Fuel Injection harness, connectors etc.

Danglerb · 10:31 AM

I bought a set of the fuel injector connector pigtails from the guy on ebay,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290184517651

and they look fine, but I would really prefer not to just splice into the old harness. Eagleday has connectors for about $12 each,
http://eagleday.com/ampconnectors.html

Ballenger Motorsports has some for $4 that seem similar, plus they sell just the crimp metal part for 27 cents.
http://www.bmotorsports.com/shop/product_info.php/products_id/451

Its got me really thinking about some harness work if they are the right items.

Another source of pigtails from a Rlist thread, sounds like a new easy release, but not as sealed connection,
http://www.diyautotune.com/catalog/fuel-injector-pigtails-bosch-p-48.html

Thread on Rlist,
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=394549

rhjames · rhjames's Garage

so what brought this on......

did break a few, did you...?

looks to me like you might go the Audi route as described by Porken---cam timing Guru of all 928 stuff.

then again---if they ain't broke, why fix it?

---Russ

Danglerb · 11-29-2007, 06:49 PM

When the fuel lines to the injectors were replaced a couple of the sockets bit the big one, but I think those were replaced, I am thinking general PM at this point. Most of our wiring harnesses, at least those directly on the motor are in terrible condition, very brittle from the heat. No better time than during the engine swap to consider a new harness, since I may need a few custom bits to match the brains to motor.

I believe the Bmotorsports link has the same connectors Porken is talking about, but I am sure more info will turn up.

928drvr86.5 · 11-30-2007, 06:05 AM

I am currently working on a harness project for the 85-86.5 US cars. At this point i am awaiting very nice quality corrugated loom and loom fittings from Harnessflex, a company in the UK.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=387398

Danglerb · 11-30-2007, 07:12 AM

Thats also good news for Euro 84/86 owners, since I think the harnesses are very similar, at least fuel injection.

Please post updates here as well for the rennlist deprived.

Danglerb · 11-30-2007, 07:36 AM

Volvo and maybe other common cars also used the same "series" of Bosch 25 pin brain so plenty of cheap 25 pin connectors may be waiting in junk yards.

Maybe consider a semi finished kit without the final sheath for people that need a bit of customization, like knock sensors, or changes to the CE panel connection for us 84 Euro types.

Count me as very interested, and it wasn't clear if you plan on doing the front power harness to the 14 pin?

Have you considered this might turn into a fairly large production, as in at least hundreds of harnesses?

Just being able to rule out a flakey harness in troubleshooting has to be worth a fair sum of money, and I would guess that most of our cars aren't too many rattles away from being an electrical hazard.

928drvr86.5 · 11-30-2007, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Maybe consider a semi finished kit without the final sheath for people that need a bit of customization, like knock sensors, or changes to the CE panel connection for us 84 Euro types.

The loom i am using is corrugated and split so all wires will be easy to access at any point in the harness, this method of construction should make troubleshooting as well as customization very easy.

Danglerb · 11-30-2007, 11:09 AM

Some links,
www.harnessflex.com

distributor
http://www.adaptaflex.com/

Another brand.
http://www.delikon.com/

Since we seem to be opening up the discussion of parts, any thoughts on wire, TXL?, or some of the newer "Audi" style connectors.

928drvr86.5 · 11-30-2007, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Taylor

What's the attraction of getting this stuff from the UK? How does it differ from the corrugated/split flex tubing we use here? I can probably buy enough of it locally to do several cars for less than the shipping charge from the UK.

I work with harness products on a daily basis at the John Deere Proving grounds and I have the opportunity to come in contact with a multitude of harness looms and the associated fittings. The harnessflex materials in my opinion are BY FAR superior to anything else offered in the corrugated loom spectrum by way of quality, physical durability, and resistance to continuous heat cycling.

I agree, you could probably go on Ebay and get enough loom product to do 5 harnesses for less than what the shipping costs of the Harnessflex loom will be. The highest heat rating you are going to find is 90C~200F, my stuff is 300F. As i mentioned the quality and availability of custom loom fittings is nowhere near the harnessflex stuff. Most of the loom available I.E. Panduit, is intended for indoor computer networking/wirerack applications.

The biggest detriment to these harnesses is the heat cycling that they are exposed to in the 928 Engine bay, so in designing the harness I decided to use the best available products to protect against that. Unfortunately Harnessflex products are just recently catching on in the united states (they've been in Europe since '84), and the distribution channels are still not inplace, especially for less-than-corporate accounts, so it will take longer to get the stuff.

I guess i could do like the US auto manufacturers currently do and apply electrical tape where the loom junctions are... but somehow that doesn't seem to fit in the engine bay of a 928.

rhjames · rhjames's Garage

seems to me that slit conduit has been in truck stops (Iowa 80, Petro) and big rig chrome shops for years now......and in various colors.

My Peterbilt has had this stuff on it for 20 years now....?

---Russ

928drvr86.5 · 12-01-2007, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhjames

seems to me that slit conduit has been in truck stops (Iowa 80, Petro) and big rig chrome shops for years now......and in various colors.

My Peterbilt has had this stuff on it for 20 years now....?

---Russ

apparently you didn't read the post above.

Yes, if you want i can build you a harness with truckstop split loom. Where do i find it, next to the CB radios and diecast model cars? I hope you won't mind the conduit junctions wrapped in electrical tape on account of the lack of available elbows and T-fittings. And hopefully you won't mind if it melts because that stuff is rated for all of 150F.

Or.... i can build you a harness with a professional grade conduit and fittings made by a company that's sole purpose for existing is to engineer and market conduit systems for industrial and automotive applications.

Furthermore, i don't know why people want to argue conduit with me, since the lion's share of cost in a harness is the wire itself.

928drvr86.5 · 12-01-2007, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Since we seem to be opening up the discussion of parts, any thoughts on wire, TXL?, or some of the newer "Audi" style connectors.

Yes, TXL is what i am using, but i have upgraded from .75mm sq. to 1.00mm sq. The wires will retain the original European color coding. I am utilizing a 31 pin Deutsch plug/jack connector to disconnect the harness on the engine side of the firewall for troubleshooting purposes. The conduit system i am using also has backshells available to mate the conduit to the Bosch/Amp 2&3 pin injector, throttle pos., idle control, and temp sensors.

rhjames · rhjames's Garage

actually I did read everything, but did not know what the heat rating was on the split loom on the ruck stop available material......

no offense taken----

--Russ

928drvr86.5 · 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhjames

no offense taken----

--Russ

---- And certainly none intended. I have done alot of research on this project but i am always open to suggestions on how to make it better. If i take issue with a suggestion or find it not to be practical i will explain why. It's not just the heat issue that concerns me with the commonly available conduits, the lack of custom T fittings from conduit nominal sizes "A" to "B" to "C" is more of a concern. If you look long enough you can find split loom with a 300F temperature rating here in the US but then the T fitting issue, and lack thereof comes into play. At that point you wind up heat shrinking the whole mess together at the junctions or using electrical tape like the majority of harness manufacturers for the US automakers do.

Danglerb · 12-01-2007, 03:56 PM

As the project matures more and more eyes will be looking at options and making suggestions. Most I suspect will prefer something as close to stock as practical, and racers wanting reliability and ease of working around and with.

Fresh connectors and TXL, and I think most of the problems will be solved.

So there would be a very small conduit running right down to the injector etc. connection?

I think I would prefer to avoid a connector on the firewall, but thats from a basic distrust of connections.