Just after the concenus on whether to use the wiring taken from the donor, or is it worth purchasing a new ready-made jobbie?

opinions appreciated

cheers
Mark

Hi,
i think it depends on how electronically minded you are, and how long you have got to strip down the existing loom.
i bought a loom from PWS, but i think if i were doing it all again, id prob start from scratch, as i need all sorts of ecu's etcc.. to get the engine running.
hope this helps,
Tom

i enjoyed making my own, took a couple of days but i was left with system that i fully understood if i ever had to fault find, cost as much as buying a loom mind you, one tip, I like many others used 7 core trailor cable from front to back of car, more than enough for the lights and fuel tank sender.

If you're using looms from older cars like mk2 escorts then the originol loom on its own is not satisfactory.

For instance, if your car needs an electric fan the standard loom will not run it. The same goes for a warning light on the brake lines (SVA requirment).

For what its worth I started with the donor Sierra loom, but pretty soon gave up and bought a Vick Green loom from lolocost - IMHO it's not worth bothering with the donor's loom.

HTH

Nick

If you buy in a new loom make sure you can use it with indicator stalks, ignithion key, etc.
Other wise these will have to be bought as well.

how labour intensive is making your own? As with most things its probably the same to pay a company, but it is the kinda thing I would enjoy making.

Are there suppliers that come recommended?

cheers for the replies

Mark

I stripped the entire loom out of my alfa.

The bloody thing weighed more than i do.

But once you have got the loom out, and a nice diagram of the thing, you can just go and chop all the bits you want off.

It leaves with too long, and skinny loom.

Throw it somewhere near the front and back of the car, and cut and reconnect the slack in the middle.

If you keep as much of it in the standard colours as possible it always helps if you have any problems.

The one i really don't like is home made looms made from red and black wire only.

If you take your time you can make a nice job of it, and actually get all the bits you want in the right place with there being any spare loop of loom kicking around.

It may be a challenge but there are lots of people on this site can help if you get stuck.

Go for it.

quote:

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Originally posted by 200mph
how labour intensive is making your own? As with most things its probably the same to pay a company, but it is the kinda thing I would enjoy making.

Are there suppliers that come recommended?

cheers for the replies

Mark

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http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/



all you could ever need, recomended.

Indykid did all your loom come from a 1.6 sierra?
I'm investigating posible electric rad fans and thought that only the 1.8 cvh sierra's had electric fans.

yes all 1.6 loom.

therefore it has no electric fan, but does have a heated rear windscreen,rear wiper motor,central locked rear doors, all with butch wiring, far exceeding the 20a fuse for the rad fan (from CBS/nfauto btw £45 935cfm apparently)

make your initial loom, keep the other bits (read hefty chunk, about 10kg) in a box and scavenge from it as and when, trying to retain colours, useful for miscellaneous earths and stuff

hth
tom

[Edited on 17/2/05 by indykid]

Go for a Premier Wiring loom if you want the easy route. Lots have people have used it and it is very straight forward and everything is correct and fitted with fuses and relay holders.

The company are 110%, very helpful and I've never heard a bad word said about them.

The £45 fan from CBS is excellant value.
I run 2 on a RV8 and have no overheating problems.


Clive

Does the fan include an auto on/off control, or is the fan perminantly on.

Why can't this forum allow me to edit a post when i told it to post too hastaly.

I mean the CBS fan

You can edit...just click the little edit button up in the right hand corner of your post....i do it all the time as i type too fast and then (buttons about ^^^ here) dont read what i typed....

[Edited on 17/2/05 by flak monkey]

no, the fan is just a fan, 2 wires.

i'm running it with an mk rad tho, so has a hole for a fan switch. i used a cavalier one as i know they run unrelayed, and a 25a toggle switch for a manual override.

hth
tom

I spliced a BE loom and a Sierra loom together - most of the loom from the bike did the job - used the Sierra loom to add bits in etc. Hazards and Fog I made up my own from trailer wire. I'm no whizz when it comes to wiring but as long as it is safe (came from bike or car) then by default I assume it's safe to use on a se7en. I must have enjoyed it as I'm doing it again on the ZX12R... which is much worse than any bike loom I've ever seen

tee hee, aint it the best

tom

Premier Wiring is by far the easiest and neatest way to go. Cost about £95 and all the support you need.

Cheers

Mark

I made my own loom using coloured wires according to the british standard. Because I had some waste I probably spent as much as if I'd bought the premier wiring loom, but had a lot of fun designing it, and the loom may not have met my perculiar requirements (ooer!).
There is a cheaper option - use just a few colours, and use easily available cable markers to identify each one. There is a huge saving to be made when you buy whole reels of cable, and there's a lot less waste. If I ever wire another car then this would be the way I'd go.

cheers,
David

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
I made my own loom using coloured wires according to the british standard. Because I had some waste I probably spent as much as if I'd bought the premier wiring loom, but had a lot of fun designing it, and the loom may not have met my perculiar requirements (ooer!).
There is a cheaper option - use just a few colours, and use easily available cable markers to identify each one. There is a huge saving to be made when you buy whole reels of cable, and there's a lot less waste. If I ever wire another car then this would be the way I'd go.

cheers,
David

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