What is a good product to wrap wiring looms in. I was thinking of using heat wrap on them. But is there anything else I can use on them. cheers bonezx
Depends on the sections I have found that the best for the wiring loom is as follows for the injectors and coils use heat shrink, na where you can get heat shrink on us a 3M tape product (can't remember the name, but when you strech it and wap it on itself in bonds together), Any areas that are subjected to any vibrations or sharp edges wrape with tape then put the plastic cover over it (if the one from the original loom is too far gone it can be purcahsed fromn DickSmiths for about $1/m). Then wrap that again in tape. Any high temp areas such as the starter,(it passes near the exhaust) or the VVT solenoids purchase some heat reflective tape from VPW or autobahn and wrap that over the taped loom. All other areas just use tape. The best tape I have found is the 1" wide black PVC Duct tape avaliabe from Bunnings, cheap and is a lot beter than any purpose made electrical tape. you'll need just under two rolls to do the engine loom. A big job, but take you time and ensure that you allow slack in your wires, remember measure twice cut once. :biggrin:
What I found with duct tape is the adhesive gets slimy and slippery when exposed to heat. Not sure if this is the case with all brands but the one I played with did. Best tape I found to use is Nito electrical tape from Jaycar.
Coat all the wires in Starbrite "http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=NM2832&CATID=&keywords=liquid&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=" and then use split loom once it's dry: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productVie...d2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=
One thing to consider is wiring generates its own heat as well, insulating it from outside heat may, I said may have the opposite effect by causing a heat problem from inside, ie trapping heat inside the insulation Just a thought and it should be considered I think. I know it is an issue with eletricity transmition...
Heat shrink would be fine You can use heat shrink for the lot, but it might be a bit expensive by the end. Just remember to shield it from the hot parts as mention before, it won't keep on shrinking in the heat for ever, ventually it will burn. 90ttz The duct tape I have used has not turned splimmy, but I know what you are talking about that is why I mention where I got it. Don't get me wrong the nito stuff is good. Thanks for that ztoy, don't you hate it when you know what it is and cant remember something. must be old age. bevan, the starbright stuff is great if you are 100pecrent sure that the loom is correct. It is great for sealing through a bulkhead, or items and connections such as relays and bus bars exposed weather/moisture. Used it behind my lights to be on the safe side.
2nd'd Duct tape not good in engine bays. Go with Nitto insulation tape or shrinkwrap where you can - preferrably both - use Nitto and then sleeve it in shrinkwrap.
Yeah, I find the starbrite stuff is best, as long as you don't have to get to the loom again. It's resistant to heat, weather etc. and I use it on anything that will be exposed.
I did alot of reaseach on this not long ago. When i was re-wrapping my new USDM spec EFI Harness. A few places in the US sell "wiring harness tape" only problem is, you have to buy minimum $100 worth (http://www.identi-tape.com/harness.htm) (http://www.plymouthrubber.com/products/auto-tapes.htm). The OEM tape is thinner than most electrical tape 0.13 mm? from memory. The best tape i could find locally was "fire retardent electrical tape" (http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/47a5770f09c72aa42740c0a87f9c0729/Product/View/N2377) the adnesive seems similar to the OEM type tape which doesn't leave that sticky goey mess. Only problem is that its a fair bit thicker than OEM tape (0.19mm), which makes the wiring harness stiffer, and it only comes in black. I rang auto-electricians and electrical suppliers asking for heat resistant electrical tape specifically for wiring harnesses and they all thought i was from outer space. lol I don't like Nitto tape because its a pain to remove and doesnt look as neat as OEM. Link on Wrapping Technique: http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs66SCf_COrrrrQ- link (hybridz) relating to this topic also: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=127428
