I can't believe I couldn't find anything in the archives on this subject. At the 14-pin connector on the passenger fender I have a few wires that are exposed and very corroded. Before I plug it back in, I thought I should probably repair the harness and make it all pretty.

Hopefully it'll be just a matter of snipping off an inch or two and re-soldering the connectors back on.

But just in case, I have a few questions...

1. In case the corrosion is extensive and requires replacement splicing of wire, I doubt I'll find the appropriate color coded wire locally, any recommendations on sources or alternatives? I would prefer someone not say..."Looks like there was a sale on blue wire!"

2. What is the best way to splice the wires? Anyone have a primer?

Any other suggestions would also be helpful.

 

Well I think i found an answer to #2...

http://www.mmxpress.com/technical/connections.htm

 

You can buy metric size wires in many color combinations from www.eagleday.com

 

My starter "Yellow" wire was heavily corroded at the pin inside that terminal. I was able to solder the connection apart, trim 1/2" off the wire, strip a nice clean piece of wire, wire brush the pin clean, then resolder the connection. I had to clean a little excess solder off for the cap to fit again, but it worked well.

I have a spare harness that came off the replacement engine... My plan has always been to get the wire and pins and build a new replacement harness. Now that I've fixed the big oil leak soaking the old one, it may be time to do it. I've bought wire through the supply houses before and they do have special high flex wire good for industrial and automotive applications. Often times you have to either pay a premium, or buy a spool, either way it's more money than you think. I'll do some more research at the local Shields Electric store in the next couple of days... he may have a local alternative.

Even better would be to replace that entire connector with one that was sealed... to stop the corrosion in the first place. Is there a standard AMP connector with enough large pins to do this??? That sounds like a better way, cut them all and use a new connector that is sealed.

Michael

 

For wire and connectors look for an electronics supply store where they can match gauge and perhaps colour insulation.

In our telecom world splicing has to be done as accurately as possible to negate signal degredation (especially with fibre) so follow the process of ensuring the bared wire is very clean, use a good flux and solder to form the connection, seal the joint with shrink wrap, check continuity with a DVM.

 

Andrew, I have an 82 wiring harness that I can donate. There should be every colour or even the connector itself. Maybe I can stop by this weekend.

 

Most of the terminals/connectors/housings on our 928's are found on the PET for the 944. In the electrical section, there are pages with just these parts. Problem is some parts are hard to identify.

Much better to restore the part to original condition, than to modify with Radio Shack type connectors.

 

Andrew - splice, solder & heat shrink them. Stagger the splices over a distance so they dont bunch up and put them where the wire does not flex - soldered positions will be very stiff and if located in a flex area will contribute to wire fatigue around it. In addition to the heat shrink - find some sheathing you can use to replace the factory sheathing you will have to strip back - you will probably have to get it on and bunch it up before you make the splices or at least before you solder back the terminal ends.

In this location you probably want to have the splices in the area under the fender lip where it is zip tied in place.

Alan

 

That would be awesome. I'll be around all weekend except Sat late morning when i take the kids to swimming lessons. You have my number.

 

Replacing this harness is on my list after the injection harness project is complete. I'll probably S-can that 14 pin connector in favor of something better.

 

As Alan mentioned, you should stagger your splices, not only for keeping them from becoming bulky, but also to help prevent shorting should the shrink tubing be perforated on adjacent splices. I would also consider using adhesive lined shrink tubing, it's great stuff. The adhesive melts and seals the splice from the elements. When not using the heavy duty adhesive lined stuff i always double layer the shrink tubing.

 

Andrew - I recently had to replace the wire from the switch in the door jamb (passengers side) to the fuse & relay board. I wasn't able to find an exact color match (brown w/white stripe) so I just used a solid brown from a wiring repair kit found at the local Advanced Auto.

They also had a brush-on sealant called Liquid Electrical Tape that, so-far, seems to do a decent job of re-coating the wire and connections. To rewrap the harness bundle, I used Friction Tape found at Home Depot in the electrical isle.

*disconnect the battery first.

 

Having dealt with this mess (amongst others - my thanks to PO) I'm with Alan on this one - splice, solder, heat shrink!

 

Here's a prime example of PO/stereo installer madness or ignorance gone wild, and the result at least the exposed/obvious part of it.

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In the quest for engineering/design supremacy in the 928, Porsche sized the original wiring at just what they expected for load, with little or no design headroom as far as wire sizing. Fusing is installed fairly consistently on the load sides of things, but it looks like the fuse sizes are for wire conductors in free air, not wires bundled into harnesses with several large-current-carrying conductors simultaneous in the sleeve. Fuses also seem to be sized to the largest conductor in a circuit that needs protection rather than the smallest, so seeing 18ga (equivalent) wiring in a circuit "protected" by a 16a fuse is not that rare in our cars.

Where am I going with this? Make sure your installations, add-ons, modifications, repairs, whatevers to wiring are done with the knowledge that the original stuff was barely adequate for that original service. Additional loads on existing wiring often leads to failures. Repairs that add resistance to a circuit are invitations to meltdowns. "Fixing" a few high-current conductors in the same section of a harness maens that there's a possibility that heat will accumulate from the adjacent "resistors" and risk damage to adjacent conductors as well. If they happen to melt together, collateral damage to distant wiring is a real possibility. This is how nightmare electrical scenarios get started.


[/soapbox mode]

 

For everyone with a 928 check your hot post if it has a black plastic cover great , if not you can order a hot post cover for a 88 S4 fit this over your hot post cover and secure it with the hot post screw on cap this will at the very least slow down the corrosion that starts from having the 14 pin connector gettin wet usually after a nice saturday morning car wash only to find that your shark wont start. If you cover isnt in place disconnect the battery and clean the big wires that are under the 11mm hot post stud and also clean the 14 pin connector with a pink eraser before refitting your new cover