chevy383

Thinking of making my own engine bay wiring harness. Any advice would be appreciated

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

This is one of those "If you have to ask..." kind of things.

Buy/borrow/download a factory service manual. Use quality, OEM connectors and new pins, and long, single wires. If you're cutting and splicing, you're doing it wrong.

ih8speedbumps

Check for some DIY wiring harnesses set-ups, id look at a few different ones before attempting, assuming its your first time, good luck!

chevy383

I have done things like this before. But ive already had to run the IAT and TPS strait to the ECU and now going to have to do the ECT the same way. So i was thinking i might as well just do the whole harness. I am missing the ground on thermostat housing which i was told was main ECU ground. Would this be a factor in any of my surging idle problems that ive been chasing for 2 weeks with no luck? If it wasnt for having problems with all of the sensors i would just leave this harness even though someone has hacked it ti s&@#

chevy383

Just seeing if anyone had any imput before i did it. Any advice on the ECU ground which i cant find in the harness would be appreciated also

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

the input Ive read over the years of people who have done it said they wouldve saved up the cash to have it done.


one guy even pointed out that "it shouldnt be that bad" and afterwards he came to the same conclusion. Save up and buy one.

I got my mil-spec done from a guy in NY whos much cheaper then wireworx or rywire with same quality.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Especially when you start looking into getting firewall connectors and specialized (read: proper) corrosion-resistant looming, it gets really pricey, really quickly. I've made custom harnesses for a handful of vehicles and a boat - the only reason I haven't done it on my car is because, like Esoteric said, the money.

Even if you "save up the money" to do it, it'll still be break-even if not [b]cheaper[/i] to have it professionally done than to try to do it yourself, if you're using the right kind of hardware.

chevy383

What about yalls thoughts on just wiring the engine sensors into the ECU like ive been doing and wrapping the harness all back up when im done. I want it to be as clean as possible but not exactly woried about the "tucked" look. Main concern is making the car run right. No advice on the thermostat housing ground for the ECU that im missing?

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

If the thermostat ground is missing, make a new one. That's easy. Get some 4 gauge stereo wire and a couple of spade loop connectors. That should be common sense, if you're talking about making your own wiring harness.

There's nothing wrong with wiring your sensors, as long as you're doing it correctly. If you just want to clean it up afterwards, just do it the way they do from the factory - split corrugated tubing, and electrical tape.