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Please help! Door harness in half

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Old May 4, 2009 | 07:34 PM
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Default Please help! Door harness in half

My door harness was cut in half right at the seam. My car was vandalized i think they were trying to remove my doors i have no idea why. Anyway, they were cought within 5 minutes the only damage was they cut right through my door harness in between my door and car. Rather than make an insurance claim, id rather just wire it myself if i can do it. But im bad with electical stuff mainly cause it just frustrates me. So i go to start it but there are a bunch of wires that are the same color, and size, no stripes! What the hell GM, the exact same wire? How do i know what goes where?? Please help me in any way you can, or reomend a good shop in Sac. I dont think its as big of a deal as im making it but i want to make sure i dont screw it up further!
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Old May 4, 2009 | 09:44 PM
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Which door? If its the driver's side you will have multiple wires of the same gague and color. (If I remember correctly - I won't be near my notes for another couple of days.)

Either way, I'd really recommend having a GM shop do the splicing. They will have Delphi mechanical splice clips, which will hold much better than anything you can get at Radio Shack, etc. With all the movement of the door, I would think a lesser splice will cause you more problems down the road.
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Old May 4, 2009 | 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
Which door? If its the driver's side you will have multiple wires of the same gague and color. (If I remember correctly - I won't be near my notes for another couple of days.)

Either way, I'd really recommend having a GM shop do the splicing. They will have Delphi mechanical splice clips, which will hold much better than anything you can get at Radio Shack, etc. With all the movement of the door, I would think a lesser splice will cause you more problems down the road.

Yea its the drivers door. I was planning on soldering the wires do you think its still necessary to have the GM shop do it? Whats the advantage of going to them over an electrician in town?
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Old May 5, 2009 | 07:38 AM
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The driver's side is the worst of the two. I recall the passenger's side having less duplication of wire colors and fewer wires - but that's not the one you have issues with.

The GM shop will have mechanical clips that secure the wires together. The clips also have solder ports to seal the splice with solder. (Although I have found it difficult to solder as the wire strands get so tight against each other.) The GM shop will also have... wiring diagrams.

Soldering the wires only will give you a brittle connection and won't be as durable.

In the end, any splice method and electrician can get the job done. The GM route (if they do it right) will just give you a more durable result. So, I'd say the investment you'll need to make should be dependent on how much the car is worth and how long you plan on keeping it.

You might also check your insurance policy. You may not have a deductible for vandalism or theft.
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Old May 6, 2009 | 12:11 AM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
The driver's side is the worst of the two. I recall the passenger's side having less duplication of wire colors and fewer wires - but that's not the one you have issues with.

The GM shop will have mechanical clips that secure the wires together. The clips also have solder ports to seal the splice with solder. (Although I have found it difficult to solder as the wire strands get so tight against each other.) The GM shop will also have... wiring diagrams.

Soldering the wires only will give you a brittle connection and won't be as durable.

In the end, any splice method and electrician can get the job done. The GM route (if they do it right) will just give you a more durable result. So, I'd say the investment you'll need to make should be dependent on how much the car is worth and how long you plan on keeping it.

You might also check your insurance policy. You may not have a deductible for vandalism or theft.

I'll check into the GM shop and see what they charge and ill ask what they do and then ill call around asking if other people do it and what they charge. I plan on keeping the car forever. I dont want to report it to insurance because i dont want it on my record and i dont want my rates to go up which im pretty sure they will. Ive never heard of nay special clips before all this so ill have to check it out.
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Old May 6, 2009 | 09:43 AM
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Check out this booklet: http://www.weber.edu/wsuimages/autom...%20Booklet.pdf (pages 15-19)

This is the wiring repair booklet that every GM dealer has - actually it will be a newer version. There are two types of splices they describe: one with the splice clip and one with a crimp and seal connector. (I have been suggesting you go with the clips.)

So if you take this with you to the GM shop, you can confirm what they can/would do and/or what they would recommend.

Or - if you are going to keep the car forever and would like to get a hold of the special crimpers (around $100 each) and clips (dirt cheap), I can give you more info on getting a hold of all that stuff.
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Old May 24, 2009 | 03:42 AM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
Check out this booklet: http://www.weber.edu/wsuimages/autom...%20Booklet.pdf (pages 15-19)

This is the wiring repair booklet that every GM dealer has - actually it will be a newer version. There are two types of splices they describe: one with the splice clip and one with a crimp and seal connector. (I have been suggesting you go with the clips.)

So if you take this with you to the GM shop, you can confirm what they can/would do and/or what they would recommend.

Or - if you are going to keep the car forever and would like to get a hold of the special crimpers (around $100 each) and clips (dirt cheap), I can give you more info on getting a hold of all that stuff.
Are you the resident Electric Guru? I ask because I am having some issues as well, but I will save that for the PMs if you are the one to talk to.

BTW - The Linky no worky; at least for me, lol, I am getting a timed out error.

DM
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Old May 24, 2009 | 07:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Devils Mentor
Are you the resident Electric Guru? I ask because I am having some issues as well, but I will save that for the PMs if you are the one to talk to.

BTW - The Linky no worky; at least for me, lol, I am getting a timed out error.

DM
I am no guru but I did completely re-construct one of the wire harnesses in my door (you wouldn't believe what it took to get the terminals that hook up in to the window switches!) - so I have all of the tools and a bunch of good resources for anyone wanting to do a factory-spec wiring job.
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