mcgregor129

I recently posted on the forum about my engine light problem. I took to the dealer Monday, and it turns out that I have completely destroyed the 8. When i installed the power wire for my amp, I mistakenly drilled into the wire harness carrying all the wires from the ECU to engine and everything! I am normally a very handy guy, and I still can't even beleive the stupidity of this mistake. It turns out this may cost me THOUSANDS! The dealer claims I need a new wire harness (3k) and he can complete the job for 4k!!! I almost threw up on the spot. Anyone heard of this problem, and can I get this done anyway for less than 4k, the options are looking grim, considering you need an expert mechanic for this rotary setup, and this isnt your everyday ordinary part. ANyways, any advice or consollation is appreciated, thanks in advance, Greg.

PS. Pettit racing is just 5 minutes down the road from me, so I was thinking about dropping by there to see what they thought.

Mortal Moxie

4k seems a little high.

Measure twice, cut (or drill in this case) once.

John Corbitt

I would ask Pettit. You can take the harness out and splice all the wires back together. They are color coded. You probably didn't cut too many wires. You could also buy a harness from the junk yard. The harness is no more difficult to work with than any piston engine. I have completely removed and replaced harnesses in multiple RX-7s.

John

supergoat

Definitly save the $4,000 and invest in a soldering gun, solder and electrical tape or heat shrink and repair it yourself.

Mazurfer

Something doesn't smell right. Let me get this straight..........does the car still run?
Have you seen the harness where you drilled into it? How big was the drill bit? Let's assume that it's a relatively small hole and that you've only broken a few wires(opened them up). As long as you haven't shorted anything out, you COULD splice them back together or have someone else splice them back together. Make sure it's done correctly! I guess what I'm saying is...........if the car runs, runs okay, and only issue is the CEL, then I think you'd be okay with splicing them back IF nothing got shorted while you've had that damage. I wouldn't drive it like it is or even turn it on. I think I'd disconnect the battery right now until it's fixed. If you have driven the car, then I guess I would go ahead and read the code first, but then disconnect that battery. You may have just cut one or two wires!

Mortal Moxie

Agreed.

A single hole big or small (within moderation) shouldn't warrant the replacement or purchase of an entire new wiring harness. Your issue is not the harness itself as that only houses wires, it's the wires you may have damage.

Go elsewhere. That dealer probably assumes that since you fubar'd this one thing that you know nothing about cars, and man they wanna take you for a ride down money tree lane.

j67345

Ouch! I'd definitely get a second opinion....that really sucks! good luck!

NoTears316

oops

Mazurfer

Yep, if I was closer I'd go take a look. I wanna see if he comes back and says the car runs or not. I think it does and he drove it to the dealer. That says alot right there! Anyway................even if the dealer spotted one little fray, they might wanna replace the whole harness which is BS.
Who's the dealer? It's not City Place is it? I'll call them up and give them a ration of **** if it is(Asumming we have all the correct info here).

CarAndDriver

Find a new mechanic.

mcgregor129

First of all, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL THESE COMMENTS. really they make me a little more confident about the entire ordeal. And yes, it does run, but is limited to 3k rpms, whihc = approx 13mph. I got it towed to Ed Napleton Mazda off of Indiantown Road in Jupiter Area I beleive. Mazurfer do you have connections there??? If you do this would be greatly greatly appreciated. Tomrow me and my father (I am only 17 young and inexperienced) will go check out the problem. We are both very handy men, and are no fools when it comes to simple repairs that you can get easily ripped off on. The hole according to the dealer is a large hole. But I only rmebering drilling paralell to the harness, so this seems to me impossible. And I will definately give Pettit a call tomrow as well. Also the dealer claims that taking the harness out is a MAJOR job. Requires numerous hours of work at 95$ an hour. And If they splice, you pay for labor, which could be around 2k already, and they claim that splicing may not even work. If wires in the harness are strecthed or shorted then there would be more problems. Anyhow, they made this entire process sound like a HUGE job, without many alternatives. Tomorrow we will drive down there as I mentioned before and take a look ourselves. Again, thanks for all the help, and more advice is definately appreciated, Greg

Mortal Moxie

Tim the Toolman Taylor was also a handy man but he broke alot of ****. Always be methodical when working on a car. Measure precisely. Flesh things out. Plan carefully. Then operate.

It sounds like you were either rushing or measured something wrong.

The point is that even though you are handy guys and can probably fix anything your neighbor breaks in their house, this is a car and a rotary driven car at that. Its a species of it's own. and Mazda knows that. So when they see you break something they assume you are not handy men, and they will want to charge you up the **** for it.

Go to your family mechanic or find another dealer with a lower quote.

You could also try locating a member from these boards who are close to you to get them to come over and check it out.

Mortal Moxie

Another thing. Make sure you see multiple places on this issue for their recommendations.

I once had a small pencil size thick hole in my exhaust so I brought it to Mazda to have it welded up. The guy told me it could not be done. He would have to get an entire new pipe for that portion of the exhaust. I couldn't believe he wouldn't touch it. He didn't seem like he was trying to scam me, he just honestly thought in his expertise that it could not be done.

So I left , went to Midas and some random Joe did it no problem. 10 minute of work. 20 bucks. :D

Get lots of quotes, estimates, and assessments on the damage you have done.

mcgregor129

This was definately not rushed. But just an unfortunate error. The drill bit slipped. I was completyely aware of the presence of the harness, and when I drilled I hadn't realized the bit had slipped in right next to it. I only did realize something was wrong when I started driving away and saw the engine light on, and felt the major lack of power.

Mortal Moxie

I know man.

It happens.

I'm pretty sure you'll get things repaired in the best possible way.

Just be grateful you didn't have the car go up in flames.

Mazurfer

Nope.........no ins at any dealer, I just bought mine at City Place Mazda(Palm Beach) and was wondering. Based on all you've said to this point, I don't think you have a major issue. Certainly not $4k worth or even more. Take the car elsewhere.........as someone said already, if you have a mechanic you trust, take it there. If you decide to look at it yourself(you and dad) or have a friend that knows how to splice/solder, then take a look at it yourself. I would look anyway and see how many wires are actually compromised. Don't forget to get the ones where the insulation may have been damaged. Don't want any arching later. Use shrink tubing over each splice.

Let us know how it goes!

psychodad

Do as suggested and get a soldering iron and heat shrink tubing and fix it your damn self. Hell unless the wires are from a very finicky sensor that sends signals butt splices would probably make the car run.

captain mercury

money
money shot
what what!!!

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

If its really the wire thats the problem. it shouldnt cost 4K to replace. Yes is a BITCH to replace the harness, You have to take ALOT of stuff out. but not 4K

but if you short some wire and fried something, thats a diff story, the ECU alone will cost you over a K, not to mention other components.

hmm, but it seems that your dealer is trying to rip you off. If I were u, I will try to have them to tell me what exactly is the problem. tow the car away, buy the parts and do it yourself, Im pretty sure if you DIY, it will cost nowhere near 4K.

I just upgraded my Radiator, if I took it to dealership, Im sure it will cost me at least 3-4 hundred bux labor. even local garage will charge me 2-3 hundred. I did it myself, almost 10-11 hours. yeah it took long because I was doing it slowly just to make sure nothing goes wrong. Saving money is one thing, but you'll learn alot in the process.

StewC625

Dealer's view of the world #1: If a part is broken it must be replaced, not repaired.

Dealer's view of the world #2: All owners are dumbshits.

That said - my car was recently in for a complete airbag wiring harness change. They had to take out of the car (and I quote the dealer here):

- interior door skins
- front seats (for the side airbags)
- Headliner trim around windsheild and door openings
- Dash cluster
- Radio/climate cluster
- Dash top
- Left and right dash panels
- HVAC ductwork
- console assembly

... to do this. They had the car for four full days. It's still not right.

replacing a harness is MAJOR surgery - do try to fix it if you can.

mcgregor129

PROBLEM SOLVED! It turned out that only two wires had been cut, and two others were slightly frayed. We were able to solder the two back together, and tape up all 4. It was such a relief to turn the car back on and see that engine light go away!! It only ended up costing around 300 or so, which included an oil change and oil filter replacement. They charged us to take the harness out and remove all clips inside the car. Today we were able to solder the wires back as I mentioned before, and then reconnect all the connectors (pain in the ***). We just could not find where to connect the windshield wiper wire in the engine bay area. Does anyone know where this goes? We just have to reconnect all the plastic coverings and a few plastic clips. I even managed to reconnect the power wire for the amplifier, and sub sounds great. Thanks to everyone for their advice, it was definately very helpful. Thanks, Greg

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

Read the Service Manual.

Mazurfer

That's great news! What a relief huh? Phew!
So........the dealer took it out? Who did the solder job and put the harness back in? It seems like you did with help. I'll look in the AM and see if I can tell you where the wiper wire goes in the morning. I have the wiring diagrams and will look on there as well. Remind me what year yours is?


Dave

mcgregor129

Dave I greatly appreciate your help and concern. So my dad and I are handy, as mentioned before. So he was able to solder the wires, and tape them up. Me and him switched off under the steering wheel plugging everything in, which wwas the biggest pain in the *** ever. We got the harness back, in and we just need to silicone it, and secure it in the AM. The only problem is we put it in a little different than before, which isnt a huge problem, and I think it can be left alone. It was rotated 180 degrees. Anyway, I think you are well aware of which wire the windshield wiper is, but just in case, its the wire that branches of the harness with that small brown wire. I found out where the brown wire goes (brake fluid), but the other one I am just stumped. I guess I'll check back here in the morning, and see what you say. And mine is a sunlight silver 2005. Thanks, Greg

staticlag

Well, I guess you learned that you gotta pay to play, and pay to learn.

it happens.

If we all didn't break crap once in a while we would never make any progress.