28 replies to this topic

[Keith Novak]

Thanks Dave (and everyone else). I'll install them after all. I don't care too much about the reverse lights but I do remember now people sorting out a high idle problem by fixing that circuit. That makes setting timing a pain.

[dstevens]

I do not recomend rerouting the entire "PPF Harness" through the interior. I do recomend taking the main battery cable out of the harness, cleaning all the goo off and running it through the interior. Taking the goo off is the worst part! I route the small transmission wires along the brake lines still under the car with several zip ties.

When I ran touring companies we used MEK to degunk cabling. And we had miles of cable. Literally. MEK is nasty shit, wear thick rubber gloves. Depending on the bundles we used gaffer tape, electrical tape or friction tape and MEK removed all the gunk, puke and kack that was on the bundles at the end of the tours.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone

I'm documenting my electrical install so I'll show some there. Mazda did a good job in laying out the harnesses and color codes and documenting it in the FSM. I'll probably still run the main harness through the cockpit. I like an electrical fire to be with me...... Seriously, Dave's got me rethinking my routing.

[Keith Novak]

When I ran touring companies we used MEK to degunk cabling. And we had miles of cable. Literally. MEK is nasty shit, wear thick rubber gloves. Depending on the bundles we used gaffer tape, electrical tape or friction tape and MEK removed all the gunk, puke and kack that was on the bundles at the end of the tours.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone

I'm documenting my electrical install so I'll show some there. Mazda did a good job in laying out the harnesses and color codes and documenting it in the FSM. I'll probably still run the main harness through the cockpit. I like an electrical fire to be with me...... Seriously, Dave's got me rethinking my routing.

No plan ever survives contact with the enemy (or something like that.) If you plan your routing down to a T, something will most likely make you change your mind once you get into it.

It really is straight forward and I agree with Dave...cleaning the goop off is the worst part. If I had already taken all the electrical tape off and seen where all the wires come from, it would seem pretty obvious that the trans wires still route under the car, not through the car. Because the wires were originally routed a different direction, you do have to sort out one or two little issues. The alt wire is about a 4 gauge that winds up being about 16" too long so to hook it up to the starter without it becoming a PITA due to a stiff loop of extra wire that fights you the whole time and points the ring connector the wrong way, you really do need to cut it to length to match the main power wire. Fortunately I started long and trimmed to get it right rather than starting by cutting it too short. (Been there, done that.)

We used MEK in our factories for years due to it's ability to clean damn near anything. Stinks to all hell but per the MSDS sheets you don't even need to wear a respirator. I would if I had to use it but many people used it all day with just latex gloves. (Some of them probably considered the solvent high a job benefit though.) We spent years getting rid of it for most applications. I don't know what we replaced it with but it was mostly due to the hazmat costs to dispose of anything contaminated with the stuff. I used brake cleaner for my goop clean-up. It's probably about as bad or worse but it was handy and cleans the goop off pretty well too.

[dstevens]

MEK has been displaced in many apps because it is volatile. I use Klean Strip brand at home. Here is the MSDS.

http://www.wmbarr.co....2) 1-20-09.pdf

It will burn you, knock you on your ass and blow you up. All the fun things about working in the shop.

Current MSDS calls for hazardous level PPE and at a minimum a NIOSH organic respirator and not just a dust mask. I think we were using a lot of Glass Head respirators at the time. (the old guys will get that...)

Good tip on the brake cleaner, which does work well, Parts houses that serve shops sell it in 5 gallon pails. IIRC my last bucket of CRC was 100 bucks AND you can use it to clean your brakes.

[Brendan O]

I'm putting new crate engine with tranny back in car. Do I HAVE TO bolt the big wiring harness back to the bell housing using one of the (starter?) bell housing bolts? It seems like not attaching the harness will make life much easier next time when i remove engine/tranny. Maybe i could use a ziptie or some metal wire to attach it somewhere nearby instead of bell housing. That way, next time, i could just cut it.

thanks

[Keith Novak]

I'm putting new crate engine with tranny back in car. Do I HAVE TO bolt the big wiring harness back to the bell housing using one of the (starter?) bell housing bolts? It seems like not attaching the harness will make life much easier next time when i remove engine/tranny. Maybe i could use a ziptie or some metal wire to attach it somewhere nearby instead of bell housing. That way, next time, i could just cut it.

thanks

Nope. That was the first thing I started leaving off. I zip tied it out of the way like you described so the loose bracket didn't rattle around.

[Brendan O]

cool - thanks!

[davew]

Also install a stainless steel clutch line to eliminate the curlie-Q steel line

Dave

[Brendan O]

I already bought one of yours