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Can anyone explain what is so special about the short "wiring sub-harness" that connects the speed sensor and pad wear sensors at the back end of my 964 to the main harness? It's a short piece of wire with large round plastic? connectors at either end. See attached photo of what a new one looks like. The part number is 964 612 185 00. I have also included a photo of the old one with visible damage to the sensor side connector, but there is also unseen damage to the large round connector that is part of the sub-harness.
The going rate seems to be around $400 USD for a new OEM harness. Why so much? Does anyone know of a third party product, or has anyone repaired the large bulky connectors when they crack and start to fall apart? If there is no magic to these connectors, why can't a person machine a new one out of plastic? Any help greatly appreciated.
I was considering it as a 3D printer project. Anyone done this before and willing to share their CAD file? I could buy a nice 3D printer for less than the cost of the two sub-harnesses that I need.
Well I have been called a perfectionist so if that makes me OCD, then I am guilty as charged. However, I am not insane and I consider spending $400 USD for a short piece of wire to be insane. I would like my 964 to be as original as possible, but it is here that I draw the line. I have no trouble with using non OEM parts or building something myself. My main concern is that electrically it functions as Porsche intended and since I am not an electrical engineer, I have to wonder why Porsche chose such a large, bulky connector in the first place? Was it to eliminate electrical interference? So this is why I posted here and on Pelican to see what others may have done to solve the problem. I would love to hear from someone who was fixed, or bypassed/jumpered this connector with success. But if I don't hear from anyone who has "been there and done that" then I guess I will have to be the guinea pig. I will post my results here.
So let me ask you this: I see that you own a 90 964 C2. Does yours have the same setup and the same sub-harness as my C4? If so, what condition is yours in? The connector hides under a black, snap-on plastic protection housing and is located very close to the wheels. Here is a picture of mine.
When I first built my car I wanted everything to be proper. So I connected all the brake pad sensors as the good doctor intended.
However, after my first session of the first track day (of many) with the car, the sensors were toast. they melted away from the heat of track duty, setting off the warning light on the dash. So obviously having sensors was not going to work for me since I did track the car quite a bit.
My solution was to cut the wires on the sensors and join the stripped ends coming from the black snap-on plastic housing using a butt connector. Removed the sensors from the pads and put them in the trash. Problem solved.
NOW - I am very much on top of all my cars and know exactly where things like brake pads, tires, bushings etc are in through their state of wear. So if you are not one to keep an eye on things on a regular basis this may not be the right solution for you. Without the sensor and without periodic inspection your only indication of worn pads will be when you hear some horrible grinding noises every time you apply brakes. By then it's too late and not only will you be replacing pads but also rotors.
I am not too concerned with pad wear sensors. Like you, I would keep an eye on the pad wear and replace before metal to metal contact occurs. But the speed sensor as I understand it, is used for traction control and/or ABS but perhaps the C2 does not have speed sensors? I would want to maintain that functionality.
On another note, I could not believe the low price for pad wear sensors. $8. Is that a mis-print?
I am sure there is a Porsche tax on the harness and connectors. That said I was in a business were we manufactured (outsourced) our requirement for a wire harness, mouldings and connectors. Even runs of 10,000 are expensive taking into account tooling. Good luck with finding a source or alternative.
Don’t know of a way around speed sensors. Possibly finding one from a different car and splicing the connector??
afaik the sensors themselves should all be similar in function. You’d need to find one with the same dimensions though.
There was a time that a short section of the wiring harness with the overmolded (suppression?) connector was available as a repair part. As its the same for the 944, 968, 928, 964 and 993. Then were as a TSB issued and they stopped selling that. I don't remember the reason nor do I have the TSB, I am still trying to find where I saw it.
11-05-2020, 11:23 AM
$400 for a short piece of wire?
