Electrical Wiring Harness Repair: Notes
Repairs may only be made to cables and connectors which have been mechanically, not electrically damaged. It also applies where the whole extent of the damage can be clearly identified and rectified.
Care and neatness are essential requirements in making a perfect repair.
- Supplement Restraint System (SRS) firing circuits.
- Pedestrian Protection System firing circuits.
- Throttle Control circuits.
- Speed Control circuits.
- Link lead assembles, which are unique to safety critical circuits such as Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and thermocouple circuits. An example of this is the ABS wheel speed sensors with molded connectors.
- Screened cables, leads and wiring harness(s).
If any harness(s) with defective electrical connector terminals or cables from the above circuits give cause for concern, new components must be installed.
- Do not attempt to repair or reform a damaged electrical connector terminal. A damaged electrical connector terminal must be replaced using the correct pre-terminated lead.
- A ground point connector with multiple wires to the connector must not be repaired as a complete connector. If a damaged wire is identified, the wire can be repaired individually using the correct pre-terminated lead.
- Do not attempt the repair of damaged battery, hybrid and power cables.
These types of cable generally have a cross sectional area larger than 6mm2 and must only be replaced. If the original cable is contained within the harness bundle the original cable must be left in the harness and a replacement cable attached to the harness along the original harness route.
The replacement cable must follow the original cable route to avoid the risk of introducing electrical interference issues. The original cable connections must be cut from the cable at both ends and discarded. The exposed cable ends must be free from sharp edges and strands of wire and must be over taped to prevent injury before being taped back to the main harness.