I’m Not An Electrician, But
I haven’t written for a while and since I last wrote I’ve had a pretty marvelous adventure through Utah and Arizona on foot. Yet here I’m going to write about a Vanagon wiring project I just completed. I’m sorry if this is totally off-topic, boring, and a waste of your time. But I took on this wiring project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and thought I’d share a couple thoughts that could help other folks.
Old:
-
- Old Vanagon Digijet wiring harness showing quite a bit of heat distress and re-working.
-
- Crusty old thing.
-
- A spliced in connector for a GoWesty throttle body and some fried-looking wires heading to the idle control valve.
New:
-
- New DIY harness incomplete, but ready to go in the van. The final bits need to be cut to fit, and other finishing touches done. The oxygen sensor cable was shortened quite a bit, and connectors were added where you don’t see them. But you get the idea.
-
- I had to re-use the connectors for the Hall Unit because the cylinder-type pins seem to be NLA. There is now a separate shielded length between the hall unit and distributor (not pictured).
-
- Take the fuse box OUT of the van to re-wire it: much easier. I omitted some ridiculously circuituous wiring, which is why you might notice a lone black wire exiting the box (it goes to the ignition coil).
This was a pretty straightforward project and I’m pleased with the results. One thing I discovered while working on it bothers me and I haven’t been able to confirm anyone else has this situation: the original ECU connector was pinned in reverse such that fuel injectors 1 and 2 were in 3 and 4 position and vice versa. I’ve struggled with rough running, low power and emissions for years and am wondering if I might have finally gotten to the bottom of it by pinning the ECU according to the Bentley diagram. We’ll see.
Now, my shopping list. NONE of the following links are affiliate links. I’m not doing this to make money off you, but heck, feel free to send a couple GoWesty Bucks to
😉 Especially where this shopping list involves wire selection, it is PICKY and creates a close replica OEM harness, paying attention to wire color coding so you can identify and troubleshoot wiring more easily in the future. Total supplies cost under $150, but could be done cheaper by using materials on hand. There are also a lot of recycling options and different avenues you could go down with connections. This list would definitely get you started with most everything you’d need in hand, though. Or just pay Kyle to make you a harness.
Digikey
Digikey sells parts for many (but not all) of the connections you will be making. Make sure to keep your old Digijet harness handy as you may need to cannibalize parts from it. I’ve put all the following items with generous quantities in a * * * cart ready for you at Digikey * * * in case you want to cut to the chase and start spending money. About $50. Digikey ships very quickly and their packaging is superb if not excessive.
925590-2
A107135CT-ND
CONN SOCKET 15-20AWG CRIMP TIN
(1-tab connector pins)
16 for ECU
8 for fuel injectors (depends what type of junior connector you’re using, this is safe choice)
3 at distributor
2 at temp sensor II
2 at air sensor
2 at throttle body (depending on connector, if using GW throttle body)
—
33 (BUY EXTRA)
929939-3
A141433CT-ND
CONN SOCKET 17-20AWG CRIMP TIN
(2-tab connector pins)
7 for Hall
4 for AFM (with new junior power timer 5-pos )
__
11 (BUY EXTRA)
827551-3
A106202-ND
JUNIOR TIMER CONNECTOR-HSG
1 air sensor
1 throttle body (if using GW throttle body)
4 for fuel injectors (if new connectors desired)
1 for temp sensor II (if new connector desired)
__
7
880810-1
A105234-ND
COVER CAP 2 WAY
(junior connector rubber boots)
4 or fuel injectors
1 temp sensor II
1 idle stabilizer
1 air sensor
__
7
42460-1
A27922CT-ND
CONN QC TAB 14-18AWG 0.250 CRIMP
(¼” spade connectors)
1 fuel pump connection at firewall
1 ignition coil connection
__
2 (BUY 1-2 EXTRA)
42100-1
A27935CT-ND
CONN QC RCPT 14-18AWG 0.250
(female ¼” connectors)
1 at oxy sensor
8 at fuse box/ignition coil
4 (throttle body, if using original throttle body)
__
13 (BUY 2-4 EXTRA. Subtract 4 if using GoWesty throttle body)
This 1/4″ female connector might be more appropriate for the smaller gauge (18awg) connections, there are ~3 on a 83-85 van with original throttle body, the remaining take 16awg or crimp two wires together.
282193-1
A122413-ND
CONN JR PWR TIMER 5POS 5MM BLACK
1 for AFM (has nice engagement and waterproofing)
828904-1
A106225-ND
SGL WIRE SEAL FOR J.P.T.CON
5 for AFM (if waterproofing desired)
CONN RING CIRC 10-12AWG M6 CRIMP
4 for grounds on near left cylinder head (BUY 1-2 EXTRA)
62357-1
A29928CT-ND
CONN SPLICE 7400-10000 CMA CRIMP
(or some kind of butt splice with a high enough CMA for #6 18ga wires)
1 splice for 6-way 16-18ga wire (power to fuel injectors) (BUY 1-2 EXTRA)
A105625-ND
CONN RCPT HSG 0.25 1POS BLACK
Cosmetic value only? Naww… Grab
8 of these, FOUR if you have a GoWesty throttle body
WIRE
100′ 18ga white GXL wire. You’ll mostly be using 18 gauge white wire.
You will have leftovers of the following three, so could get away with buying less (10 feet would probably cut it):
STRIPED WIRE
10′ 18ga black/white striped GXL wire (I might choose 16ga here)
10′ 18ga white/brown striped GXL wire
10′ 18ga blue/brown striped GXL wire
20′ 18ga yellow/brown striped GXL wire
I recommend foregoing 20ga wire for Hall Unit and just re-use those wires and connectors if possible, because pin connectors are probably NLA (if you find out otherwise, please let me know)
Total wire cost: Approximately $70
WIRE SHEATHING
You could use split loom which would probably be cheaper and possibly easier to get into later should you need to make repairs or adjustments, but I like fiberglass because heat protection. Also, mice will either love eating the fiberglass or not love it. Not sure, fun gamble though.
10′ ¾” ID Fiberglass Heat Shield Sleeve
5-10′ ½” ID Fiberglass Heat Shield Sleeve
(if you’re crafty & judicious with wire lengths you can make do with 5 feet)
5-10′ ¼” ID Fiberglass Heat Shield Sleeve
(if you’re crafty & judicious with wire lengths you can make do with 5 feet)
Total: About $40
HEAT SHRINK TUBING
Preferably ADHESIVE so it will cling to the fiberglass, another great place to find this is at Genuine Dealz. I’ve purchased quite a bit of wire, etc. from them over the past four years and have always been pleased.
1′ 1″ ID
1-2′ ⅝” ID
1-2′ ⅜” ID
Approximately $15
OTHER MATERIALS
Bentley manual (for the wiring diagram)
electrical tape (recommend: narrow white for labeling and regular width black for binding)
wire cutters
wire stripper
terminal pin removal tools
reliable crimpers for 10-22ga connectors (recommend IWISS SN-28B and Klein VDV200-010)
scissors
measuring tape
fine point Sharpie
rubber gloves and a respirator if you’re using fiberglass wrap
Tip: Don’t use dielectric grease on your connections; use something like CAIG DeoxIT if anything at all.
(advertisement)