Wiring Advice Needed

Hey everybody, so on my 2007 tacoma that I recently got, I found a little surprise in the fuse panel. There are a bunch of T-taps running to an unused connector. I'm pretty sure this was some type of security system or remote start at one time. My question is, should I mess with it and remove all the T-taps and electrical tape over them, or just leave it be? Thanks!!

 

leave em alone if all works well

 

I'd start removing them and checking the wires are cut or broken, those t-taps tend to do that. If they're broken solder the wires and cover. Plus you dont know who taped what, you dont want any power drains.

 

What are those two screw marks/holds in the bottom of the dash ??? Perhaps for a scan gauge??

As for the Wiring - I'd leave it alone but I'd try to figure out what the connector went to ... Just being curious.

If you DO mess with the wiring take LOTS of "before" pictures just in case.

 

I would assume the holes are from a trailer brake

 

definitely a security system harness. Un plugging the T-tapped wires will be fine. If there are any splices (sometimes they cut the starter wire and intercept it) leave those alone. My OCD would be off the charts if I knew that speghetti was stuffed behind my dash.

 

The two screw holes are from the factory security light.

Based on that, the wires and t taps probably ran to a remote start or aftermarket alarm

 

Am I seeing correctly, that there is literally a tap on a tap? (Look at the top one, yellow wire, now trace the tap wire back...)

That would drive me crazy. If the taps haven't seriously damaged the wires, I'd remove the taps and use liquid electrical tape to seal the insulation.

 

So I did a bit more looking and I found that one wire is intercepted, and runs to something that looks like a kind of relay which I would assume is the starter wire as mesojdm said. I'm really torn, as I don't like those taps much at all, but I'd rather not like to damage anything taking it all apart. Does anybody have experience with how well those taps come off? Thanks so much for all the help guys

 

My 2 Cents .... Since it's a 07 and running good, I'd just leave it as is and run it. Nothing like messing something up when you are not sure what it is when there appears to be nothing wrong..... IMHO I'd wait until something breaks and then fix it.

 

That birds nest would make me crazy. I would get factory schematics and figure out what is what. Take factory schematics then draw out what is tapped, then remove it repairing where taps are. I would give this project a lot of time.

If not, just leave it.

 

What do you mean by "intercepted"? Is the wire cut? Is the relay a factory relay?

I would do as a later poster said, refer to the factory wiring diagram and get that crap out of there.

I've not used that specific kind of tap before, but you can see a magnified open view on this page: http://www.bcae1.com/installationprimer.htm from that, i would say that my original suggestion would be fine: remove the tap carefully, use liquid electrical tape to seal the insulation where it has been breached. Done.

 

Cut, strip, solder and heatshrink. Those taps nick the strands of the wire and after time the conductor will fail. It may never fail but with my luck it would be when I'm out in the bush.

 

I mean intercepted as in they cut it, and ran it to some relay. I'm sure it's not factory, as they used butt splices. Thanks!