Little advice needed-

I have a 2004 R53, less than 50k on her. I replaced her rusting coil pack and original spark plug wires this weekend.

While in there, I see that the bundle of wires leading to my coil pack has some damage.

There is some insulation torn/melted away, and bare wire showing. Obviously lots of voltage running through this bundle, which is concerning to me.

Is this something I should just fix by wrapping with some electrical tape? Is there tape or tubing that I can buy that will handle the engine heat? Do I need to clean the wire somehow?

Pics below. Thanks!!!

 

Just wipe down the wire insulation part to get all the dirt and oil off. Probably fine just using any cleaner that doesn't leave a residue. Spray cleaner on towel or paper towel and clean wires.

Then wrap them with electrical tape. Get a good quality electrical tape and there are some that handle the heat better than others (ask at a reputable auto parts store). I would not cut the wires and splice them back together based on the pictures.

 

Looks like rodent damage , had that happen before , they chewed very close to the coil pack, so clipped and reposted with terminals.

Check your other wires in that area, they will chew the wires down by the power steering pump and the oil senor wire near the oil filter housing. Mine was so bad it was covered under insurance, but for small jobs that are not that bad, just make sure the connection are clean and wrap with good electrical tape.

Good luck.

 

I recommend cutting, soldering a new section of wire and then heat shrinking those issues. I've always done that with my subaru harness issues, you can also test the conductivity of it with a meter to insure a good connection. Super simple shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

 

Cleaning and individually wrapping with electrical tape should be adequate.
Key is to determine the root cause of the damage and resolve that issue.

 

+1
The wire looks OK...it appears to just be the insulation....
I would clean, the wrap them individually.... Good heat resistant tape a must...then WAP the bundle...
And look everywhere for more dammage....you might prevent a future fire or mechanical issue....if a rodent chewed on one wire there is usually more..then I suggest you check you air filters....both engine and cabin...these areas are very inviteing to mice to make nests....

 

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll do the repair work on the exposed wires this weekend while changing the oil.

Then to do a little digging around to see if I can locate any more damage. I'm starting to highly suspect rodent involvement. Bastards.

 

Yeah, lookout for droppings around the engine bay aside from wire damage. My wife's car (non-mini) was a victim with that once, had the battery covered with droppings. And that rubber tube that drips water underneath the car from the AC was all chewed up too. Goodluck!

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring