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355 wire harness question

Discussion in '348/355' started by WATSON, Jul 5, 2011.

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  1. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
    23,918
    WI
    #1 WATSON, Jul 5, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My 1998 355 F1is throwing up some errors codes. While that in and of itself does not concern me, correcting the issues properly has taken a twist.

    Pretty sure these harnesses are not correct. However, I would like to make sure that is indeed the case before proceeding.

    The idea of tossing parts at the issues knowing there may be a secondary reason for the issue has me thinking I should change what I am seeing before proceeding.

    My intent was to open each connector, remove it and then solder each wire back together with a shrink tube over each one. Does that seem reasonable? Or perhaps is it best to leave this alone?
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  2. bcwawright

    bcwawright F1 Veteran

    Jul 8, 2006
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    Bruce
    #2 bcwawright, Jul 5, 2011
    Is this the yellow 355 car that came from Orlando,FL?????
     
  3. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 WATSON, Jul 6, 2011
    No.

    Barring new wiring harnesses all around, is it better to solder these wires back together or leave these crimp connectors in place?
     
  4. bcwawright

    bcwawright F1 Veteran

    Jul 8, 2006
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    Bruce
    #4 bcwawright, Jul 6, 2011
    Why was this harness spliced?

    Personally I never splice any wires carrying ecms data....

    As for accessories(e.g. soft top control,windows,radio/stereo..etc.) silver solder is an option....if you do solder just make sure the wires are not connected to any electrical components.


    You can possibly find some used wiring harnesses that are in excellent condition at a very reasonable price.....new harnesses or EXTREMELY expensive and in a lot of cases are NLA.
     
  5. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
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    #5 WATSON, Jul 6, 2011
    A good question....wish I knew why. I should have found that earlier but missed it. But it is what it is now......

    I share you concern on having the mili-volt ECMS data transferring through crimp connectors or soldered wires. I guess the question is which is the less of two evils.

    The cost of new harnesses has slowed me down a bit and why I am considering soldering them instead..... Bradan had a thread on a replacement harness that really opened my eyes! Used is a good idea..I guess a call to Ferr Parts might be in order.....

    Thanks for the guidance.
     
  6. roadracer311

    roadracer311 Formula 3

    May 6, 2009
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    #6 roadracer311, Jul 6, 2011
    I'm guessing that someone decided they wanted to unplug something that wouldn't unplug and started cutting. As long as the color going in matches the color going out on each of the crimps, and you can give a good tug on the crimp without the wire coming out, I wouldn't be too concerned.

    I'm a big fan of soldering things, but the general wisdom is that soldered connections are too brittle for automotive applications (vibration) and will eventually break. I think with enough strain relief, solder is fine in automotive applications. The charging system on my personal motorcycle has 5 big solder joints that I put in, because the connectors kept heating up. No problems so far, but while motorcycles take a lot heat and vibration, they don't cover as many miles as most cars. That said, I haven't soldered anything in my 355 (no need so far).
     
  7. sevminasyan

    sevminasyan Formula 3

    Jun 24, 2008
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    #7 sevminasyan, Jul 6, 2011
    Remove the crimps one by one after you finish one wire at a time. clear the protective plastic cover from the wire exactly at the same lenght on both ends. Remove half the amount of the wiring string on both sides so that when you solder, you dont end up with a thicker bundle than you are suppose to. When you remove half the amount of the strings on both ends, you make the soldering area thinner by half on both ends, and when you pull the shrink tubing over it and twist the wires, after soldering you will end up with almost the same thickness as the EOM wire. Pull the shrink tubbing and you are done.

    Time consuming but the best way to come as close as possible to the OEM measurements.
     

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