Engine Harness Revamp

11/26/17
So far my goal of trying to complete 1 project each week is actually working. This last weekend I wasn't too motivated given it was a long holiday weekend but I still managed to make some progress. As I explained earlier, the engine harness was replaced but it was not the correct one. Dan purchased a used harness that was from a 1995 Impala so it should drop right in. No issues there but I still wanted to inspect it, clean it up and get it ready to install.

That is when I ran into some issues. The first thing I noticed is multiple wires coming out the back of the fuse box were damaged. It looked as if it had been dragged along the concrete. Some of them had been wrapped in electrical tape and others had exposed wires (strike 1). The second thing I found was a couple damaged connectors. Unfortunately one of them was the large bulk connector that mates with the harness inside the cabin (strike 2). The last problem I found was when I removed the cover off the fuse box. Somehow the fuse box got crushed. It damaged several of the fuses, a couple relays and most importantly, it broke the structure of the fuse box itself (strike 3).

I could have easily wrapped some wires in tape and replaced some fuses and installed the harness but I wouldn't feel comfortable about it. There is no rush to finish the project so I'd much prefer to take the time doing it correctly than cut corners.

The harness I pulled out of his car had a good fuse box so I removed each pin and transplanted each of them. I also took the opportunity to replace those wires that were damaged and soldered them into the harness. I then replaced all of the connectors that were damaged. After re-wrapping several of the joints and cleaning everything, it was finally ready to be installed. My hope is to install it next weekend and see what new project pops up next!

Here is the finished project all cleaned and ready..

Comments

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