Topic: When refurbishing wiring harness....

[greenjeans]

Can't quite afford a $200 harness at the time so i thought I might re-use mine - since everything worked properly beforehand.    Anyway, I've got most of the old tape stripped and labeled and everything actually looks quite nice with the exception of the starter solenoid and the rectifier.   

When re-wrapping the harness, did you use vinyl (Honda's didn't have adhesive on it) or just a good quality electrical tape - 3M ??  etc...


As for the rectifier, I was wanting to know if there is any part that could be re-painted without screwing anything up.
My manual states very clearly NOT TO DISASSEMBLE it...

[TwoTired]

What bike?

The early selenium rectifiers must not be disassembled.

Electrical tape will work OK.  But, don't rely on it for electrical integrity of internal wire connections.  These should be soldered!

Cheers,

[BobbyR]

If you are re wrapping the wire bundles you can get a Silicone Tape in the plumbing section. It is supposed to be strectched when you apply it. It does a nice job. Connections should be soldered. I am about to get rid of all those bullet connectors. They tend to loosen up over time. I am going to solder them and shrink tube the connections.

[greenjeans]

Yep, I was just going through the existing harness to make sure what was underneath all the factory wrap.
So far, everything is entact and shows no evidence of heat etc.

I'll go check that silicone tape...sounds good.   I might solder some of the connections - others, I'd like to be able to take them apart if need be.

Thanks

[toycollector10]

I've got a wiring harness that's all ugly with electrical tape and it's sticky etc. I thought I would get a large sized tube of heat shrink stuff and try that. Is that a good idea or is there something I haven't thought through?

[Magpie]

I've used heat shrink wrap with good success, you just have to be careful drawing the wires through. One at a time, the larger ends first and a long coat hanger worked well to get the last ones through. I taped them to the wire and then gentley pulled them through.  I used a paint stripping heat gun, like a hair dryer on steroids, to shrink the wrap.
Cheers,
Cliff.

[750goes]

You can buy some electrical wrap - that lets you ADD to your wiring if ever needed, it's like a soft plastic spiral wound length.

Very easy to use and not expensive either..

[leekellerking]

If you are re wrapping the wire bundles you can get a Silicone Tape in the plumbing section. It is supposed to be strectched when you apply it. It does a nice job. Connections should be soldered. I am about to get rid of all those bullet connectors. They tend to loosen up over time. I am going to solder them and shrink tube the connections.

Or, you can replace the bullet connectors with new ones.


http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/connectors.html



I was going to rework my harness and replace/repair/eliminate all the connectors, but I'm thinking more in a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mode now.  Every minute I work on Bikey is a minute I am not riding (or with the family).

Same thing with the spare harness I picked up on EBay.  I was going to refurbish it and sell it, but now I'm thinking of just replacing the regulator/rectifier and start switch connectors, and listing it for sale.

+1 on shrink tubing, BTW.  I love that stuff!


Lee

[bryanj]

In UK its called self amalgamating tape or something like that

[hcritz]

A bit off the subject here...but (If your wife will let you) you can run your entire harness through the diswasher. Mine was in good shape, but just all the years of dirt and such on it. I ran it through about three passes with soap...arranging the connectors where they would get washed out well...then a final pass with no soap to make sure there wasn't any residue left. It really did a nice job...even the bullet connectors were nice and clean.
I let it dry for a few days and they used di-eletric grease on all the connectors...
Harness looks brand new.

[greenjeans]

Yet another use for the dishwasher....

[leekellerking]

A bit off the subject here...but (If your wife will let you) you can run your entire harness through the diswasher.

Fat chance at my house!   


Hmm.  I wonder about the dishwasher here at work???   

[CrisPDuk]

I got fed up with being told off for using the dishwasher as a parts cleaner    So I did the honourable thing, and installed a whole new kitchen, complete with brand new, top of the range washer
The old one is now installed in my garage doing the job it was really born for

Back on topic, I decided to build myself a complete new loom, using the old one as a template, and a wiring diagram from somebody (I forget who) off here to help me eliminate all the 'improvements' my bike's many POs had committed.

Once you sit yourself down and work through it methodically, it's simpler than you think   A hell of a lot easier than doing cars anyway.

The original Honda multi-plugs are easily stripped of their connectors, cleaned and refitted with shiny new ones, see Lee Kellers post above for a source for new bullets, and good quality cable in all the colours of the rainbow is available pretty much anywhere.  The rest is just time, and patience

[greenjeans]

Haven't really found a good source for wire (that would be cheaper than me buying a new harness)
My wiring still seems flexible enough that I could just solder new plugs on there...

[CrisPDuk]

Go for it then, if the wire ends are still copper coloured, rather than black/green, and the cables/PVC coatings are still pretty flexible you will have no problem reusing the existing loom.

95% of the time problems and failures are as a result of corrosion at the terminal ends. The other 5% can usually be traced back to a previous owner

I replaced my wiring because the bike had obviously spent more than one winter in use on British roads, every time I tried to replace a rotten crimp connector I had to splice a new length of wire in to replace the brittle and corroded original where salt and moisture had got in 

Oh yeah, one other piece of advice, oncew you've replaced all your connectors, make sure you smother them in dielectric grease at re-installation time.  That stuff saves you so much grief in the long term.

[CrisPDuk]

PS, this one's a year overdue apology to TwoTired, and slightly off topic;


This time last year on another thread we were discussing the pros and cons of junking the OE fuse box in favour of a modern one that will accept blade fuses, on the grounds that the glass type I was using were continually vibrating apart and leaving me stuck without power

In the end I stuck with the glass fuses for the sake of originality, because I happened upon a great source of proper Old Stock fuses.  I bought a handful of them just in case, but haven't had a single failure all year
The blade fusebox is still there with the same plug end on should I ever need to change, but I've definitely learned my lesson, don't buy modern versions of the original fuses, because those, they really don't make like they used too

[BobbyR]

I personally dislike the bullet connectors. In my company we use lots of connectors since there are large bundles involved. These connectors were used to speed manufacture no enhance connectivity. The only place I see connectors used is on components that need to be replaced on occasion. Having them in the center of a run makes no sense. Every year I clean an tighten them. This year they will be soldered. 

[CrisPDuk]

I have to agree Bobby, I took the opportunity to relace the lines with connectors in the middle with single continuous runs.

It's not possible to remove them all though if you want to be able to change things out at a later date

[TwoTired]

I personally dislike the bullet connectors. In my company we use lots of connectors since there are large bundles involved. These connectors were used to speed manufacture no enhance connectivity. The only place I see connectors used is on components that need to be replaced on occasion. Having them in the center of a run makes no sense. Every year I clean an tighten them. This year they will be soldered. 

The bullet connectors work fine when clean and tight.  But, they aren't made of, or plated with, noble metals, so are affected by atmospheric attacks, oxygen and other impurities, which makes them corrode and increase their resistive contribution to the connection.  Further, the original contact plating isn't very thick and abrasive cleaning doesn't help that coating, making their longevity ever shorter.  Silicon or dielectric grease provides a coating to prevent the elements from changing their connective quality.  Then they work a lifetime (human - nothing lasts forever).  After the clean and treatment, the only things you have to worry about is vibration (which, in theory, slowly relaxes the metal's grip between the components...very slowly).  And, of course, losing the protective coating you put on the connections.  Silicone would be better from the standpoint that it won't mix with any water that may get to it, and it won't change it's properties over time.  A petroleum based grease will eventually stop being grease if you wait long enough after being exposed to the atmosphere.

So, after I clean the connectors, I brush/coat them with the same Dow Corning hi vacuum silicone grease used behind the brake pucks in the front caliper.  Seems to work pretty well.  At least, it has for the last 15 years.

Cheers,

Oh...and thanks Crisipy.