About Proper Way To Abandon a Wire in a Car Wiring Harness: Car wire harnesses usually contain several wire colors to transmit power or data signals between components.
As the harness ages, some wires might wear out, meaning they need replacements.
And what is the proper way to abandon a wire in a car wiring harness when replacing it? Read on to find out more!
Table of Contents
- Why Abandon a Wire in a Car Wiring Harness?
- Why Proper Wire Abandonment is Vital
- How To Properly Abandon a Wire in a Car Wiring Harness
- Wrap Up
Why Abandon a Wire in a Car Wiring Harness?
The most typical reason for abandoning a copper cable in a harness is to streamline repairs.
It is easier to leave these wires and install new pieces to minimize errors. However, you can also abandon these wires due to the following reasons.
Car Modification
Vehicle modification or customization means adding and removing specific electrical components.
These realignments require wire loom/harness adjustment, meaning you might have to abandon some wires in the bundle.
Component Replacement or Upgrade
Replacing or upgrading components also requires wiring changes.
For instance, replacing the stock head unit with an aftermarket stereo might require fewer wires than those in the harness. So, you’ll have to abandon some.
A car audio wiring harness
Troubleshooting
When troubleshooting electrical connection issues in your vehicle’s wiring, you might have to bypass or disconnect specific wires.
After rectifying the issue, you might have to abandon the bypassed electrical wires to ensure the system is reliable. Or you might no longer need those cables.
Eliminating Non-Essential Features
If you think your vehicle is over-accessorized and want to remove the non-essential electrical features, they should go out with their wires.
These include features like aftermarket lighting and dashboard gauges.
A wire harness containing matted wires
This case is typical when buying used vehicles. Some car owners heavily modify their vehicles, and you might be a simplicity fan.
Returning it to stock configuration might require copper wire abandonment.
Vehicle Restoration Projects
Car restoration might require you to replace faulty and outdated parts. This removal usually coincides with abandoning some wires that become redundant.
Removing Safety Hazards
You might have to abandon damaged or exposed wires because they might be sources of electrical faults like shorting.
Weight Reduction
Lastly, if you are into motorsports, you might want to eliminate or cut unnecessary wiring to reduce the vehicle’s weight.
Wire harnesses are heavy, and lightening the vehicle is critical when racing.
A rally car in action
Why Proper Wire Abandonment is Vital
Proper wire abandonment typically involves sealing and insulating the unused wire. This process is vital for the following reasons.
Safety
Safety is the most critical reason for proper wire abandonment. Exposed wires can lead to shorting, ground faults, and even fires (in the worst-case scenario).
Insulating and securing the wires eliminates these electrical faults.
Preventing Malfunctions
Shorting and ground faults can cause the connected electronic devices to malfunction. Modern cars can compound this situation because they have interconnected components and modules.
Enhancing Reliability
The electrical faults described above cause interference that hampers the vehicle’s running. So, your car can fail in the middle of nowhere when you are out for a drive.
Simplifying Troubleshooting
A neat, well-organized wiring harness is easy to troubleshoot and repair when problems arise. But harnesses with improperly abandoned wires can complicate troubleshooting or confuse the person handling the problem.
Damaged car wiring harnesses
Eliminating Interference
Improperly abandoned wires in harnesses can move around as you drive, contacting areas that cause interference. Such a situation can amplify the noise, hampering electronic communication or signal transmission.
Maintaining the Integrity and Safety Standards of the Electrical System
Even after heavy customizations or modifications, proper wire abandonment ensures the harness complies with the required safety standards. Therefore, it preserves the vehicle’s value and integrity.
Simplifies Future Servicing or Upgrading
Proper wire abandonment makes the harness layout easier to understand when servicing or upgrading electrical systems.
Eliminates Battery Drain
Uninsulated unused wires can drain tiny amounts of electrical current from the power source.
Or, they might act as ground wires, draining current to the negative battery terminal when they contact hot wires.
These energy losses can damage your battery or cause starting issues.
Gives a Professional Appearance
Properly abandoning wires in harnesses makes the cable bundles look neat and professional, which are marks of quality craftsmanship.
A neat wire harness in a vehicle’s engine bay
How To Properly Abandon a Wire in a Car Wiring Harness
This process is simple because it requires only these steps.
Identify the Wire
First, identify the wire you plan to abandon from the harness bundle. This step is critical because disconnecting crucial wires for the car in the harness can hamper operations or damage electronic components.
Document and Label
Document the wire’s location and purpose for future purposes. You can label the wire on the section remaining on the harness. Remember to include the reason for abandonment on the label.
Disconnect the Cable
Disconnect the wire from the linked electrical component/connector, and use the proper tools to avoid damaging the surrounding wires.
Secure and Insulate the Wire
Secure the disconnected end of the wire to prevent it from contacting other exposed wires or metal vehicle components. You can use pieces of heat shrink tubing or electrical tape as the wire insulation.
Secure the Wire
Secure and fasten the single wire in the harness to prevent interference or rattling when driving. And if you’ve abandoned multiple wires in the harness, bundle and secure them as one package.
An engine harness
Check the Vehicle’s Functionality
Turn on the vehicle and activate the features connected using the harness you’ve modified. Ensure the systems function as required.
If not, you’ve disconnected and abandoned the wrong wire. You’ll have to go back to the harness to rectify the issue.
Document the Wiring Harness Changes
If everything looks okay, document the wire harness changes in electrical wiring diagrams or other vehicle electrical records.
Dispose Of the Cut Wire
You might have to cut some wire length when abandoning wires to make the harness look neat. Dispose of this excess wire safely if you won’t reuse it or need it later.
Ensure you follow your local electronic waste disposal guidelines when dumping this unused wiring.
Wrap Up
Modifying or upgrading a vehicle’s electrical and electronic system should not only occur on the surface.
The process should extend to the harness to keep the unused wires from causing mayhem.
And as you can see from the steps above, the proper wire abandonment process isn’t complex.
Contact us if you need new wiring harnesses to modify or upgrade your vehicle, and we’ll reach out with more details.
