My wiring that I can see under bonnet is in a very poor state, with brittle insulation breaking off etc. I presume new ones not available. Has anybody got experience of making new ones from scratch, or had new looms made by specialist companies? I would have a go myself but not sure how to replace plugs ( or where or how to rebuild them with replacement pins)
a decent wiring bloke should have no trouble making you up a new loom, theres not a lot to it. this is something I've done but the more work that needs doing the more its going to cost you, so be prepared. Also ask if the wires will be replaced fresh end to end or bad ends cut off and spliced and factor that into your search. most of the plugs are industry standard junior/power timer and 6.3mm spades so everything you need is easy to get hold of, just a case of how worried you are that the wire end colours must match and if you want fresh wire all the way back to source or not.
Is the 16v a daily driver for you Joe? If it’s not then you can definitely do this yourself - it just takes a bit of time and patience. I replaced some of the wiring on my old 16v and the most invaluable bits you need are multi-meter and a camera/phone to take pics. RJ was there not a member on here who used to make looms at some stage - although you may have to provide your old loom as a go-by?
It was Vento Mike who was doing the looms but that's several years ago and I don't know what's the story these days.
Thanks Jonny and Costel, I think I would like to do it with new wires, and could probably do it myself, now I know new plugs etc are available. It is not my daily driver, so it could be a winter project. I guess the wiring inside may be in better condition, also assume engine loom is separate.
The engine bay wiring will definitely take the brunt of it due to the extreme temps and the elements, the other spot I have found is where the loom transitions from the bay via the bulkhead into the fusebox/dash. Give that a good check and going over and make sure the grommet(s) are in good nick and haven't pushed through. You can definitely do it Joe, literally one wire at a time (take plenty of pics before cutting anything). I used a little gas soldering iron and then the correctly sized heat-shrink (of course don't forget to slide the heat-shrink on as soon as you cut the cable - donkey here forgot that a once or twice ) I found this crew to have a lot of useful bits and pieces ( http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/) plus I also bought second-hand bits and bobs from fellow members here as well. Hope this helps
It was also me who used to do the looms I still do, but as its only done in my spare time which is extremely short these days the waiting list is around a year if not longer
Yeah I think it will be ok, just got my tracking and camber done on a proper machine, and driving lovely now, been tearing around Northampton Town centre. Also the Chinese dizzy is holding out so far, getting the timing marks aligned increased the tickover to about 1200 rpm, so I adjusted the mixture to get it down to 1000 and stills drives ok. The idle screw (with new o ring) is in all the way.
