| engine wiring harness [message #60845] |
Tue, 20 October 2009 17:01  |
gmchunter
Messages: 222
Registered: March 2008
Location: ORANGE, CA
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Was looking at my wiring on engine and wondering if it is worthwhile to replace engine wiring harness with something like this from summit racing:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRF-21001/
Has anyone done something like this? Does wiring harness make it easier or does it need too much modification to work. I notice that summit has full wiring harness that include new 12 or 18 pin type wiring harnesses including new fuse box and bulkhead connectors.
Michael
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| Re: [GMCnet] engine wiring harness [message #60878 is a reply to message #60873] |
Tue, 20 October 2009 21:56  |
GMCWiperMan
Messages: 1248
Registered: December 2007
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Pardon me for butting in, but I frankly consider any effort to replace
even the engine wiring harness a waste of time. And to go farther than
that extremely foolish.
Unless one has, like Ken Burton, experienced an engine fire, the engine
wiring is probably in pretty good shape. And since there are really
very few wires to the engine, replacement of individual wires in areas
where they've deteriorated would be trivially simple. Some of the less
common connectors may also benefit from replacement since they do become
badly corroded and loose. But a wholesale replacement, which I define
as penetrating the firewall, involves more work than I consider worthwhile.
If one penetrates the firewall, then the issue is opened of how to seal
the penetration. There are few better ways than the OEM bulkhead
connector; it seals well and include an adequate fuse block. Admittedly
that fuse block uses the ancient glass tube fuses which are neither as
compact nor as "cute" nor as easily changed as the later ones -- but
they DO work very well and are quite troublefree. Replacement of the
fuse block, to my way of thinking, in no way justifies the very
complicated rewiring task it requires. Just look at the number of wires
involved. Replacing all of them for their entire lengths is certainly
not justified; but, the alternative will be, in many cases, to splice
additional wires onto them to reach the appropriate locations on a new
fuse panel. The connectors for those splices will be just another set
of potential failure points. And, unless one removes the dash so
there's room to work, probably will be so poorly applied that there will
be LOTS of failures. Ask me how I know... And I've done lots of them.
I won't even address the futility of replacing ALL the wiring with
something like that universal harness -- I'd have nightmares all night
just thinking about it.
Think about it: Will replacement of wires improve performance, safety,
reliability, functionality? If so, replace or add THOSE wires, NOT all
those poor, innocent ones that continue to perform their assigned
functions as well as ever.
If anyone can't find anything more needed and productive to do to their
GMC, PLEASE come visit me; I'll provide you with LOTS of good projects
to practice on the coach I've been working on (and enjoying) for 10+
years. :-)
JMHO,
Ken H.
MICHAEL FOSTER wrote:
> Here is a universal wiring harness:
>
> http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-890021/?image=large
>
> Michael
> _______________________________________________
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] engine wiring harness [message #60892 is a reply to message #60878] |
Wed, 21 October 2009 00:03 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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| GMCWiperMan wrote on Tue, 20 October 2009 21:56 |
Pardon me for butting in, but I frankly consider any effort to replace
even the engine wiring harness a waste of time. And to go farther than
that extremely foolish.
Unless one has, like Ken Burton, experienced an engine fire, the engine
wiring is probably in pretty good shape. And since there are really
very few wires to the engine, replacement of individual wires in areas
where they've deteriorated would be trivially simple. Some of the less
common connectors may also benefit from replacement since they do become
badly corroded and loose. But a wholesale replacement, which I define
as penetrating the firewall, involves more work than I consider worthwhile.
If one penetrates the firewall, then the issue is opened of how to seal
the penetration. There are few better ways than the OEM bulkhead
connector; it seals well and include an adequate fuse block. Admittedly
that fuse block uses the ancient glass tube fuses which are neither as
compact nor as "cute" nor as easily changed as the later ones -- but
they DO work very well and are quite troublefree. Replacement of the
fuse block, to my way of thinking, in no way justifies the very
complicated rewiring task it requires. Just look at the number of wires
involved. Replacing all of them for their entire lengths is certainly
not justified; but, the alternative will be, in many cases, to splice
additional wires onto them to reach the appropriate locations on a new
fuse panel. The connectors for those splices will be just another set
of potential failure points. And, unless one removes the dash so
there's room to work, probably will be so poorly applied that there will
be LOTS of failures. Ask me how I know... And I've done lots of them.
I won't even address the futility of replacing ALL the wiring with
something like that universal harness -- I'd have nightmares all night
just thinking about it.
Think about it: Will replacement of wires improve performance, safety,
reliability, functionality? If so, replace or add THOSE wires, NOT all
those poor, innocent ones that continue to perform their assigned
functions as well as ever.
If anyone can't find anything more needed and productive to do to their
GMC, PLEASE come visit me; I'll provide you with LOTS of good projects
to practice on the coach I've been working on (and enjoying) for 10+
years. 
JMHO,
Ken H.
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I had to replace mine as the originals were burned beyond recognition. I did not go through as much work as would be required to install that Summit thing. I haven't counted but I'll bet there aren't 12 circuits on top of the engine.
Let's see:
1. HEI
2 Electric Choke (Optional)
3. Starter solenoid (mine runs across the top and down the back of the engine)
4. Temperature sensor
5. Oil pressure sensor
6. Electric fuel pump to Oil pressure sensor (Optional)
7. Alternator (3 wires)
8. Tachometer (Optional)
9. AC compressor clutch
10. Transmission kick down switch (across the top and down the back of the engine)
That is all I can think of. I replaced all of these in a few hours. Plus I added new plastic conduits.
My opinion is fix what is broke and forget the rest.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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