Calmchaos

I have decided that I don't trust the harness that runs from the DME to all the vital engine parts.

So what I am planning on doing is replacing every wire and pin just in the engine harness. I do not have the mental fortitude to do the lights and accessories harness, that rats nest can burn deep in the depths of hell.

To keep costs downish I am going to reuse the connectors, since those AMP junior timer connectors cost about $10000 a piece. Also, I will reuse the connector for the DME, even though mine isn't white anymore.

I know I can get all the pins from eagleday.com, and I am thinking of using their sleeving as well.
Seen here http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...y_1992_6155328

For the wire, I cannot decide between:
SXL Wire - Cross-Linked Automotive from wiringproducts.com
and
TXL Thin wall seem here http://eagleday.com/neauwi.html

Any opinions here would be appreciated.
I also haven't decided on which heat shrink yet either.
Any if anyone knows of anything better and cheaper please let me know. I'm trying to get the best quality possible without pissing away too much money.

Any input welcome! Even if you just want to call me and idiot! Thanks!!

cegan09

Keep us updated, i've been considering doing the same thing for my car in the fall. I'd be curious to see how hard it is to do.

Airflite40

What are you going to do about the shielded wire parts from the S&R sensors?

I have a spare harness sitting on the shelf that I want to do the same to.

I have used the eagleday metric wires when made a harness for my 928, worked great.

Calmchaos

Well.... uh thats the thing, I just bought a S&R harness from lindsey not too long ago so I don't need to make that. So I won't need any new and innovative ideas there.

J Silverman

Here is some good reading: http://dorkiphus.net/porsche/showthread.php?t=12662

aribop

Page 2. Been there, done that, never again!
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...harness&page=2

Calmchaos

Cool... I love wiring so it won't bother me much. As long as you got it done, aribop, that's good news.
I used to do this with computer power supplies which roughly have the same amount of wires.

What sleeving did you use? And how much did you need to buy? Rough cost? How about the heat shrink?

Thanks!

aribop

Heat wrap
http://www.heatshieldproducts.com/colored_sleeve.php
Shrink tubing
http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/heat...FQ4JPQodZHEvzQ
http://cableorganizer.com/heat-shrink/heat-shrink3.htm
I used a 1" inside diameter length of glue lined heat shrink to keep all the wires together where they fit inside the rubber boot that goes through the firewall.

Good luck. Post pics of your progress. I took some of mine but I can't find them now.

Calmchaos

Good man thanks a lot!

white924s

you might want to also check out newark.com - they have a large variety of automotive-grade wire for decent prices.

Calmchaos

Hey aribop.
How did you get the wires out of the big rubber boot? They seem to be glued in.

Also. I have no idea what gauge wire to get. I know theres 3 different sizes and the two big grounds.
But I have been sitting here looking at the eagleday page forever trying to decide which to get.

I'm thinking about 14-16 gauge for all the normal size wires and 12 gauge for the slightly larger ones.
But I have no idea how big that really is in real life.

I don't see how any of the wires could carry more than 25 amps.

Airflite40

look at the wiring diagrams, it tells you the gauge for each wire.

Calmchaos

Ok I see where they tell you something about the weight of the wire but I'm not sure what their units are.

The ones I circled in the picture are 1.5 RT/GN and 2.5 SW/GE
Now is that number in sq millimeters? Or something else?



Thanks.

theedge

Metric to AWG conversion chart.
http://www.technick.net/public/code/..._awg_to_metric

14-16 is too big for most of it. You can go 20AWG for most things, even 22. For most sensors you can use small sizes. Fuel injectors can be 20AWG too, or 18 if you want. The idle control valve can be 20 or 22. TPS, temp sensors, AFM and all those can be 20 or 22. Same with the O2 sensor. You can go this thin because everything is very low current. Our fuel injectors are 4 or 5 amps peak, the idle valve is 0.5 to 1 amp tops. Sensors next to nothing.

The only things that need a large gauge are the ground wires, go 10 or 12 for that and do two or three wires. The wire to the starter solenoid has to be 10 or 12 if youre replacing that. Fuel pump and coil wiring youll want a little thicker, 14 or 16 should be fine for stock. I dont know the stock fuel pump current draw, my Bosch 044 is about 15 amps so stock is less than that. Same with the stock coil, probably less than 10. My coilpacks are 15 amps each but theyre monsters

The knock sensor wiring is shielded, go to www.aircraftspruce.com for good prices on shielded wire. This is a moot point for you, but oh well.

For heat shrink tubing, go with Raychem DR-25 if you can. Its fuel and chemical resistant, and good to 150+C. This is intended to cover the whole wire.
http://www.prowireusa.com/raychem_DR25.html
http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrinktubing/dr-25.htm

For new Minitimer connector shells, they are very cheap except for the AFM and TPS ones since those are rarer. The big DME and KLR connectors just need Minitimer connector pins. The shells are expensive, but dont need to be replaced since they are inside the car. I would replace all the engine bay minitimer connector shells, they are that cheap and the new ones have a better metal clip that doesnt need tools to remove and cant get lost. They also wont crack like the old ones.
www.kayjayco.com has the shells, pins, and good prices on automotive wire.

Dont solder the wires to the minitimer pins, that makes a weaker connection. Just crimp them well with a good crimper or needle nose pliers. You cant use a crimper made for those crappy crimp connectors from hardware stores, dont try.

Look at the tool on eagleday that they sell for removing the connector pins. The same thing sells at stores for like $10 instead of $70. Harbor Freight probably has it. Make sure to get one, it makes removing the pins from the connector shells MUCH easier. Dont force the pin removal or yank them out, youll ruin the shell and it wont hold new pins in.

Get a good wire stripper. Look for one that grips the wire and the head splits to pull it apart. I think theres a picture on Eagleday. If not I can take one. Theres for sure a picture on Aircraft Spruce.

Calmchaos

I know what kind of wire stripper you speak of, they're great.
And I know to crimp and not solder to the pins.

And thanks a WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE lot for all the great info!! You're the best!