Odd wire running thorugh 328 engine compartment

Sounds like the rear deck latch opening cable.

 

My Euro QV had a similar cable running from the front of the car to the rear cargo area, it was a power cable from the battery and powered a stereo amp mounted in the luggage area that has since been removed.

 

Oops yes of course, the latch cable would be on the left on LHD (ie most) cars.

Which side is the antenna on?

 

On a US LHD model 328, the engine management cluster, including the Bosch Lambda (O2 sensor) controller, is under the storage compartment floor on the right side.
(The ignition computer is under a similar panel on the left side.)

There's a cable and connector stuffed up behind the air filter near the antenna that leads to the Lambda loop.
This is the connector that gets unplugged to test the engine in "open loop" emissions.

Whether your Euro model would have the Lamba loop may depend on what country it was originally built for.
Does your 328 have the buzzing lambda pressure regulator?

 

There was only one 328 version for all the european markets: any european 328, be it Italian, French, German, Spanish, Belgian etc...is of the same version/model; their VIN begin with ZFFWA20B...even if there are very small differences from market to market (yellow lights for the french cars, a muffler slightly more muted for the german cars (different part number), etc...

From 1987 onwards, the swiss cars began to be different as these received catalysators (VIN is ZFFWA20C...); then, very shortly after that, the swedish market cars received catalysators, then the austrian cars, etc...and in 1989, cars fitted with cats (i.e, the swiss model) were sold aside non-cats cars in Germany.

But the french, italian, belgian, almost all german cars, the U.K cars (yes, these are RHD) are not catalysed. I'm a bit dumb about electrics and engine management systems, but it seems to me that the lambda controller (02 sensor) could be peculiar to cars fitted with cats only?
And therefore not applicable to european standard model ?

 

Correct, lambda goes with a cat. I have a swiss market Integrale from that era and removed both as cats were not required for UK (and most of Europe I believe) until 1993.

 

I don't have any of my two cars at hand right now, but from memory, I can't remember any cable on that side, except the cables for the radio antenna (which is a Bosch Autojet II on both my '89 cars).

Rgds

 

No, no idea, sorry...neither of my 328s (GTS is late February 89, GTB beginning April 89) has any cable here. And my "B" is a Pozzi car...

Rgds

 

either you have to follow it
or just cut it...and see what happens

 

Maybe it's part of the sensor device for the "check timing belts, time to change them" warning light?

 

After market alarm installation, connected to engine cover latch?

 

It could very easily have been installed, then ripped out when it malfunctioned. They are usually the last thing to go in and the first to come out.

Otherwise it could be old immobiliser wiring rather than an alarm.

 

Bingo. They rarely bother to chop out all the wiring (and there's often many many metres of it, much of it dummy, since it's the only way to properly fox intruders).

 

If it is, indeed, an alarm system as you suspect, be careful about just cutting wires if you located the unit. If it is still wired into the system, although deactivated, cutting it out could cause problems. Trace out the wires before taking a wire cutter to them and make sure that you won't end up disabling the ignition system in the process. If you are not sure, take it to an alarm installer and have it properly removed. Usually, the control units are up front, possibly under the spare tire well liner, but could be under the dash or under the floor plate on the passenger's side of the car (328, QV(?).).

 

I only raised the issue because I've had this problem before. Although I was told the system was removed, it was not. It was simply disabled. When I started cutting wires, I found the car was dead. Turned out that the ignition was still running through the alarm system. It took a pro the better part of a day to trace all the wiring down, remove the rat's nest, and restore the ignition wiring to its proper state. Yours may be different, but it's worth checking before you keep cutting, in my humble opinion.