Topic: Melting a harness and STILL blowing fuse 41

[snaponbob]

Thought I would add a couple pictures to confuse the issue!! So, off came the fender, liner, and battery. Also took the harness loose of its anchors and unplugged the harness plug (to the cabin and ECM) and a couple other smaller connectors so I could free the fuse box for some close inspection.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

And LOOK at what I discovered !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A nearly melted harness. This is the major bundle that connects to the ECM and passes (too) close to turbo and down pipe.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Until I look at the wiring harness again I will not know if there is a relationship to the fuse problem. Nothing is burned through or fused, but I though I would share the discovery so those that want to can grab a mirror and flashlight to check their stiff. So, once I am finished looking at THIS mess it will be routed a bit better, insulated better and protected. THIS could have been UGLY.


Drove to St Louis, co-driver got a lap and it is STILL breaking down midway into the run at 6000 rpm. I got in the car and midway into my run the car fell flat. In grid I found 41 blown. Tomorrow I cut open the harness to all four components on that fuse, and maybe back to the ECM. I'll pull all four sensors for a physical inspection take some resistance measurements at room temp as well as heated up with a heat gun to see if they are breaking down and, regardless of the outcome, order and install all four pieces. It's a real   as well as a  . Going to try to find some test specs for the pieces, but doubt they are readily available.

[snaponbob]

After the above "session", I inspected the leads into the four components (both cam position actuators and the turbo solenoids on the front of the turbo and on top of the intake manifold), and found nothing out of the ordinary. Bummer. The quest will continue in the AM.

[DeepBlueGXP]

What a bummer.  Moving this to the 2.0 section

[Critterman]

Did you take off your heatshield to dig around in there or have you been running without it?

[Arabas]

that is fugly!!!!
good thing you discovered it before more damage is done !
hope this is all the problem and you solve it once and for all!

[Arabas]

just a thought Sob. when you are done with it, myabe you could cover the wirings near the turbo with reflective heatshield  tape

[Uranium-238]

When I installed my LED shift light/tach the wiring bundle leading to the coil packs was somewhat melted together, but certainly not to that point. Scary thing is that wiring bundle HAS a heat shield already...really makes you wonder...

[Sly Bob]

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon Bob and this will be something for all of us to check. Wonder what the best heat wrap is for wiring harnesses.

Prevention is obviously the best solution as in getting the harnesses away from the heat but that may only go so far.

[snaponbob]

Some sort of heat wrap will be going on the harness. I also have some 1/16 sheets of stainless steel and may install that as well, and if I can find some exhaust heat wrap then that will go on the s.s as well.

In the meanwhile, I have pealed back the harness from the plugs to the bundles and have seen nothing but clean pretty wires. Instead of trying to open the harness everywhere I plan on simply bypassing the harness with new wiring as well as replacing the two solenoids and both actuators. Also, a slow inspection of the "melted" area is in order.

[snaponbob]

Soooooooooooo. the "injured" section of harness near the turbo is all BCM related stuff, NOT ECM related. D'OH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

I have now traced back the power wires TO the components from the fuse box as well as FROM all the components to the ECM behind the left fender. Now, it's time to buy the wire and do the surgery.

[elff]

Did you take off your heatshield to dig around in there or have you been running without it?

I'm curious on this question as well

[snaponbob]

I'm curious on this question as well

I may have ONCE, but not recently. BUT, as I said, the affected harness section is 100% BCM stuff as it is on a section going through the firewall to the floorboard. It was a total brain fart on my part to be chasing THAT portion, but as it turns out there WAS a benefit. Anyway, rewiring for the ECM section will commence in the AM. The FIRST issue is to resolve the fuse issue. I ohmed out the solenoids, and Dave @ DDM says they are correct. That said, if it turns out that the fuse continues to blow, then I will be melting a credit card for all four solenoids. once the fuse issue is completely addressed, there is still the issue of fueling problems at 6K rpm. I may have to go to a 50/50 mix of gas and E85 and a different tune from Vince.