Goughary

In the beginning stages of an engine rebuild - got the wiring harness off and one of the thick main wires - not the big ground that attaches to the block, but that same wire on the other side of the harness - the casing has melted off, someone used black electrical tape in the past and that has turned to hard melted plastic - the wire is slightly damaged.

Is the fix there to coat the wire with a high-temp coating? cut the end off and re-attach the copper fitting to the end (I assume the length is right and can't be shortened without causing me probs). is this just another ground? or is this side a live side?

How do I fix? Wiring harnesses are expensive...

Rocket Rob

I would try heat shrink tubing. Can you post a photo of the area and damage?

Goughary

yeah - I'll post a pic - at work now - so will have to do that later.

On another note - It's amazing how much stuff you find when you pull the engine that can be in there, that would never be found during a PPI. Talk about buyer beware...Thankfully, all the other stuff I am finding that was fixed badly or was just not fixed at all, will be fixed...example - there are three bolts sheared off in the block - nothing major I expect - maybe they held on the tins? but clearly they were sheared off years ago, and were left to rust. now - I would expect that if they were supposed to be holding something on, that they should, in fact be holding something on...but someone else clearly felt they werent necessary. lol...

And yes - I'll post pics of those too - maybe someone can tell me what they are...

Goughary

no pics yet - have been cleaning the air intake and fuel intake - but I have been looking for wire-wrap products to fix the wire that melted and I have a question for anyone that would know the answer -

On the side of the harness that mounts to the block - how hot does the block get in that area? I'm looking into liquid tape and shrink wraps, and I am seeing max temps of 275 degrees for the shrink wrap, though it shrinks at 450...I'd rather not have another melting issue, so I'd like to use a tape or wrap that can handle the heat requirement.

Rocket Rob

I had some damage to my cabrio's engine. My buddy and I accidentally hooked up the alternator ground and exciter wires backwards. It burned quite a bit. Fortunately the car and engine are ok. I purchased a used harness from DC Auto for $300. While I have the engine out, I have decided to rebuild it.

How hot does the engine block get? Not sure but at least 250 degrees. That's what oil can get to if you are running really hard.