[Ardwolf]

Hi all,

I came across this site today, and it seemed like a good place to pose this question. I have a 98 Escort Wagon with just over 40,000 miles on it. Though it has had it's share of problems due to it's age, overall it runs great and has been incredibly reliable. I just got back from a camping trip in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and it did well on the hills even loaded near the maximum weight capacity.

Anyway, while unpacking it today, I noticed the wiring harness feeding the rear hatch is about to break. The rubber seal is broken open, and the wires are damaged. I'm either going to have a bad short soon, or things like the brake light or license plate lights are going to stop working.

This is where I need some help. I don't really have the money to bring it to a service center and have it repaired, but at the same time I'm not sure what I'm doing. Where is the best place to find a replacement? I've tried searching on google, and I can't even find a reference to the part. I'm not even sure what to call it. Also, what is involved in replacing this harness? I need my Escort for work, and don't want to screw it up.

Thanks!

Wolf

 

[Rainman19154]

you can shop junk yards for a complete wiring harness. It will still be a lot of work to install.

alternatively, you can repair the damaged area yourself.
You'll need several peices of 14 to 18 guage wire, probably about 24" each and some butt splices. You'll have to get into the lining of the body section where the harness passes from chassis to hatch, and into the hatch itself. This might mean taking the whole plastic shell off the inside of the hatch.

Once you have the wiring exposed on both sides, it will be an easy task to replace each damaged conductor with a new peice, splicing in the new peices one at a time to keep it all organized and accurate. (some will insist soldering is the only sure repair but crimp on splices can work just fine).


Whether you repair or replace, dealing with the interior trim components is the hard work. Replacing a major section of wiring harness will be probably more work but even getting into the chassis enough to do a splice repair will be time consuming.

good luck.