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Typical age related damage. Chances are you need to revamp the front of engine harness- undo the 14 pin connector next to the hot post and pull the engine side cover off to take a look at the cores in there and more importantly, just as they leave the connector. chances are the insulation will be falling off some of the cores and the colour will be indeterminate. Also take a look at the colour and condition of the 16mm2 cable entering the hot post- it will probably be brown and look somewhat shabby possibly with obvious cracks in the insulation- also take a look at the alternator end.
On the positive side Roger now does a replacement connector for that 3 core abomination. Whether or not your oil pressure sender is functional remains to be seen. Some of us have replaced that thing with the earlier 2 pin sender that uses simple spade terminals- much easier to work with.
i was reading the 3 pin pressure sender has 1 wire per function it performs. If I replace it for a 2 pin, do you lose any functionality? Any cons to doing it?
the wire harness is a smooth $799 holy smokes! But I guess if I need to replace it it’ll last another 30 years so worth it. What’s an engine side cover? The cover on the pin connector pictured below or like a fender on the car? I read that replacing the wiring harness is relatively easy with the distributor out. Any experience with that? I plan on having the timing belt replaced in 2-3 years and it seems like this job is way easier when the timing belt is changed.
could a bad wiring harness cause AC issues? My AC doesn’t work, when I press the button the left driver fan runs but not the right. I checked the alternator and it works. I still have other things to check for ac but am thinking out loud about whether or not this harness could be the culprit?
i was reading the 3 pin pressure sender has 1 wire per function it performs. If I replace it for a 2 pin, do you lose any functionality? Any cons to doing it?
the wire harness is a smooth $799 holy smokes! But I guess if I need to replace it it’ll last another 30 years so worth it. What’s an engine side cover? The cover on the pin connector pictured below or like a fender on the car? I read that replacing the wiring harness is relatively easy with the distributor out. Any experience with that? I plan on having the timing belt replaced in 2-3 years and it seems like this job is way easier when the timing belt is changed.
could a bad wiring harness cause AC issues? My AC doesn’t work, when I press the button the left driver fan runs but not the right. I checked the alternator and it works. I still have other things to check for ac but am thinking out loud about whether or not this harness could be the culprit?
The ac compressor solenoid is initiated by a cable that runs through the harness- whether or not that is the cause for it not working is a possibility but there are several other possibilities as well. If one cooling fan works and the other does not chances are a motor is down but again there could be other reasons.
The 14 pin connector splits in two- one half holds the wires that feed into the engine bay [thus the term engine side] and the other half holds the wires that feed back into the central electrics. The three pin sender has an extra pin for earth, the other pins being analogue signal and low pressure switch. The two pin sender earths through the body/chassis.
total noob question here omg. I’m trying to confirm whether or not there’s power going to the oil sensor. I thought I’d take my trusty volt meter and poke around but I’m getting nothing. Is the gauge is reading always full wouldn’t that mean there’s at least power?
where do I stick the positive volt meter wire and where do I put the negative? I touched the red to all 3 of the wires in the pic with the negative touching the car body but nothing. Would I need to remove the sensor first to check those wires for power?
Looking at that lot the wiring is toast. The three pin sensor has one of those cables as an earth connection but looking at hte state of the wire it looks as though all three cores are exposed.
Basically you need a new connector [they are now available from Roger], new wiring and quite possibly a new sender. Many of us have used the earlier two pin sender- works just as well.
You shouldn’t be able to make a contact with any wires outside the connector. If you can then you need new wiring!
I found the connector impossible to remove without destroying it. I replaced it by re-crimping wires to three butt connectors which were firm fit on pins, and covered each wire with a little rubber wiring boot which fitted nicely on the sender.
Looking at that lot the wiring is toast. The three pin sensor has one of those cables as an earth connection but looking at hte state of the wire it looks as though all three cores are exposed.
Basically you need a new connector [they are now available from Roger], new wiring and quite possibly a new sender. Many of us have used the earlier two pin sender- works just as well.
for the wiring I’m under the impression that it’s wrapped up with the wiring harness so changing just the oil pressure wiring is basically impossible right?
im going to do some googling but I’ll also ask here, what’s the difference between the connector and sender? In the pic above, which would be which?
for the wiring I’m under the impression that it’s wrapped up with the wiring harness so changing just the oil pressure wiring is basically impossible right?
im going to do some googling but I’ll also ask here, what’s the difference between the connector and sender? In the pic above, which would be which?
The wires go into the plastic connector which in turn pushes over the pins of the sender.
When the wires are in the condition yours are [and that is very common] chances are they need replacing all the way back to the 14 pin connector located next to the "hot post" which is located inside the engine bay, towards the front and on the passenger side of the bay. The wiring is contained in the front engine harness that basically runs from the alternator . This is a common degradation issue. you would do well to undo the 14 pin connector and take a look at the condition of the cores going into it from the engine side. Also take a look at the larger [16mm2] cable that is carried in the loom - the insulation will invariably be a horrible brown colour [it should be read] and may be crumbling and the copper cable within may well be badly oxidised as well.
If the damage is limited to just the three cables going to the oil pressure you can open up the sheath they are carried in to see if you can see sections in better condition that could be spliced. You will then need a new connector or you can make some individual stop gap connections up using red crimp connectors that will push over the sennsor prongs on the sender unit.
The wires go into the plastic connector which in turn pushes over the pins of the sender.
When the wires are in the condition yours are [and that is very common] chances are they need replacing all the way back to the 14 pin connector located next to the "hot post" which is located inside the engine bay, towards the front and on the passenger side of the bay. The wiring is contained in the front engine harness that basically runs from the alternator . This is a common degradation issue. you would do well to undo the 14 pin connector and take a look at the condition of the cores going into it from the engine side. Also take a look at the larger [16mm2] cable that is carried in the loom - the insulation will invariably be a horrible brown colour [it should be read] and may be crumbling and the copper cable within may well be badly oxidised as well.
If the damage is limited to just the three cables going to the oil pressure you can open up the sheath they are carried in to see if you can see sections in better condition that could be spliced. You will then need a new connector or you can make some individual stop gap connections up using red crimp connectors that will push over the sennsor prongs on the sender unit.
thank you for that! I’ll scope out the 14 pin connector ASAP! In the meantime I’ll dismantle the oil sensor, clean and hope it works. How do I remove the connector? Pull it off with my hand until it comes off the pins? Disconnect the wires and Then use a socket to remove the sensor? MOST important, can messing with this do any damage to the car or electrical? I figure if it’s not working already I can’t do any more damage but I always want to double check. At this point my oil gauge isn’t working and that’s not a big deal.
apart from that, I think I’m good to rock and roll! Thank you for your help!!!
thank you for that! I’ll scope out the 14 pin connector ASAP! In the meantime I’ll dismantle the oil sensor, clean and hope it works. How do I remove the connector? Pull it off with my hand until it comes off the pins? Disconnect the wires and Then use a socket to remove the sensor? MOST important, can messing with this do any damage to the car or electrical? I figure if it’s not working already I can’t do any more damage but I always want to double check. At this point my oil gauge isn’t working and that’s not a big deal.
apart from that, I think I’m good to rock and roll! Thank you for your help!!!
As with anything on the electrical system the golden rule is disconnect the battery ground strap before doing anything. The live 16mm2 cable that runs through the centre of the ront engine harness makes an excellent welding machine if and when it is grounded!
Getting that connector off can be a sod of a job- dynamite comes to mind for that task! Leverage is probably going to be needed. Getting at the sender to remove it is also a bit tricky. As I recall I removed the oil filter first to improve accessability.
Before removing the sender you might do well to carry out an in-situ test to see if it is working. Once the connector is removed the pins are marked with their identifiers. M is the earth connection [Brown/green], WK is the alarm [blue/black] & G is the analogue signal [blue/white]. I doubt you will be able to tell the cable colours at all but..? Doubtless the abbreviations will stand for something in German.
You cannot get a socket over the sender and therein lies the access difficulty. You also need to counter hold the fitting the sender engages- it does not mount directly into the crankcase. It is the kind of thing a crowsfoot wrench is useful for - not sure if the fitting is loctited intot he casing- the sender most certainly is not.
When the sender is working the analogue signal should vary between zero and 5 volts as I recall. The alarm is a make/break contact that switches at around 15 psig as I am aware.
08-29-2021, 07:40 PM
Beauty (well kinda)
