Clive Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 As Pete says, silicone insulated wires are more flexible and robust. The other thing is to cable tie the wires to the stick below the bottom hole, I use 2, about 10mm apart to stop chafing on the hole. And leave a bit of a loop (not a whole loop) of wire so there is room to flex. Then somehow fix to the box itself so the wires cannot chafe. Extra sleeving handy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 3 hours ago, clive said: Extra sleeving handy too. Agree! I rebuilt the loom with completely new cables and then covered it in corrugated tubing scrounged from an HGV garage, plus I added a few rubber-insulated P-clips to secure it to the gearbox. It's not going to move and so wear against anything for a few years... I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 29 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: Agree! I rebuilt the loom with completely new cables and then covered it in corrugated tubing scrounged from an HGV garage, plus I added a few rubber-insulated P-clips to secure it to the gearbox. It's not going to move and so wear against anything for a few years... I hope! Indeed, but I think rubbing at the hole where the wires go into the stick are the biggest issue. Well, along with the wires being held too tight and not enough to flex easily. In fact the 2 most irritating OD failure I have had have been the solenoid earth wires on J type. Both sprint boxes too! First was about 25 years ago on the way to teh Dutch spitfire weekend in my mk3 spit (sprint engine!) and the last was 2 years ago on the way to the start of the RBRR. With 2000miles ahead that weekend, I was damn sure I would fix the issue, done in a wetherspoons pub carpark an hour before the off (and after fish and chips) Luckily I saw the spark where the wire was broken as I was checking under the car and wiggling stuff. It seems the insulation goes brittle when soaked in oil long-term. Causes the wire to fracture. After about 45 years... but always at the most annoying time. Anyway, 10 minute fix, and faultless from then on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 2 hours ago, clive said: Indeed, but I think rubbing at the hole where the wires go into the stick are the biggest issue. Well, along with the wires being held too tight and not enough to flex easily. Now THAT is one problem I don't have, as my GT6 is fitted with the column stalk, but I remember it causing bother on my MK3 years ago. I think I still have the incredibly small bullet connectors that Chic Doig sold me to connect the replacement wiring to the O/d switch in the gearstick. Modern silicone-coated cabling should be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitFire6 Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 Hi, silicone insulated cable is not a wise choice. PTFE or thin wall is a better choice. Cheers, Iain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 20 minutes ago, SpitFire6 said: Hi, silicone insulated cable is not a wise choice. PTFE or thin wall is a better choice. Cheers, Iain. Please educate us. What is wrong with the silicone insulation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpitFire6 Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) 24 minutes ago, clive said: Please educate us. What is wrong with the silicone insulation? It splits & cuts very easy. Good for meter leads. Bad for anywhere where contact is made. Been there. Done it. Seen it. Sub zero and it falls off the wire. PS. In a conduit it sticks together & falls apart. I love it in the open. Edited September 6, 2020 by SpitFire6 PS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 Indeed. You don't actually need ultra-flexible for car wiring, even the overdrive wiring up the gear-stick. The problems are down to chafing rather than flexing, so thinner cable is better and leaving the right amount free at the bottom with the rest suitably clipped is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 what ever ...........the old wires are not very heat proof and go hard and brittle any improvement aids something which has only lasted 50 years !!!!! no harness was designed with the life we need but they survive in many quite well , but heat is the main killer and working movements of the wires age hardens the sleeving to add to the failures the gearbox tunnel zone is a good high temperature oven much worse than the engine bay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 10 hours ago, SpitFire6 said: Sub zero and it falls off the wire. Sub zero in a Triumph gearbox tunnel???? Seriously??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 To paraphrase another post elsewhere, 'is really so difficult to find a wire that everyone likes? Or am I missing something?' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 any wire is bette than a broken one if guys at Ripaults knew their harness had lasted all these years they would have a party along with the guys from Triumph Ha ! we all need something that just works utopia is a step too far in the fun of classic ownership serious has no fun included and we need some fun even when we're grumpy Ha ! Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 Grumpiness is a state of mind, which like reality, is caused by a lack of alcohol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlubikey Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 If you DIY then I would suggest you do NOT use household flex as this melts at a significantly lower temperature (80'C?) than vehicle cable, tri-flex (115'C?), ect. When I removed the house flex from mine I used PTFE (250'C), but this can be a pain to crimp unless you have the proper tool. I think silicone (200'C?) would be fine but I had none suitable. The problem here is that this cable is not double-insulated, so I also used some high temperature sleeving (it probably came from a fan heater, cooker or clothes iron) which I had and ran it right through the gear stick, end to end. This is glass fibre reinforced silicone and effectively double-insulates the wiring, which I think it is perfect for this application. I like the idea of cable tying at the bottom to minimise flex. At the top I covered the contacts on the ends of the leads with heatshrink sleeving and then ran a scalpel down where the switch contacts fit. As if all that wasn't enough, I have an OD logic controller (it's just two relays!) which, amongst other things, puts the gearstick switch on the chassis side of the wiring, so a short is not fatal - i.e. it won't fry your wiring. My OD has been trouble-free since I made all these changes several (10?) years ago. Cheers, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 7, 2020 Report Share Posted September 7, 2020 a nice lost curl where the movement takes over allows move without stress even wind the wire around a screwdriver blade to make a coil is another idea talking of that wire wound around a S/driver and given a flash off the battery makes it a good magnet for holding screws Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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