Dave951

While I have my engine out I figured it would be a good time to inspect the wiring harness and check the integrity of the wires and connections. So I have a couple of questions related to that:

What gauge wire is used for the majority of the harness? 14gauge? 16gauge?

What type of connector is used where the wire meets the DME harness plug?

If this project gets to out of control I might just end up replacing the majority of the harness.

theedge

I have a big post in here that should answer most of your questions I think.... If not post.

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/426454-ok-i-m-makin-a-friggin-harness.html

Get the wiring diagrams from this link, and whatever else youd like. The wiring diagrams list wire sizes in metric, so you can convert using that link in the other thread.

http://thedge.info/index.php?d=rennlist%2Fmanuals

Dave951

Thanks Brian that post is loaded with great information.

What tool do I need to buy to easily remove the connector pins from the DME connector?

For clarity, is it better/necessary to heat shrink and use a 125*C braided sleeve or just a sleeve or shrink alone?

Fluidplay

Brian - have you started this project ....how's it going? I've been thinking about taking this path for awhile now. Keep us infomed on the progress. Very interested in your success!! Thanks

theedge

I did one harness a while back, wasnt super happy with it. Im redoing it now (had to anyway, so meh) but im taking a more expensive approach, using a pair of Autosport connectors on the firewall instead of the rubber boot. This adds cost and is mostly for my own thing

If youre going to use the stock rubber snout, you cant use all 16 gauge wire, it probably wont fit.

Personally, id just use Raychem DR-25 heatshrink all over. Its more compact and should be just as tough, plus dirt and grime and fluids wont get into it like through the sleeve. That wont harm anything per se, but if you spill oil itll make more of a mess since itll go through the sleeve. I did my first harness with braided sleeve and it was a pain in the ***, and added lots of bulk to the harness.

Use a minimum of the automotive wire from www.kayjayco.com or other places, or if you want to get really fancy you can use Mil Spec wire from www.skygeek.com or a few other places online. Mil Spec is good to a higher temperature, but is a bit more expensive. The both will handle the temps fine, you shouldnt need any special protection if you route it like stock.

If you plan on upgrading your car later on, now is the time to run new wires back to the fuel pump location. The stock wiring is too small for larger pumps. I can explain how to wire it into the stock fuse box, its fairly easy to do and you can get the connectors for it from http://eagleday.com/bladeterminals.html part number 30-296. Ill measure for the correct width tomorrow (out of town right now). Those terminals are the ones that plug into the connectors under the fusebox.

The tool to remove terminals is at the top of http://eagleday.com/bladeterminals.html as well. I found those pair of tools locally for $10 or 12. Makes it easier to remove terminals from the various connector housings.


This is what im using instead of the rubber snout. This is a bit overkill for stock, but good for people going standalone with a custom harness if they want to use them.

Dave951

Brian A+ another awesome post. Can you talk a bit more about the autosport connectors you are using? Whats involved in using them (I dont really know anything about them)? I love the way this organizes the mess of wires and this might be something I would consider.

theedge

Mostly you have to have a good plan for the wiring (if going standalone) so you know how many pins to get and what size pins.

Next up you need to buy one or two mil spec crimpers with turrets and positioners. I got mine off ebay, the crimpers were around $50 each and I needed two, one smaller one for the small pins in the bigger connector in the pic, a larger crimper for the larger pins in the smaller connector. Turrets and positioners are bits that mount to the crimpers to hold the pin or socket that you are crimping in place, they are different for different sizes and styles of pins. These run about $30 each altho there is a universal one that should work.

Other than that, you need money I think those two connectors were $250 or so total. Maybe a bit more. There are cheaper alternatives, but these are weather sealed and the whole bit. I got them from www.m-cal.com, but theyre also available from www.p-r-s.com. On M-Cal it will tell you the part numbers for the crimpers, turrets and positioners that you need.

After that.... Patience to crimp everything

Dave951

So here are my thoughts thus far.

Wire in variety of colors
20AWG - Fuel, TPS, Temp, Misc Sensors
18AWG Shielded - Knock Sensor
14AWG - Fuel Pump

AMP Junior Connectors for 20 - 18 AWG
Female Disconnect and Ring Connectors

DR-25 Heat shrink (1" for the big bundle, Smaller as they route around the engine bay)

Seems like KJCo only has AMP connectors for the larger gauge wire (14 - 16).

theedge

You can use the KayJayCo connectors for thinner wire, you just have to be careful while crimping them. I used needle nose pliers to crimp them onto thinner wire.

For the shielded wire the Shielded Tefzel Wire (24 gauge two conductor) on http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/el/wire.html works great for the speed/ref sensors.

Other than that your plan looks good. I have to figure out the sizes for DR-25 for my own harness still, so I cant suggest much.