E30 Connector/Insulation crumbling problems

[chomowitz]

I have a 1990 BMW E30 325i sedan. Recently, I have been diagnosing electrical issues (ABS/Speed Sensor, SRS/Airbag, AC Fan, etc.) and have experienced connector and wire outer covering (not direct wire insulation) crumbling.

I have addressed the wire outer covering issue by wrapping the insulated wires with electrical tape, but I am not sure how long the tape will hold.

In the case of the connectors (crash sensors, abs/wheel speed sensors, dual threshold temperature sensor), I have also used electrical tape to hold the pieces together.

I am on the verge of taking the car into a BMW Dealer or appropriate service center, but I am afraid that if they start diagnosing things by taking connectors apart to meter the system, I will get a call that I need all new cables before I can drive the car again. Some of the specific cables I am talking about are not cheap.

Other than never taking my car into a service center again, I was thinking that I could cut out and replace the crumbling connectors. Right now my car is "okay", but as I said ... If I need to go to a service center, I would be taking a big risk regarding "unnecessary costs".

If anyone has addressed this problem, I would appreciate your experiences and guidance as to what types of connectors (materials ?) I should evaluate. Some specific connectors I have been working with are ... (1) the connector to the dual range temperature sensor that triggers the aux fan, (2) the connectors that attach the crash sensors (above front wheel wells left and right) and 3) the connectors for the wheel speed/abs sensors.

Thank you in advance for your help ...

[efficient]

Buy a new wire harness.

[george graves]

Buy a new wire harness.

I don't know a single person that has done that. Would be nice, but I bet thats $$$.

[Seawolf]

You can thank the tree huggers for that one - those outer cable sleeves are biodegradable.

Courtesy of Euro eco laws.

Your only options are either source the correct wrapping tape (not insulating tape) or replace the wiring harness.

[modernist]

Yeah, the sleeves get brittle. I've had good luck with non-adhesive vinyl wiring harness tape. When I refreshed my wiring harness, I carefully cut away the brittle sleeves (mostly in hot parts of the engine bay) and rewrapped with 2-3 layers vinyl harness tape. Looks nice, flexible and durable. Don't use normal adhesive electrical tape, the adhesive oozes out and gets sticky and gross. Hard to clean up.

As long as the actual wires are in good shape, there's no point in coughing up hundreds of dollars for a new wiring harness. Rewrapping and cleaning the terminals does the trick.

[thefrog1394]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it