Wiretucking my bay

[xclusive_eg8]

ok guys, well I am currently tucking the engine bay on my EG8 sedan, but I have a few questions before I cut anything..

1. How do I tuck the harness but keep the airbag sensor in original place (a mech said its the bulb looking thing that has yellow wires going to it?) , will extending the wires cause any problems?

2. My thoughts tell me that extending engine harness might effect the total resistance of the wire, which could cause engine to run like a pig due to the sensors sensing wrong?

In total the longest extention i shall do is approx 30cm

Google says nothing on this topic and alot of other people have done it but Im just a bit sketchy, a bit of light on this topic would be great ;)

[GenesisEG]

If you use cable of a sufficient gauge, the resistance added to the circuit should be negligible. Resistance of a cable is inversely proportionate to the cross-sectional area, so as long as you don't make the cable too thin, you should be fine.

Then again, I suppose it depends entirely on how sensitive the ECU is to changes in resistance. I'm no ECU expert, so I can't offer advice on that aspect of the modification, but from an electrical perspective, you probably won't even be able to measure the difference in resistance over an extra 30cm of cable.

As for cutting the wire of the airbag sensor, again not being an expert, but I'd wager that it's important to disconnect the battery before cutting those wires. Don't want to risk writing off the car because of the airbag sensor...

[xclusive_eg8]

yea mate Im a electrical apprentice and that is exatly what I tought, like if I over size the join wire by atleast 1 guage extra then I shouldnt have problems, but still I dont know how sensitive the ECU is... The engine is out of car, so just trying to tidy the bay the best I can, just mainly sketching on the engine and airbag wires, dont want anything going wrong on them.. Was hoping ECUman or someone who actualy knows about ECU's would reply too

[xclusive_eg8]

anyone know anything??

[beeza]

U will know more than me on this subject but I have learnt:

The sensor wires are only a 1 Volt wire and

For everytime U cut the wire U lose 0.1V

Now,I'm not 100% on this but if it's true,I won't be cutting those wires EVA.

But plenty of people have! :)

[xclusive_eg8]

U will know more than me on this subject but I have learnt:

The sensor wires are only a 1 Volt wire and

For everytime U cut the wire U lose 0.1V

Now,I'm not 100% on this but if it's true,I won't be cutting those wires EVA.

But plenty of people have! :)


ahhhhhhh this is frustrating now, I cannot get a straight answer from anywhere yet alot of people have done it and not had problems, all the electrical knowledge in my head and my dad a electrical engineer say that there shouldnt be a problem as long as i use the correct wire, yet if the wire is carrying low low current then I might run into major problems where the ECU detects wrong evan though sensors are fine.

[aazn]

dont cut the wires..

for sensors, they are really sensitive. the length of the extension doesn't matter as much.. but the join is what will be the problem.
think of each join as adding in a small resistor, which will throw off readings.

if you really want to do the airbag sensor look into another one.. (same type of sensor but with longer wire)

took me ages to do my z32. moved it by .8m when i moved my fusebox, cas, ptu, tps. had to buy a sensor out of a maxima to be able to relocated some of those things.
but i personally would solder everything and tape it properly.. if your not confident in taping then use heat shrink.

[beeza]

That's the bottom line.Plenty of people have done it,I haven't heard of any issues BUT

I simply wouldn't risk the data/information being incorrect to have a 'pretty' engine bay.

[xclusive_eg8]

dont cut the wires..

for sensors, they are really sensitive. the length of the extension doesn't matter as much.. but the join is what will be the problem.
think of each join as adding in a small resistor, which will throw off readings.

if you really want to do the airbag sensor look into another one.. (same type of sensor but with longer wire)

took me ages to do my z32. moved it by .8m when i moved my fusebox, cas, ptu, tps. had to buy a sensor out of a maxima to be able to relocated some of those things.
but i personally would solder everything and tape it properly.. if your not confident in taping then use heat shrink.

joins will be A+ sweet lol, they have too be.. the actual wire strands are pretty thick so i might just spider join them and give a nice coat of solder over the top. And while its all out I can sorta impedence test everything.. Iv been reading that the dizzy wires well some of them are shielded, so ima stay well away from them

[GenesisEG]

I'm an electrician with some engineering experience and I do alot of work as a security/fire/data technician. I really see no problem with cutting and joining, as long as the join is properly soldered to ensure minimal additional resistance.

I think people overstate the effect cutting and joining has on cables, as long as it's done properly. The problem you might face with a car is corrosion. Open joins in a cable that is partially exposed to the weather might develop corrosion which will increase resistance in the cable and cause problems.

If you're still wary, re-run the entire cable. Remove the existing cable from the sensor, harness, plug or whatever it is in, and install a fresh one that has no joins in it. Can buy cable from Jaycar for the exact gauge and colour you want. That should be doable.

[xclusive_eg8]

Thanks mate, what join process would be the best you think?? I was going to do a basic thin version of a spider join and put some solder over it with a soldering iron then some heat shrink over that... I shall test everything once all extended, but yeah hope all is good






I'm an electrician with some engineering experience and I do alot of work as a security/fire/data technician. I really see no problem with cutting and joining, as long as the join is properly soldered to ensure minimal additional resistance.

I think people overstate the effect cutting and joining has on cables, as long as it's done properly. The problem you might face with a car is corrosion. Open joins in a cable that is partially exposed to the weather might develop corrosion which will increase resistance in the cable and cause problems.

If you're still wary, re-run the entire cable. Remove the existing cable from the sensor, harness, plug or whatever it is in, and install a fresh one that has no joins in it. Can buy cable from Jaycar for the exact gauge and colour you want. That should be doable.

[GenesisEG]

The way the copper strands connect is not the major issue. I usually cross the strands over each other at 90 degrees and twist them together.

The major issue is the solder. It's important to get a good clean join. The solder should, if done right, absorb into the cable. It is the solder that provides the electrical conductivity, so the strands themselves are not so important.

Heat shrink is good, just make sure that it seals the join and prevents moisture from getting into it. The join is going to be the primary target for corrosion, so you want to make sure that it's completely free of moisture. Corrosion is what will add resistance to the cable, and over time it might cause problems if that resistance is high enough to affect the ECU's readings.

Let us know how you go. Pioneering is risky, but once you confirm that the ECU is happy with a good join, it'll help the entire community.

[xclusive_eg8]

Twist them at 90 degrees? I was thinking especially for engine wiring that an in line join would be neater ( strip both ends about 4cm and twist together and put solder over that then slide heat shrink over and shrink down tight) then tape it all up and wrap in loom over it to give it a stock look but hidden..
How would you solder it? Soldering iron won't heat copper up enough to absorb the solder and a torch might be a bit to hot and kinda hard use in the engine bay space.



The way the copper strands connect is not the major issue. I usually cross the strands over each other at 90 degrees and twist them together.

The major issue is the solder. It's important to get a good clean join. The solder should, if done right, absorb into the cable. It is the solder that provides the electrical conductivity, so the strands themselves are not so important.

Heat shrink is good, just make sure that it seals the join and prevents moisture from getting into it. The join is going to be the primary target for corrosion, so you want to make sure that it's completely free of moisture. Corrosion is what will add resistance to the cable, and over time it might cause problems if that resistance is high enough to affect the ECU's readings.

Let us know how you go. Pioneering is risky, but once you confirm that the ECU is happy with a good join, it'll help the entire community.