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Car stopped hitting VTEC and felt like I was hitting a wall/fuel cut when it should be hitting. Got a CEL topped off oil then found 2 broken wires.
Both the VTEC solenoid wire (coming from the big black rubber boot) and the lower Oil pressure sensor wire are broken.
I’m not sure if it’s due to its prior life in Florida (making rubber and plastic or brittle) or if a rodent got in here?
I looked online and I’m having trouble identifying the proper wire or wire harness and I’m starting to think maybe it’s discontinued. Has anybody else had one or both of these wires break and been able to successfully repair at yourself or at a Honda dealership etc.?
VTEC solenoid wire.
Oil sensor wire. Wire trunk where these 3 wires (should) meet.
This is part of the main engine harness. The wires can easily be spliced/soldered back together. Strip back some of that tape/insulation covering the broken wires until there's enough length to splice them back together with solder & cover w/ heatshrink tubing. This is a repair that can easily perform yourself if you know anything about soldering, and if you don't, you'd need just $15 or less worth of supplies from Harbor Freight and a quick watch of a YouTube tutorial on how to properly splice & solder wires....Much cheaper than paying a shop labor, plus it'll be a good skill to have for the future.
How are you with soldering? If there is enough wire, I would try to resolder but I am an electrical guy and am very comfortable doing that stuff. But you will want to make sure that a) there is enough wire and b) that you solder well and use heat shrink (no electrical tape) to make sure it is a good solid connection. If the insulation has been frayed for a while then you may have to cut back the wire a ways to get to good wire (exposed area will be badly oxidized and not solder well) and may need to add a section of wire
Also depending on where your workspace is, this is not a bad application of a butane soldering iron. They are pretty handy to have around and the one I has refills off a standard butane can, so it is nice and portable. Also when removing the solder tip it becomes a mini torch. I like my regular iron better for soldering but when I am way away from the garage or power source those are pretty nice to have. If you have not done any soldering lemme know and I can provide some tips as needed.
How are you with soldering? If there is enough wire, I would try to resolder but I am an electrical guy and am very comfortable doing that stuff. But you will want to make sure that a) there is enough wire and b) that you solder well and use heat shrink (no electrical tape) to make sure it is a good solid connection. If the insulation has been frayed for a while then you may have to cut back the wire a ways to get to good wire (exposed area will be badly oxidized and not solder well) and may need to add a section of wire
Thank you both for your help! I’ll research the soldering supplies and techniques and see if I can do it or get a buddy to assist (before I head to a Honda dealership).
Key things to remember with soldering that will save you headaches
Clean clean clean. Copper that has been exposed for even a day will be somewhat oxidized and will not take solder well. Cut off any exposed and strip back to get good clean copper
Solder moves towards heat. So do not place the solder on the iron. Heat the wire from beneath, and place the solder on the opposite side. Be patient and allow the entire joint to heat and pull the solder towards the iron
Only apply enough solder to cover the joint. No need for extra globs or anything.
Make sure you push the heat shrink far enough up the wire to prevent soldering heat to cause it to shrink prematurely
For wire soldering those are the main points to remember. If soldering surface mount PCBA components, there would be a lot more to discuss of course. Nice thing with this is you can always practice on other wire first if needed.
I like to use a small diameter heat shrink for each wire, then also a larger one for the whole harness. I slide all the smaller ones into place, then shrink them all at once with a heat gun (not a lighter, heathens on TV always be using lighters). Then I slide the larger one over the whole thing, and shrink that (but don't slide into place until the others are cool, or larger one might shrink from residual heat before you get it in place).
I make the larger diameter outer cover longer than the rest, so it covers all the work.
End result is a solid harness instead of individual wires.
Key things to remember with soldering that will save you headaches
Clean clean clean. Copper that has been exposed for even a day will be somewhat oxidized and will not take solder well. Cut off any exposed and strip back to get good clean copper
Solder moves towards heat. So do not place the solder on the iron. Heat the wire from beneath, and place the solder on the opposite side. Be patient and allow the entire joint to heat and pull the solder towards the iron
Only apply enough solder to cover the joint. No need for extra globs or anything.
Make sure you push the heat shrink far enough up the wire to prevent soldering heat to cause it to shrink prematurely
For wire soldering those are the main points to remember. If soldering surface mount PCBA components, there would be a lot more to discuss of course. Nice thing with this is you can always practice on other wire first if needed.
I use a small dab of solder rosin paste to help clean the wires, just before soldering. The minimal amount of solder to make a complete, shiny solder point . BTW... I like and always use butt splice to solder two ends together. A clean, efficient solder and heat shrink insulation --- the joint should last a long time.
Don't forget you did not come to a conclusion how the damage occurred. If you have rodents in your garage you will need to deal with that or more damage to the car and your house will occur.
There isn’t a whole lot of extra slack in the wire which makes me nervous but at least you’re not all telling me it’s hopeless and I need an entire wire harness.
06-15-2021, 06:28 AM
Broken wire repair or replace??
