What's wrong with soldering a wireharness (compared to other solutions)?
LOL, no worries at all. This is a topic like many other that people have "their way" and if done properly, both are right.
I think VW stays away from solider because it often times is a worse repair. It also can leave open the opportunity to cause more damage. I have seen more bad wiring repairs with solider than crimps. I have also seen cooked modules due to someone doing a poor job
I've actually seen way more bad wiring repairs with crimps than with solder. Some people even come up with other ways to connect wires that are much worse, like just twisting the wires together and tape it down, or use screw terminals :-o.
However, I think the manufacturers never ever use solder on a wiring loom because heating the copper makes it more brittle so it breaks easier. But that's mostly theory, i've never seen a copper wire break next to the soldered connection, unless it was in a position where it is constantly moving (not taped to other wires).
NO SOLDERING??? WHAT???? vw says what??? screw that,they solder everything,ecus,modules, lol!!!
having said that, CAREFUL with soldering wires that are to be flexed(door jamb loom!); do NOT allow the solder to PENETRATE through the copper strands to either side!!! this will make the wire rigid as a board,and it will NOT flex; it WILL BREAK; solder it(if you do) FAST, use little solder, with a hundred watt iron!! do not let the solder run thru the wire
electrical cleaner also works well for breaking down the glue in the tape, and makes it easy to remove.
"This is a great informative video"
Thanks for the information 😁
I'm trying to replace the wiring from my maf sensor on my 2010 6.6 back to the main connection. How can you connect a new wire into the main connection properly?
What problems could you see if you didn’t fix that wire around 7:45? Could that cause Intermittent errors or ECU miscommunications and stuff?
That looks like a VR6 in a GTI? I have an R32 that needs some wiring loom surgery, will probably go with the braided sheathing over the harness as well, that is the way to go if you want to add more bling - nice video!
Agree.
Any tips on where to find a complete with connectors chassis wiring harness for sale for 90 Chevy c1500?? I have been looking for weeks. Appears I may have to use a universal harness because my wires are brittle and connectors as well
Charles, great vid and explanation on how to freshen up the wire loom. I have an old GM truck that needs such a refreshing of the wire looms. One problem I have run into is that the loom coming from the dash and connects to the loom in the engine bay meets at a plastic housing (or block) at the firewall. The pins of each loom meet together in this housing which is filled with a pitch-like substance (i suppose for weather and moisture protection). I would like to remove the substance and clean up the pins before assembling it altogether. Would the WD40 product be sufficient to do the job or do you have a recommendation of another product to use in this case? The space between the pins is quite tight and I doubt if I can get sufficient room around each pin to clean/scrape with a emery board. Do have another solution? Thanks millions.
I come because my wife's friend (single, older, broke) has an 05 Sedona. She had the power steering pump changed. The mechanic noticed a mouse ate through the insulation of "some wires" and replaced the section of bad wire. Now, you guessed it, the transmission slams into 2nd then enters 1 gear only limp mode.
She described her issues but didn't mention that it was just worked on. She mentioned that her tach stopped working so (before I knew the back story) I went to change the ignition failure sensor hoping for a long shot fix thinking that might be causing the transmission issues. That's when i noticed all the wiring to the transmission was "new".
So my question is: How the world can I diagnose the wiring without a wiring diagram?
The mechanic is playing dumb to the repair now claiming her transmission went bad right after the repair. (Well... Not playing)
He actually spliced wires and ran new ones so the plug has 1 new connectors inside the housing ran with 6 inches of new wire connected to a blob of the original wiring harness. So it's all plugged in the correct ports but I don't know if he mixed up the pins.
Hey, I’m super new to mechanic stuff, and I want to buy a car/truck with some stuff that needs fixing, so I can buy it for cheaper. Anyway, my brothers say this stuff is super hard to do, but it doesn’t seem to be that way. Do most mechanic shops do this?
Well done. Great tips. Thanks for posting.
Subbed good stuff 10+ years in i can tell your legit even learned me a few tricks
Awesome. Thank you 🙏
i'm trying to fix my wiring harness right now but no mechanic in the memphis area knows how to fix it since it's so old. i have a 1995 pontiac firebird 3.4L engine. and my mom says i have to scrap it. but the wiring harness and the windshield motor are the only two things that are wrong with the car so i've just been trying to watch youtube videos to see if i can try to fix it myself. i really don't want to let this car go.
I am looking the engine harness wire for a 2001 Do you have one or how can I get one❤❤
So I got a 2009 Chevy cobalt lt and the wiper pump isn’t getting any power. Is there a new harness I can buy and rerun it though? I’m not good with wires so I don’t want to fuck with the old ones that look frayed.
do you know or have recommendation to purchase harness for my Chevy Blazer AWD, ENGINE 4.3L AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4L60E WITH PNP SWITCH, O2 SENSOR 1 SENSOR 2, AIR CONDITIONER
Were can I purchase wiring and harness for a 2009 Honda Accord V6?
Hi, I need an advice please, my engine harness of my camaro got burned just a little piece but some of the wires got burned and that caused the check engine light on so I need to fix it but the whole harness it’s kinda expensive…. What can I do? Can I buy wire and fix the burned part or what can you recommend? Thank you
Hey young man;
Thanks for the vid help.
I am trying to find a vid/pic on how the factory splices were made.
It looks like my durango has a wire mishap involving the crank and cam sensors and the tan/yellow wire to PCM pin 18. I also have issue with 5v from crank sensor to cam. The connection is in a tight space back corner of engine fuel rail and I am slowly pealing tape working towards the splice and do not want to damage.
Best; Tom
I am trying to find the opens in the left sliding door wiring harness for my 2010 town and country. I need a wiring diagram.
humbleMechanic if you wanted to actually change one full wire from sensor end to sensor end would you be able to get the exact oem connector for the ends? Or would you just do a butt connector as you did in the video?
On my Intrepid....having starting/stalling problem....a local recommended a engine wiring harness....I cannot find one....can mine be repaired/restored?....
Good idea using the seam ripper
Question someone. What can you use to clean oil off wires. My battery keeps dying and have some exposed wires
I have a 83 nissan 720, was wondering about the wiring harness, and it has numerous amount of wiring and hoses. I would like to just make it simple, headlights, tail lights, blinkers, and wipers in the engine bay the starter, alternator, battery, and coils and the trucks fuel pump. Everything else is just more of a convenience for those who need it, I bought it for a work truck and reliability, is that a possibility to do? Thanks in advance.
Should be possible. Try figuring out what features you use and what you don't and try to dig up some wiring diagrams and see what you can figure out!
Thanks for this ! What’s best thing to clean old wiring loom tape please ?
I want to restore my wire harness by changing all the wiring to new wiring. Any ideas where can I get a wiring kit to do so? I have a stock sr20de. I just want to do the engine harness
Im driving a golf 5 2.0 fsi BLY manual , due to its high mileage I recently fitted a BLX engine on the car. Problem is my old engine was manual, so the wiring harness differs from that of the BLX engine which came from a DSG car. Is there any way I can tap into my old harness and modify it to fit the BLX engine or should I buy a wiring harness built for the BLX engine.
NB* My car is still running on the manual transmission
I would like to know the model of tesa tape and the other 3M. .. Thanks
SUBSTANTIAL HumbleMechanic
Tutorial great Thank you very much helpful video. HumbleMechanic
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
Still patiently waiting to see the wookie start.. Patiently! Hurry up
+Mk4 R32 I know!!! Good/bad thing is im tracking so much in September I haven't been able to work on her. :(
HumbleMechanic we will be here when the time comes around, we've now waiting a year.. we can wait a little longer haha! Can't wait tho man!
Hey Charles, I picked up an OBD1 VR6 for my Mk1, would like to cam it and maybe Supercharge it in the future, just wonder if you think I should leave it obd1 with stock harness, or convert to obd2 and get a plug and play harness from Eurowise?
It will have the impact on performance when these striped wires shortening on crankshaft position sensor.
You could also use shrink tubing. That just need a little heat to shrink tight.
He's mentioned before to not do the wiring tight as that'll increase chaffing as the engine does move some and the wiring has to go with it. It's why I always seem to find bad wiring in a poorly repaired from a previous mechanic.
In the right spot, heat shrink is a great option. But remember you have to have an open end for the wire.
You can always split the shrink tube so there's that too.
Do you know if there are tapes available in colors.... my engine has a yellow theme... great to learn of the WD40.
That would get filthy, look terrible, and not be easy to clean. Not a very good idea.
+geruner I don't think the tape I used is. I know they make regular electrical tape in yellow.
I do agree that it would get dirty, but do your build your way.
I might look for some split loom that's yellow instead. That way you can take t off easy and clean it
My car is a 1988 Mitsubishi Precis LS and I use a tooth brush to clean it... take it to car shows... only I got t boned and am still trying to get it up and running again. The original idea was to see it on a dark highway and tinker without getting a white shirt dirty and went from there. Thanks for the time and reply.
I left a screwdriver in my engine bay and it shorted something. Next thing you know smoke pouring out of the engine bay 😂 Nice electrical fire, burned half of the wiring harness. I spent all of today splicing and soldering, no more issues thankfully. Never again. Put it out just in time.
Wow damn!!!
I've sprayed CRC Electrical cleaner into those plastic housings only to find the spray causing the silicone seal in the bottom of the connector to swell preventing the mating connector to completely engage. Do you find the WD40 product you're using not to be an issue there?
I had tested that out a few weeks before making this video, and I didn't run into any issues. :)
How I can reconnect the wire harness to brake switch to my GMC Yukon xl 2016
I'm looking for some advice on how to replace my wiring harness in the third brake light area on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT. The third brake light wiring harness where the three bulbs go has melted.
I went to change my third brake light bulbs because they were not on and saw that the wiring harness where the three brake light bulbs screw into are all melted and I don't know how that happened.
I took it to the ford service department and was told by the mechanic that they didn't have that wiring harness for my vehicle and to check with salvage yards. I still haven't been able to find that part anywhere online or locally.
So if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate the help on any advice to get this repair done on my third brake light on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT.
Just a newbie diy female that's trying to learn and fix my own vehicle repairs.😊💅🏼
I'm looking for some advice on how to replace my wiring harness in the third brake light area on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT.
I went to change my third brake light bulbs because they were not on and saw that the wiring harness where the three brake light bulbs screw into are all melted and I don't know how that happened.
I took it to the ford service department and was told by the mechanic that they didn't have that wiring harness for my vehicle and to check with salvage yards. I still haven't been able to find that part anywhere online or locally.
So if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate the help on any advice to get this repair done on my third brake light on my 2000 ford expedition 4.6L V8 Triton XLT.
Just a newbie diy female that's trying to learn and fix my own vehicle repairs.😊💅🏼
Nice tutorial. Just a tip a pair of latex glove is a must when spraying chemicals. Your skin will thank you later.
100% agree. Or nitrile works even better in many cases
So I blame you for me buying a project car lol. I love it. Should I be afraid of pulling the harness and repairing it? Will I need to remove engine?
You may not need to pull the whole thing. Just portions of it as needed. I wouldn’t pull the engine, just he harness.
Wish me luck I’m doing it tomorrow.
Hi man! I'm not sure if you will see this but perhaps someone else will that could give me some insight, im doing my timing chains on my vr6 mk4 12v.. I got everything done and I'm assembling the shifter rod back in, the only thing I'm confused about it the whole shifter rod came out when I was taking it out along with a little wire and I can't find where it connects too, does anyone have a guide or info where I can find where it plugs? Thank you!
+Mk4 R32 is the wire the reverse light?
Feel free to email me some pics
HumbleMechanic I will do that right now! Thank you so much
HumbleMechanic I sent you an email with some pictures, thank you so very much! This is the last thing I need to figure out before starting up the vr6!
I just put a new wire harness on my 2006 Buick Lucerne the connector will hooks up to the starter wire the only wire that don't have no fire to it what could be the problem my car won't say anything or click or nothing
I'm about to tear apart my rally car and go over all the wire harnesses and strip out all the garbage that we no longer need (power window and lock circuits, any auto transmission stuff, air conditioning circuitry, etc etc) and one thing I'm doing along the way is, when looking at a factory service manual wiring diagram, I am writing on every plug I can what the FSM designation for the plug is, so that way in the future if I find a plug unplugged, which I should not after this tear down, I can easily cross reference it and find out what it goes to.
I like! I'm sure this is my problem. Or ECM.I mistakenly attached a purple turn on wire into a purple wire and a white and black wire for my clock,for turn on wire for an after market amp, I dont know why I did the white and black,but I only attached it to the purple wire.And I attached speaker wire to front and back speaker wires,which turned out to be the wrong color wires for the front right and rear left wire.My 2003 camry 2.4 xle JBL audio system has purple and pink wire for the left front speaker and green and blue for the right.i assumed the r speaker was purple and pink,so I attached the speaker wire for both speakers. Actually,the right speaker uses green and blue.Also,the rear right wires for the speaker are red and white,I attached speaker wire to both rear speakers,but actually the left is black and yellow. I frayed off the insulation of all these wires and attached the speaker wire directly to ALL the wires.Once I attached my power wire from battery to amp,it sparked at amp,but did not blow in line fuse of power wire.I sure made a mess of things.Either my ECM is now bad,but there are no burn mark's on ECM,or the wiring I attached the white and black and purple,of my clock to turn on the amp are bad or the front right red and white wires are bad and the left rear red and white are bad.I attached all these wires behind my radio at dash.Question:if you understand everything,if you dont,I completely understand. Should I make new connections to the wires I mistakenly cut into? (Front right and left rear) Thank you so much!
Nice and neat job. makes a big difference.
?' where does the ground bar go on passenger side coilovers on 2007 dodge charger 3.5l ? Do you know".
Great vid Charles
nicely protect the car wiring. good
If you were trying to get your wiring harness to look better why did you use the crimp wire connector? Why not solder and heat shrink so you didn't end up with a large lube ?
+VGAPR Garage the amount of bulk one repair brings is minimal. Not really much different than solder.
What wire do you use if you need extra wire because I have burned wire
Humblemechanic thanks for share I didn't think about that that really helps me a lot
Awesome
would it be ok to tug on the individual wire in case of any corroded wires?
+Manuel Salvatierra I'm not sure exactly what you're asking.
You can tug wires. You have to be careful, but wires as pretty damn strong. Except when you leave something connected and remove the engine. Haha
I was hoping to learn about shielding, how to repair shielding and other basics of shielding.
Do you have to disconnect the battery when repairing wiring looms?
I for sure would
How do I remove my entire wiring harness like that? I've disconnected from all of the sensors but the harness seems to disappear somewhere deep in the engine bay lol
Back Seat Garage scissors?!?!?! Lol
No, no, no, no, no. Not Scissors! Not the solution! LOL
Back Seat Garage
okay, no scissors, a knife works, pliers work, you can get creative with a torch, if you just tie it to something and drive away it may take it out? just kidding!!!
What I did was just pull as much out as I could. I didn't pull anything away from the firewall. I just worked around it. The truth is, that is a super pain in the ass, and it doesn't come out looking as good as when you have the harness exposed. Another tip is to do that with an older roll. That will allow you to have a smaller mass of tape to work with (less tape on the roll).
That is how I did it.
Riding off the smaller roll: Split your roll, use a small length of wooden dowel (or a pen/pencil), and roll part of the reel off onto the dowel. If the dowels are cut up just an inch or two long, you can use it about as easy as a short roll of tape, and/or you can cut manageable lengths for the section of harness you're wrapping.
I GOT A QUESTION, IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE A 3.6L VR6 TO A 4.0L VR6 ?
90s Benz boys in the houuussssee!!!
Sticky side to sticky side all the way through or just to start ??
Looks good because it’s new but it also looks uneven. Long term I don’t think it will look so good.
How to deal with very thin frayed wires with damaged insulation?