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Wiring Harness Question

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Keith61:
Evening All

Was thinking of replacing the wiring harness on my CB 550 , but after looking at it today and deciding it is actually in not a too bad condition I have decided to try and reuse it ( after testing it of course ) . My main concern is the state of the connectors. Most are heavily corroded . So, my question is , does anyone have handy tips for cleaning them up to a serviceable state , or , if they need replacing , the best way to prepare the wire ?

Thanks ......Keith

Johnwebley:
hi Kieth,welcome to the sohc forum,


 

matthewmosse:
Wd40 and a toothbrush / toothbrush sized wire brush? And a mini drill with brush attatchments for stubborn bits if really commited to cleaning. Vehicle wiring products do some decent connectors that are compatible, including the inserts for the block connectors - re use the housinga as they are not so easy to source with the right shape. The old connectors can be poped out of the plastic block with a small screwdriver for cleaning or replacement. Lightly bending connectors to tighten connections can work wonders. If replacing a connector just strip the wire back and crimp on new - oppinion is devided on soldering too, but I prefer to solder. If the copper inner has gone black its very hard to get solder to take and probably indicates a problem. Just as well to replace that particular wire run in the loom, either just zip tie a new wire onto the outside, works just fine but not pretty if fussy. Or strip back the whole loom and install new wire plus re wrap. A lot of work. The original looms are great quality. Well worth taking time to save them. I did re wire one of my bikes using 'high preformance' wire from vwp, I kind of regret it, the old style wire is better in my books and seems to retain the crimped connectors better and flex better.

totty:
These are brilliant, but expensive.
http://www.ipatools.com/products/index.php/diamond-tip-electrical-terminal-cleaners.html

Using an abrasive removes the plating, but if they're already corroded it's gone anyway, pack with dialectic grease after cleaning to prevent the fresh metal from corroding rapidly.

BigAl (Alan):
The connectors are still available, it's a case of shopping around to find them.
Old wiring harness refurbishment tip - once you have removed the old insulation tape, you may find that the bunched cables are very 'sticky'. The original design issue with 1960' early 80' pvc insulated cables is that the insulation degrades due to a chemical reaction between the copper conductor and the plasticiser within the insulation. This is normally compounded by heat/bunched cables.
The problem is not as obvious as the attached image. Some insulated cables looks OK, but have degraded (become too soft) for prolonged service

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