I got the car for free,the previous owner could not get fuel to the injectors,when I removed the fuel distributor to check the plunger,well,then I saw the wiring,crumbly and merged into one homegenized strand of copper spaghetti.the oil separator was totally plugged so I removed it also.Now I can get at the wires.the question;is there good wire available to do it my self or go to Dave Barton.who has a harness to sell me? Blessings.....Kris

As you'll note, it isn't the wire that is gone bad but rather the insulation.

When I rewired, (I guess carbed 240s are easier), it took a couple of hours. I used fresh wire (blk and red wire are easy to find) on the oil and alt wires because I rerouted those along the firewall to the passenger side. But reused the others because once out of the loom they had enough length to reach after the rotted ends were cut off and wires individually routed. I used zip ties to bundle them.

I sheathed them individually in teflon wiring tube that I have. However, if the teflon tubing were unavailable I would have tried sheathing them in the 1/8" vinyl tubing availabe in hardware stores as vinyl is supposed to be oil and heat resistant.

I also used blue butt connectors rather than soldering the wires.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans

You should not have to hard of a time tackling the wiring harness. The main thing is that you keep in mind that in order to do a GREAT job and have a virtually bullet-proof wiring harness you have to take your time, measure once-twice-thrice, and if needed fork over the cash at the dealer for the exact connectors. When I re-did the wiring for the M46 I put in my 79 264GL I had two options; 1) Spend $229 dollars at the dealer or 2) spend $10 at WALMART and about 2 weeks time (I really just took my time). I went with the second option and I must say that I am very happy with the results. My M46 works like a charm and I have not had any electrical gremlins thus far. Best Of Luck!!!





Sincerely,

--
Julio Meza

1979 264GL B27F 123K

Features Added:

BW55 To M46, Central Locking System, 25mm IPD Front Sway Bar, 81+ Dash W/ Oil & Ambient Temp Gauges In C, Oil Pressure, Volts

Next Project:

+Cruise Control

They can also remake the entire harness if you can send then the original

Do it yourself rewiring is a major undertaking but can be very rewarding. You will become an expert in Volvo wiring. You will also be able to re-route some cables as desired as well as make absolutely bulletproof wiring.

The original crimp on terminals are available through dealers for about .30 to .50 cents a piece. The terminals snap into the plastic connectors so the housings can be reused or purchased separately if broken. The wire is the big choice. I went all out and used teflon insulated wire. It is used originally as the lead for the O2 sensor so I figured it would do well anywhere else in the car. Belden is one of the major US wire manufactures and is available economically through mail order suppliers like Digikey.com and Mouser.com. I used 16 Gauge for everything and just doubled up when larger gauges were required.

If you choose to make up your own replacement harness, the best wiring supply house I've found is http://www.britishwiring.com/.....a small business operating out of Illinois.

This is not Lucas stuff - it's the solution to it!

They have dozens and dozens of wire sizes and types, almost all of them in a wide range of colors with contrasting tracers (stripes). Also a multitude of connectors and wiring accessories. You may be able to duplicate Volvo's original wiring colors.

I bought a used upgraded harness from Dave Barton. The price was decent, and the thing looked near-new, and was a perfect replacement of the rotted original.
--
Bob (81-244GL B21F, 83-244DL B23F, 94-944 B230FD; plus grocery-getter Dodge minivan, MGB, and numerous old motorcycles)

Use stranded copper wire (not solid) with insulation type MTW (machine tool wire). The insulation type is printed on the insulation jacket and will probably say "MTW or THWN or THHN Gasoline and Oil Resistant". Mostly, AWG (American Wire Gauge) 16 is needed but some 14 or 12 is needed for the higher amp draws. An electrical contractor's supply house might sell it by the foot. The insulation jacket is available in several colors. Crimp on connectors work good on the ends. If you decide to reuse some of the orginal plugs, cut them off leaving 2" of wire and solder the new wire to the old. Cover the joint with heat shrink tubing (shrink with a heat gun, hair dryer, or Bic lighter). Wires running together can be encased in Flex Tube (corragated plastic tubing with a split seam). jp

One thing- your local hardware store almost definately sells wire by the foot too, and cheap.

...another thing to consider is that the wire at your local hardware may not do well at withstanding the environment you are going to ask it to work in- much like the original wiring harness.

Randy

That may very well be, I couldn't say. I hate fooling with that stuff, personally, so I guess I'd probably contact Dave- one question tho: Aren't his harnesses "original"? And, what makes the difference between a "quality" wire and not?

I can't speak for him but it is my understanding that he gets replacement harnesses from recycling yards. These replacements are made from wires that have non-biodegradable insulation. Once Volvo realized the originals were falling apart they were quick to produce replacements to mend the error of their ways- at the consumers expense. Dave seems to be in the business of finding these replacement harnesses and recycling them.

Quality wire is a wire that will hold up in the environment you ask it to do its job. Many factors come into play not the least of which is what insulation is going to hold up. Will the environment be hot/cold, contain solvents that will attack the insulation, will it be required to withstand flexing, etc.

Randy

Randy