Ever seen a complete Subaru harness?

[PhyrraM]

2005 Legacy GT (turbo) 5-speed manual sedan. Every part of the harness. The average WRX should be similiar. It is layed out basically how it sits in the car.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7193656652_7cd9968a09_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193656652/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7193656112_bc9d936144_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193656112/)


Instrument panel sub-harness:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7193657058_46e74ebabe_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193657058/)


Main bulkhead section, ECU is under passenger's feet, DBW throttle pedal.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5447/7193657352_60aa28d6d4_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193657352/)


Battery to starter motor and underhood fusebox subharness:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7193657910_3d95de68d6_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193657910/)


Under-dash fuse panel, sections of bulkhead subharness:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7193658196_879d9d96c7_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193658196/)


Engine harness and DBW throttlebody:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7193658366_dc4641e98f_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193658366/)

[PhyrraM]

Steering column with immobilizer box, reciever antenna(wrapped around ignition) and matching key (matches ECU too):
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7193659906_d8040c8b81_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193659906/)

[flynntuna]

ohhhhh-boy, my head's about to explode. How much can we delete with out effecting other systems?

[riptide motorsport]

That's crazy!! Hope Ffr makes this part simple.

[dbjr63]

Holy crap, that scary.

[apexanimal]

looks like a good long project...

airbag, a/c wiring will be coming out for me... along with anything else that's not going to be used...


i'm also hoping to shorten anything that needs shortening, and trying to tuck as much as i can while still being able to get to everything to make it easy to work on...

[wallace18]

I hope we only use modified stock harness. That way we can use all switches on column. I think this will be the hard part for some of the kit. The painless harness is easy but would mean added switches to the car.

[PhyrraM]

I hope we only use modified stock harness. That way we can use all switches on column. I think this will be the hard part for some of the kit. The painless harness is easy but would mean added switches to the car.

I'm 90% certain that FFR is planning on this. If they don't add any accessories (fog lights, radio, HVAC, power mirros/windows) to the basic kit ALL of the basic controls to the car will be on the column - leaving no switchs at all to incorperate into the dash.

The Subaru column ('02-'07 WRX) already includes light controls, cluster dimmer, wipers, ignition. Whoops...the hazard flasher switch is on the dash.

[Rasmus]

The two things that hot-rodders fear: Automatic Transmissions and Wiring.

Cool shots OP.

[skullandbones]

That's got to qualify as the best pics of the month! Also, X2: the scariest!!! Just goes to show that the size of the car doesn't reflect the amount of wiring. There must be 75 or 80 lbs of wire there. I'll bet half of it could go Bye - bye. Thanks for the eye opening shots, PhyrraM. WEK.

[PhyrraM]

Interesting that most see it as "scary". I just see it as wires - each one with a definable purpose. (bodywork, now that is a black art)

They say you run a marathon one step at a time.

I say you deal with a harness one wire at a time. The only real "gotcha" (for me) is when the FSM is wrong. (Yes, it happens.)

[BipDBo]

You didn't tag everything?

[PhyrraM]

You didn't tag everything?

Virtually every connector on the car is unique. The FSM has diagrams of all the connectors, pin locations for each wire, the color and size of each wire. That's effectively as good as tagging to me.

Considering that the process of thinning the harness will likely damage or remove tags, I (personally) don't see the need. I will agree that tagging will add a layer of comfort to many though.

[07FIREBLADE]

FML.... Is all I got to say when it comes time to do this part of the build.

[BipDBo]

FML.... Is all I got to say when it comes time to do this part of the build.

Building a car aint for sissies.

[07FIREBLADE]

Watch who your calling a sissie... Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. For me it would be the electrical system. The mechanical and the body work will be cake for me. But on the bright side of things. By the time I'm ready to build this car the electrical shouldn't be a big issue since I will have my degree in mechanical and electrical engineering.

I also just got onto the formula team at my school so I should have some experience of building a car under the belt by the time I make my purchase my 818.

[skullandbones]

One of the real keys to this equation is the central control of the Subaru. I think the GTM has a similar advantage in that a lot of the controls are on the column. FFR has gotten smart about designing the project with the factory column in mind from the very beginning. I wish they had done that for the roadster. I tried using the stock column but there were just too many obsticles and variations that needed mods and fabrications. So I gave up! Installing the Subaru column as a bolt in and then wiring it up as a "plug and play" device will be very nice. I can see the great advantages in using the factory harness because of all the dedicated connections. That should take some of the scariness out of it. That's funny. I see the body work as being very straight forward and the wiring as the "black art". I guess it's like phobias: what's worse spiders or snakes!! Thanks, WEK.

[Rasmus]

There be gremlins and daemons in there! Beware the wiring harness! Protect the women!

[BrandonDrums]

Man, if the harness ends up having to be lengthened somewhere we're screwed unless FFR somehow provides just pre-made plug in extensions.

I'm sure lots of this can and will be removed like for interior lights, door sensors etc. But the fuel tank and engine re-location alone could make getting everything to be the right length very tricky.

I just remember the first shots of the running go-kart...so MANY WIRES

*edit

I know what this reminds me of, it's just like that area behind my computer and home theater. Yeah, that area that I have to clean up quickly before my 7 month old can get to them....

[Hiryu]

Well, you can make it look a lot less intimidating if you roll it all up into a ball:

http://murtaya.com/Pictures/MurtayaWiring.jpg

But yeah, I know the most important thing to do for other Subaru kit car builds is LABELING YOUR WIRING as you take it out. Hopefully--as others have said--it might be simplified for the 818.

Mike

[BipDBo]

Watch who your calling a sissie...

Sorry. Didn't mean to hit a raw spot.

[PhyrraM]

This is the connector for everything mounted on the motor itself. If I could source the pins and connectors it would be really easy to just make an "extension cord" from the front to the back.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8317/7983630526_a53e11bfc4_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7983630526/)


The MAF, the O2 sensors (2), the boost control solinoid, and the "starter" lead are the only things I can think of that are on the "car" harness that also need to be lenghtened to go to the back with the motor.

There are a few switches on the transmission to be lengthened (reverse, nuetral)

Also, these two circles need to be extended to the starter and the squares are for the alternator. You could extend at the white wires (3rd square):
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7983652361_81af7597c3_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7983652361/)


Other than what I listed, I don't see any reason FFR can't lay out the harness basically how it was installed in the OEM Subaru.

[Silvertop]

Y'know PhyrraM, you really ARE a pretty useful guy to have around. Dang! You come up with a lot of really GOOD stuff!

[PhyrraM]

For comparision, this is a harness from a '93 WRX wagon with the 4EAT automatic. This is imported from Japan and is a RHD car, so many things are reverse side-to-side. It is also just the dash and forward, nothing from the rear of the car.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7193661422_c8f92fa551_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23291496@N04/7193661422/)

You can see the basic layout is the same. Main fusebox on the left side of the car. ECU under the passenger (left, in this case) footwell. The large battery-to-starter cables are seperate. most of the interior fuses and relays under the drivers side (right, in this case) dash.

Notice, no yellow. That means no airbags. No ABS.

If your planning a build based on a pre-'02(ish) Subaru (Legacy or Impreza), this is closer than the above Legacy harness. (although most USA cars did have airbags)

[Rasmus]

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t278/RasmusHansen/SubaruParts/IMG_4667.jpg
Here's the OEM main engine harness from a '04 WRX. 1059 grams. Yes I tared out the box. You try getting that mess to sit on a tiny scale.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t278/RasmusHansen/SubaruParts/IMG_4683.jpg
Meanwhile...

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t278/RasmusHansen/SubaruParts/IMG_4682.jpg
at the Hall of Justice.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t278/RasmusHansen/SubaruParts/IMG_4704.jpg
Main Engine Harness w/o Tumble Generator Valve (TGV), Evaporative emissions control (EVAP), or Positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) wiring. 825 grams.
Savings of 234 grams.

[07FIREBLADE]

It's NP Big I over reacted. My first comment would honestly be my faction if I was just standing there in front of all of those wires getting ready to tackle this portion of the build. Then I would start drinking and everything would turn out fine.... Eventually I might add.

[RM1SepEx]

That's got to qualify as the best pics of the month! Also, X2: the scariest!!! Just goes to show that the size of the car doesn't reflect the amount of wiring. There must be 75 or 80 lbs of wire there. I'll bet half of it could go Bye - bye. Thanks for the eye opening shots, PhyrraM. WEK.

just shy of 40 lbs in a 2005 WRX, I weighed mine (there may be 1/2lb of masking tape labling each connection (both sides)) I chopped the chassis where big sections went through to avoid unplugging a couple sections, help with my passive agressive tendancies... This thread and the photos will make a great referance for putting it all back together.

I think that there will be a bunch that we don't use, for me:
no abs
no AC
less interior lighting
No gee sensors in the sides
no stereo connections (will run my own)
no power windows
no power mirrors
No air bags
No door locks
I'm sure that there are more deleted electrical systems

[wallace18]

I agree. I am going to take out those circuits ahead of time. Just leave lights, engine and columns circuits for now.

[B33fy]

I had the same worries about the wiring for my V-Storm, took me six weeks to get it sorted as it did my head in. Stripped the loom right back so only had the engine systems left, basically connections to the engine loom, power supplys and ecu as well as a few other sensors and switches on the gearbox and fuel pump/main relays.. Left the diagnostic sockets in as well. Made the rest of the cars wiring from scratch its easier to do this (imo than mess about trying to make a loom fit. As long as you have a diagram of what you want to do.

Stripped a second loom out as a spare took me 6 hours the second time!!

[tirod]

Gee, make your own loom?

Well, if you plan to use the EFI, most of that is best left alone initially. That leaves the body harness, and the factory has it's view of how it should be done. Cost effective, assembly low labor, and the unspoken requirement - it should age fast enough to be a detriment in a ten year old car. Fewer people buy new if the old keeps working.

The GTM guys were plugged into the pro touring crowd, and the '33 guys have a loonngg history of refurbishing decrepit old wiring systems, so it's no coincidence that they both use the ISIS multiplex system.

I don't like wiring - or automatics. So, I looked into to it, too. For what you pay - which is higher - you spend less time, about a 40% decrease in wiring labor. ISIS uses a brain box that accepts all the inputs from switches. It then controls the behavior of what is output from the power centers, which are remotely located at the ends of the car. All that runs to them is a power cable, and a comms cable. That alone eliminates about half the weight. You just run a wire from the power cell to the load - a taillight, horn, or fan. And it's controlled by the brain box.

If you want the brake lights to flash quickly twice before staying on, they do. If one doesn't work right, you can diagnose it, the power cell has a light that demonstrates if the circuit is working or not. You don't have to search thru a wiring harness from battery to firewall junction to the brake light switch, back out to the rear wire harness, only to have to check ground.

Look at the pics and ask yourself, is all that wiring fresh, new, and hasn't been nicked up in taking it out? I drive old cars, old wire harnesses are the number one source of what's wrong. Engines can go over 300,000 miles, but harnesses corrode from day one. Unplated wire wrapped in inexpensive plastic and exposed to salted roads, condensation, and vibration don't even meet standards for marine or aircraft use. Using the donor? Already has ten to fifteen years on it.

If you must, trade your labor for cash flow - use the donor. It does get the job done.

But, if it's a matter of trading cash for less assembly, longer term reliability, and the advantages of easier diagnosis and having just enough harness to get the job done, you might look into ISIS.

Especially if you don't like wiring.

[flynntuna]

I always liked the ISIS system, the security feature alone might make the high cost worth the investment. The basic system is about $1000.00 right?

[RCKSTR]

wow... just wow lol

[longislandwrx]

wow... just wow lol



Meanwhile....


good stuff! thank you guys very much for these pics. As far as people already getting overwhelmed looking at them, its not as bad as it looks. The engine harness as Rasmus highlighted doesnt have that many connections. labeling everything properly and going slow you'll have a slim and trim 818 in no time.

cant wait to see what Rasmus's 818 weighs in at.

[Oppenheimer]

Interesting that most see it as "scary". I just see it as wires - each one with a definable purpose. (bodywork, now that is a black art)

They say you run a marathon one step at a time.

I say you deal with a harness one wire at a time. The only real "gotcha" (for me) is when the FSM is wrong. (Yes, it happens.)

I'm right there with you on this. I saw that pic, and thought 'that's not so bad'. Just some wires and unique connectors that you can't get plug in wrong anyway. And for stuff that is not long enough due to relocation, I was thinking the same as you, FFR just needs to supply a fabricated 'extension cord' for those.

Bodywork on the other hand, I can do it, just not that last bit making it all perfectly straight before paint, which of course is the real craftsmanship of it.

Its a good thing we have a mix of talents on here where every skill we'll need we have experts to help document and provide answers when issues come up.

[RM1SepEx]

Its a good thing we have a mix of talents on here where every skill we'll need we have experts to help document and provide answers when issues come up.

That is EXACTLY the point, we just need to work togther and share what we learn and everybody will benefit! I've found many internet forums are amazing ways to share information