Just how dumb am I? (help me identify this wiring harness)

So I’m out front trying to put some plastic wheel liner back in after I installed my snorkel. I decided I was just gonna drill a few extra holes so I could zip tie the whole thing back in. Well, stupid me decided to drill a hole I wasn’t 100% certain was safe because it was the only easy angle I could get at. Ending up nicking a pretty thick cable on the other side of the wheel well. Have identified it with some red electrical tape. Idled the truck and didn’t see any codes/dash lights lighting up. Did I just create a ticking time bomb?

 

did you just nick the corrugated housing or did you see copper wire?

 

I saw some copper wire but it’s at such a hard angle I can’t tell what.

I am so beyond pissed at myself right now.

 

Open up the harness and see what the wire(s) color is. Then track down the service manual and look it up. About the only way to tell.

I just bought an old fixer upper car for my son and I’m learning how to read electrical diagrams… definitely a learning curve.

 

Just don’t cut anymore wires in the process!

 

Depending on how much damage you did, you may be able to get away with coating it with liquid electric tape. It’s available at Home Depot and just about any auto parts stores.

 

That part is the Fuel injection control module.
I'll see if I can find diagrams.

 

FWIW.....
Opening up the loom and fixing it is going to be A LOT easier. And much cheaper.

 

Yup...id disconnect battery and separate the wires see if any are broke.

 

Oh, man.

 

Really expensive.....Looks like it's part of the main harness.

Open it up and repair the wires.

 

Also OP.
Do not be mad at yourself.
Mistakes happen. And that one is not a big one at all.
It's actually not a hard fix. It's only intimidating if you have never spliced wires.


It happens to the best of us. @Dm93

 

Yeah I’ve got some of that. The cut isn’t the worst but it’s in a terrible spot to access and there is very little slack.

 

I know my way around some 12 volt, but I’ve never done anything this necessary. Heh…. Guess I’ll have to set some time aside and roll up my sleeves.

 

(For posterity) Identified one of the photos showing where the cable connects:

Computer Air & Fuel Control Unit 89580-35020

 

Yes. This. I have made this kind of mistake more times than I can remember. Or want to remember.

Disconnect the battery. Disconnect the hold-downs for the length of the wire loom. Open it up and inspect the wires running within it. If you got lucky, you just nicked a couple of wires. To be safe, fix the nicked wires with new connections. You can use heat-shrink butt connectors or solder-on connections with heat shrink tube. At worst, you may need to splice in some wires with similar color insulation.

Embarrassing admission: I collect orphan lengths of automotive wire with a virtual rainbow of insulation patterns. That's so I can fix my dumbass mistakes, or sometimes to extend a circuit. The random lengths can be as small as 6 inches or as long as 20 feet.

 

I'll mark this vote in the "pretty dumb" category.

 

I have done stuff too, hope you get it fixed

 

Trying to get this done before the hurricane gets here.