That there is phenomenal work on that wiring harness. Talk about perseverance.
Well done. I may have missed it but did you “chart” it all out schematic wise to trouble shoot in the future? Like in a computer program or old fashioned written down?
I imagine some of the components your using have their own diagrams.
Just curious.

@Dion - I'm not sure how far I'll take the documentation. For assembly and trouble-shooting this part of the harness, I really only need the pin map that I'm working up here. It's not yet complete but you get the idea.
I'll post details as I build the engine side of the harness. The cool thing about that is the harness branch to each sensor will be individually labelled so it's sorta "diagrammed in the real world". (Pic of the printed heat shrink for your enjoyment.)
I got some printable heat shrink sleeves for my label maker so I'll likely go overboard and do the same for each branch of the car's chassis harness, too. I mean, who wouldn't want to be absolutely sure that wire that looks like it goes to the horn, ACTUALLY goes to the horn?
No kill like overkill, eh?

@Cairo94507 - Michael - Thanks for your earlier compliments. And these seats aren't too bad. Next time our cars are together, you're welcome to swap one in and give it a go.

Re: my comment about lessons learned:
This morning I got a helpful PM from @superhawk996 cautioning me about the use of those solder sleeves. Phil, who has experience with stuff like this that's well beyond mine, pointed out what I had already experienced - that they require a deft touch when heating to ensure the solder flows out completely without overheating stuff near it. As I mentioned in my reply to him, while I think I got it right, and the testing was successful, I'm "fingers crossed" that I have a reliable connection.
In any case, after installing three of them, I went back to the open barrel crimps.

What if I have an issue? Well, you know me! I'll call it "practice" and do it over!

Big thanks to Phil for his input. Just another example of the great folks in this community.

Per discussion with Chris I'll repost my PM with him so that others are more fully aware of the downside to those heat shrink solder butt connectors:


I have a bunch of experience with those heat shrink solder connectors both in motorsports and DoD defense applications.

Bottom line, they are highly variable. If done EXACTLY right they work fine. What I've found is that they are only done right about 5% of the time (as used by DoD field service reps - i.e. former military maintenace guys). There is no good way to control the heat applied and/or to assure that the solder has properly tinned out and flowed INTO the the stranded wires rather than just forming a cold solder joint ring around the butt ends on the exterior of the stranding.

I then recommended that Chris mark the harness location of the solder connectors for easy future reference while he still remembers where they are.

I've had numerous experiences tearing apart wiring harnesses that had issues with intermittent grounds and grounded shields where those heat shrink solder connectors failed. Not fun. Even less fun if you don't know exactly where the splice was placed.

Overall beautiful harness work and Chris is stepping up the game for the rest of us. I was just reluctant to post here publicly as I didn't want to appear be tearing down the great work he's doing.

Time for the engine side of the bulkhead. This will be easier in that the wires will run straight out of the connector - no 90 degree bend - so the wires can all be cut to the same length. Plus, I can make any final length adjustments at the sensor end so this should turn out even nicer than the first side. Wish me luck!

And another nod to @Superhawk996 Phil. Open barrel crimps, baby! That's where it's at from here on...

All the open barrel crimps have been sealed with heat shrink. All the engine side wires are pinned and ready to be installed in the connector.

I think you'll find that if you stagger them and orient them flat side down, they really aren't any more bulky than the solder butt connectors.

You truly are upping the game - keep up the inspiration for the rest of us.

@superhawk996 Phil - Yep, agree. I used the smallest open barrel crimp I had and they're pretty tiny. Even with the heat shrink, there'll be no issue with space. And I do try and stagger them.
Thanks for your input and the kind words. I gotta say, this level of work really isn't that different from "regular old" wiring. Yes, the components and tools are more $, but seriously, ANYONE could do this. I'm no more talented or capable than the rest of you.

I think I'll have t-shirts made that say "Try New Stuff!"

And again, if you don't find yourself bored enough by pictures and text about wiring, here's a video that'll surely put you to sleep! But hey, maybe some of you will find it interesting. If nothing else, it's a glimpse into how I've been spending my time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5SpTL-Vcaw

That is a super nice way to make connections. Very clean job and I am pretty darn sure you will not have connection issues with the care you are taking.

Thanks for the info Chris. Fascinating stuff. You have quite the arsenal of wiring tools now. Thanks for the vid too.
I would never have thought this kind of stuff would be available to the DIY .
Keep at it mate. Enjoying the teaching.

“backshell”….working in the garage I have learned a lot of new words.

A couple minutes on what I'm learning to do in terms of assembling these motorsport-y connectors. It's quite a time suck, especially with all the double/triple/quadruple checking I'm doing to be sure I got things right. In spite of that, I still managed to make an error in one of the connector positions. The conductor was supposed to go in the (lower case) r position and I inserted it into the (upper case) R position...
But caught it in testing and, thankfully, it's easy enough to correct things like this.
Speaking of testing, you can see that I opted to install a few wires, "connect the connector" and test the complete circuit (from ECU pin, through the connector, to the end of the conductor), record that those circuits worked, then install the next few wires.
And relax, the video only shows me installing and testing a few wires, not all of them! Anyway, here you go.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJIhX84i26w

Here's all the farther further I got today. I ended up dealing with splices for the 5V+, ground and shield conductors that are shared between the cam and crank sensors. Those are the two large-ish cables you see taped together here.
I should have this side of the connector done on Sunday. Then routing/cutting each sensor lead to length can begin.
With a bit of luck, I'll be looking to fire the engine and get back on the road in a week or so!

Major milestone: All engine-side wires are pinned!
Still a bunch of stuff to do but this part is done. The video provides a quick demo of the connector in action. Not rocket science but I think it's pretty cool. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKTtYNKAntM

Nice work Chris!

A very satisfying "click".

This wiring stuff is way far away from "useful 914 content" so thanks for tolerating this part of my build. Given the content I've posted lately, I think I have a future in consulting on how to drive viewers AWAY from their social media outlets! I know this may not be everyone's cup o' tea, but hopefully some find it interesting. Anyway, back to it:

Today was "Fun with DYMO!" I started labeling the harness, because overkill.
You can get printable heat shrink sleeve in various widths. I used 3/4" for the large, multi conductor cables - in this case, the one that runs to the throttle body. No, it's not like it's hard to figure out that this cable runs to that location. It's more the vibe of the build and it keeps with the "race rod" theme I happen to like. Plus, it's fun!
Note that I still have to source and install the clear heat shrink that gets installed over this to protect it.

A bit all over the place today but... I decided to connect up the CAN components so I could work on programming the PMU. I ended up on a call with ECU Master's tech support and they are GREAT! 10 minutes later, my minor issue was sorted and I'm all connected and ready to program. Programable circuits, no fuses or relays... such cool stuff!

What. You thought I was done posting crap you don't care about...?
Today, it's solid state relays! What could be better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nPiIfriof8

Super cool stuff as always.

I know electric motors create an electromagnetic field or EMF close to what a microwave puts out. Any concern about getting stuck between two tesla's on the freeway? When you're not driving it you can use it as an atom collider.

Wire you complaining about my posts?
Major milestone accomplished! The PMU is programmed and performing as hoped/expected! No more Arduino for me, thank you. Enjoy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4JwCQ2De-0

Loving the progress!!

The solid state relays are mounted and wired. One powers the coils and injectors, the other is the H2O pump. The main power for the ECU direct connect to the battery also done.
I'm at the part of the process where "neatness counts" and I'm happy with how it's going, so far. I still have to sheath and secure things but the basic physical layout is looking pretty tidy, IMO.

Interesting tid bit on solid state relays: At work we mount relays on our promod cars on the rear wheel tubs, basically just behind the passenger seat on a normal car. The relays control the front and rear shocks air adjustment and if we use standard switching relays the vibrations and especially tire shake will cause the relay to switch on and off regardless if its on or off. This is definitely an issue when you are going 200 plus in 1/8th of a mile. Solid state relays are the only way to avoid it, and they work great.

Makes sense as standard relays are mechanical with thin strips of metal being pulled together with electro magnets and ,well solid state relays non mechanical, solid state, electrical components with no moving parts.

john

Getting started on the engine harness. Moving from ITBs to the DBW throttle body means I needed to relocate the MAT sensor. In stock form, the LS3 runs a MAF sensor. The Holley ECU is speed density based so no MAF. Anyway, once I figured out where I wanted it, I drew up a quick bracket and cut it on the plasma table.

A couple bends later and it's in. I wanted it to be as stealth as possible so it mounts under the engine lid latch, like this.
When I pull everything out to paint the car, I'll likely redo the latch and just build this section into the design. But for now, I'm good with this add-on approach.

With the MAT and MAP sensor wires routed, I was able to start sheathing this section of the harness. As with the other harnesses, this is Raychem DR 25. You can see I only fully recovered a few inches around where these two sensors branch from the DBW cable, just to lock down that area. It should all look pretty tidy once it's complete.

See, even though this build gets into a ton of stuff that you don't care about, occasionally, I pull out something that makes it worth following what I'm up to!
From a 2004 360 Modena. 400 hp @ 8500. Yes, there's matching 6-speed transaxle, ECUs, wiring harnesses, etc., etc. Essentially everything needed to make it run. It's got only 5K miles on it.

I've been debating posting about it because it sorta fell into my lap and I may or may not do anything with it. For example, while initial measurements indicate the engine/trans package will fit a 914, length-wise, it's clear that factory intake set up won't fit - at least not without a ton of rework to my engine compartment. And I'm not willing to do that.

So, current options being noodled on include:
1. Fab a set of manifolds and run a "standard" 8-stack ITB set up and stuff it into my chassis
2. Find another chassis and build a different 914 around it. Though it'd likely still need intake mods.
3. Stuff it into RacerBenz! It fits with no mods. But best of all? I could name the car... wait for it... Benzo Ferrari! And come on, that would be so f-ing epic it's nearly impossible to resisit.
4. Do nothing. Which is probably the best option!

A friend of mine has a 360 street car and a 360 Challenge car. Plus, he's a MoTec dealer. I've been chatting with him about what's what so give me a bit to work out a few things and we'll see what happens. This isn't (yet) a front burner project but I'll update things as I make progress.

The sounds that would make at 8500................

Catching up on your last couple videos. Really slick stuff. "Water pump" and "914" not often used in the same sentence!
Have a donor 914 for that Ferrari engine if needed.

@Tygaboy - Wow! Nice score for sure. My vote is to build another 914 around that motor. I know someone still interested in buying your car once you get it mechanically finished. He wants to do the paint and body himself. He asks about it all the time....

Benzo Ferrari.

i vote for Benzo Ferrari

Coffee table?

With the routing worked out and each branch of the engine harness trimmed to length, it's time for sheathing. Any section before a branch point has to have it's own, separate length of sheathing plus another short length to recover over and secure the end of that section as well as a short section of the branches.
That lower, right section shows what it looks like when complete. The initial branch, just off the bulkhead connector shows what it looks like "assembled but not yet recovered".
Hard to see, but the short section is there, ready once everything else is done.

And it's OK. You can admit it: you're jealous and wishing you were rewiring your car, aren't you?

Amazing as usual...and I actually am rewiring my car. But I'm jealous...jealous YOU'RE not rewiring my car!

This is the first of the sensor branches to be completed and I couldn't resist a quick test fit to see how it's going to look. One thing to be more aware of next time is to do better at hiding the DR 25 labelling on the underside of the run. I tried but, just like Agent 86, I "missed it by THAT much!" Ah, well.
I'm a bit on the fence about the labeling. It's certainly looks the business and shouts "MotorSport", but it's not like I don't know what plugs in where!

Anyway, with a bit of focused effort, I should be ready to try and fire it in a few days. It'll be good to get this thing back on the road!

I don't know about your brand but the stuff I used could be wiped off, but I don't recall which chemical was required at the moment.

As 99 would say, Don't worry Max...you'll get it next time!

Too cool for school

Looks good to me. Seeing manufacturing labels or branding is fine. I don’t know, seems more purpose built is my interpretation. Hope to see it fired up soon.

I’ve never tried with dr25, but >90% alcohol usually removes printed labeling on rubber. I have done it with bnc coax jacketing which is a similar robustness.

@djway @jd74914 - The printed labels have clear heat shrink over them to prevent any damage.
I didn't think about trying to remove the DR 25 product labeling...

Detailed shot: labeled, clear heat shrink, sealed with SCL. Essentially my best work so far and it'll be completely hidden once installed. What else is new?

And... that's a wrap!
Well, OK, I still have to do the boot at the connector but I'm going to wait on that until after the car runs - just in case I need to get in there to correct anything. Hey, it was my first attempt at this level of wiring so no, I'm not 100% confident I won't have any problems. Yes, I tested everything. Still...

I realized I've made quite a few changes since I last drove it. Fingers crossed everything comes together and it's a non-event come start time!

- new fuel tank
- updated filler cap
- new fuel filter/pressure regulator
- updated fuel lines to support above
- swapped in the LS3 DBW intake manifold/throttle body
- new ECU
- new engine harness
- replaced the fuse/relay panel with PMU
- updated chassis electrical harness
- custom transmission mount/support structure
- updated exhaust design
- new air box (still TBD)