Damaged Wiring harness

[Binary]

Good afternoon. New to the forum but not to Jeeps. Recently purchased a new 2023 4DR Rubicon JL. Being doing some mods to it and yesterday even though I took precautions, I ended up letting a drill bit hit the wiring harness that runs on the driver side full length to rear. made me sick to my stomach to make sure a careless mistake even though I had pulled the carpet down and unsnapped the harness from the side of the tub. Here is the current issues at hand and I would appreciate some recommendations for quick fix vs permanent fix (new harness of course). after the damage the Jeep will crank from the remote but states on the message center the key fob is not found. So basically noting works because it doesn't think I have the fob. Have to shut it off with remote start on the fob.

I have ten wires in the harness that need to be repaired and I have enough wire to splice them back without having to add small section. I have two wires that are single wires and then I have 4 twisted pair wires. I know it is important to keep these pairs as twisted as much as possible. My question is should I use red butt connectors or new wago style clamp connectors?? I'm terrible at soldering so that's not an option for now. My main goal is to get the Jeep back to functional. Windows are cracked a little and rain on the way Friday. I do have the negative battery terminals off now but they were not off when this happened since I wasn't doing electrical work and thought I had taken the precautions needed. Is it possible that a fuse is blown that is preventing the fob from being recognized?? All my tail lights are still working as well.

Does anyone know how to find out what the part number for this harness would be?? As stated it is the driver side one that runs along the bottom then up under the lip of the tub?? I was drilling thru the flat of the top where it bolts down to ad a ladder bracket to the roof rack. I'm viewing this no much different than cutting thru and damaging a commercial phone trunk and all those pairs have to be repaired (spliced back together). Please let me know if this is not going to work.

Thanks in advance. Hopefully this is the only time I have to scramble for a solution on the forum.

Sponsored

 

[dapipp]

Go to a local wreaking yard and get a couple of hefty chunks of wiring harness from some Cherokee's or other Mopar vehicles. There should be a lot of wire of corresponding size. Use that wiring to shorten/extend you broken wiring. I would use a combination of soldering and heat shrink to fix the harness. There is no need to replace the harness since this may not be your only "accident". Use this as a learning opportunity.

 

[limeade]

My opinion is soldering would be the best, especially for long term. Soldering, coupled with heat shrink tubing, will last as long as if the damage never occurred.

For short term, I would think connectors would be ok and it's worth a shot.

Consult the owners manual for the correct fuse locations in the PDC and pull each one to see if it's still good. I'm not sure what that wiring bundle connects, but I believe there's an electrical/wiring diagram on the forum somewhere so you can identify the exact circuits.

If it were me, I'd disconnect the battery, repair each wire and try it out. If something doesn't work, then I'd start checking the fuses. I wouldn't waste time or money on a new wiring harness for this simple repair.

 

[jludave]

My question is should I use red butt connectors or new wago style clamp connectors?

If you aren't good at soldering, look into ordering a set of these. You can twist the wire ends together and use a heat source to solder and shrink wrap the connection at the same time. I've used these in many projects.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solder+c...+connector,aps,176&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_16

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

If you aren't good at soldering, look into ordering a set of these. You can twist the wire ends together and use a heat source to solder and shrink wrap the connection at the same time. I've used these in many projects.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solder+connectors+with+heat+shrink&sprefix=solder+connector,aps,176&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_16

I agree with jludave... get that kit.. soldering with a soldering pen would be ideal... but since you are not confident about soldering the cables yourself, then jludave's recommendation would be the simplest way to fix the wires.

 

[jromanmd]

If you aren't good at soldering, look into ordering a set of these. You can twist the wire ends together and use a heat source to solder and shrink wrap the connection at the same time. I've used these in many projects.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solder+connectors+with+heat+shrink&sprefix=solder+connector,aps,176&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_16

Holy Shit. Dave, this is priceless. I am terrible with a Solder Iron as well and NEVER knew these existed. Man I freaking love this place. So much amazing advice that I would other wise never have.

Thank you for posting that!

 

[Maverick909]

As an electrician for the past 20years soldering is the best way for a “quick” fix. Try not to stress about the twisted pair’s to much. Plus accidents happy and pretty much everything is fixable. When it comes to soldering getting the correct size filler is the best thing along with a decent soldering iron and heat shrink tubing. If not the next best is the above linked solder slice sets. They work great.. I did like using crimp connectors as they will come loose over time while Off-roading.. no time like the now to practice soldering!

 

[Retrograde]

My opinion is soldering would be the best, especially for long term. Soldering, coupled with heat shrink tubing, will last as long as if the damage never occurred.

This. And seal the ends of the shrink tube with RTV.

 

[Binary]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m starting to feel a little better about the repair now. I had recently purchased the heat shrink and solder splicers along with a heat gun. Time to practice and use them. I’ll post an update after I get the repairs complete. Still hoping no other issues from hitting the harness with the battery live. Plus assuming that the key fob not found is due to the break in the wires

Thanks again. Much appreciated

 

[jack bauer]

If you aren't good at soldering, look into ordering a set of these. You can twist the wire ends together and use a heat source to solder and shrink wrap the connection at the same time. I've used these in many projects.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=solder+connectors+with+heat+shrink&sprefix=solder+connector,aps,176&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_16

Good call out. I've used these in the past and they work great.
Just make certain you have a proper heat gun and not a hair dryer.

 

[dapipp]

To give you piece of mind go to Harbor Freight and pick up a couple of packs of "18 in. 5 Colors Test Lead and Alligator Clips Set". This will let you temporarily fix your harness to make sure everything still works.

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-low-voltage-multi-colored-test-leads-66717.html

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

while we are at it... I recommend you use "Marine Grade" Heat Shrink Tubing ... as they are thicker, and the inside is adhesive lined ... providing a better seal against water and moisture .. something like this:

Wirefy Heat Shrink Tubing Kit - 3:1 Ratio Adhesive Lined, Marine Grade Shrink Wrap - Industrial Heat-Shrink Tubing - Black 180 PCS: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

If I don't have Marine Grade heat shrink tubing at hand but the cheap Amazon/Harbor Freight variety ... I simply wrap the soldered wire in electrical tape.. and then cheap heat shrink tubing... it works well..

 

[Eyeball]

This. And seal the ends of the shrink tube with RTV.

Better and cleaner to just use adhesive lined heat shrink tubing.

 

[Eyeball]

As an electrician for the past 20years soldering is the best way for a “quick” fix. Try not to stress about the twisted pair’s to much. Plus accidents happy and pretty much everything is fixable. When it comes to soldering getting the correct size filler is the best thing along with a decent soldering iron and heat shrink tubing. If not the next best is the above linked solder slice sets. They work great.. I did like using crimp connectors as they will come loose over time while Off-roading.. no time like the now to practice soldering!

Provided you use quality connectors (not the hard plastic covered ones at the hardware store) a quality ratcheting crimper and adhesive lined heat shrink you should have no concerns about crimp connectors coming loose. I would wager that you will find many more crimp connectors on your factory harness that you will find soldered ones.

 

[Binary]

Thanks again for all the information. I had some of the connectors with heat shrink tubing and solder built in plus a new heat gun. Practiced a little bit then went to work. Turned out pretty good and the Ruby is backup running and working without issues. Still not 100% sure what all the wires in the harness were controlling and if anyone knows drop a note in here. That way if I have issues down the road I may know where to look for 1st cause. Just hoping nothing was in there controlling lockers or anything mechanical underneath. Not sure why it would in that harness but never know what a manufacture thinks or reasons.

yup I had already repaired two with crimp connectors so I left them so they wouldn't have to be made shorter. I sealed the ends with liquid electrical tape. That stuff works good too as long as you let it cure out. I'll zip tie all this up and retake it with a cloth type electrical tape.

Sponsored