wiring loom route

PostPost by: Timbo » Tue Apr 14, 2020 4:30 pm

Hi I am new to the forum and have a +2 130/5 that I bought in bits. currently doing a full restoration and having finished chassis and refitted the body, next job is the wiring loom. I have a new loom but unsure of routing for it and how to fix it in place. Any thoughts?
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PostPost by: wotsisname » Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:27 am

Hi Timbo,
Its usually worth doing a google search , including lotuselan in the search terms.. the search function within the forum is a bit clunkier. I do remember this being discussed.

My +2 is earlier than yours, possible the rear loom route was moved in board on later cars.
The routes for an early +2....RHD, -ve earth

battery cable (+12v)runs from RH side of battery, up over the suspension tower, down to floor behind the trim that covers seatbelt reel, along floor right against the sill, past door hinges and then up to and through the bulkhead grommet right next to solenoid. I attached p clips to the sill closing bolts.
battery (-ve). earlier cars bolts to chassis mounting, later cars possibly routed to the rear strut cross brace ?
REAR LOOM. starts behind glovebox/ alongside heater box, on LH side. Runs along side LH sill, later cars may have this along transmission tunnel. Exact route to the sill is a little unclear, runs along the sill, up and over the strut tower, should be wiring for the interior lights here. drop into the boot, lighting cable runs around the edge of the boot. other (fuel level, boot light, other interior light) run just behind fuel tank... I attached with p clips as per battery cable + to the bumper bolt, used some tie wraps to the boot floor supports.

FRONT LOOM. starts next to the rear loom, alongside heater. feeds through a large grommet into engine bay. runs along the flat bit by the exhaust, then drops down to the flange above the chassis, just by the servo and continues forward under the radiator. turns right in front of steering rack and then back under rad and all the way back to the solenoid.. various bits tee off along the way, get the position of the loom from these. possible the S runs part of the loom behind the engine ?

DASH loom.. attached to dash, joins the others next to heater.

likely any purchased loom will be missing some earths, the instrument lighting cable runs, the front interior lamp (not shown on many wiring diagrams and you need 3 wires for it).
I recommend laying the loom out on a piece of board and using luggage labels, work out what each wire cluster is for... makes life easier when trying to lay it in the car.

Regards
Adruan
1968 Elan plus 2 - project
2007 Elise S2 [modified with a Hethel 70th sticker (yellow)]
2000 Elise S1 - Sold
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PostPost by: Timbo » Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:42 pm

Thanks Adruan that’s a pretty comprehensive reply! A lot of it is fairly straightforward the devil is in the detail. As I didn’t have the luxury of taking the car apart and unsure of what parts may be missing it’s hard to be sure how it should be. The loom is in 3 parts from Autosparks. The engine bay loom is fairly straightforward as its easy to work out rough route due to wires for individual components but there are no obvious holes for fastening P clips. The route for battery cable is a big help as is for rear loom. Well here goes and thanks again.
Kind regards
Timbo
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PostPost by: Bud English » Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:01 pm

As for fixing the wiring in place, I don't think that I found one P-clamp holding the main or rear harness or the positive battery cable in place. On my 70, +2 there were only strips of 2" wide black cloth (gaffer's ?) tape used to secure the harness under the carpet throughout the interior of the car. The only exception, IIRC, was the dash wiring.

+1 on adding extra grounds wherever you can. You might consider increasing the size of the wiring going to the window motors while you're at it. Plenty of forum threads on both of those topics. Google search is your friend (well, except for those pesky ads you'll get for the foreseeable future).
Bud
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PostPost by: Bigbaldybloke » Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:10 pm

Wotsisname gave you a pretty comprehensive reply and is very similar to my early Plus 2.
Couple of points.
Don't forget to order yourself a set of new grommits for where the harnesses go through the bulkhead, hard to fit later and essential for keeping rain out! Plastic P clips in various sizes are really handy for securing the harness. What fuses does your new harness have, may need additional fuse boxes. If it doesn't include relays for the headlights you may want to add them, my early car didn't have them originally.The wires to the reverse switch on the gearbox don't really have much to secure them to, mine just dangle and I've fitted additional sleeving over them to protect them from chaffing. Speaker wires were not in my rear harness you may want to check, also I've fitted a DAB radio which needed a different aerial cable.
Are you sticking with vacuum operated headlights, if not include the wiring for the motor while you have the harness out, can provide tips on this if you are thinking of it. Worth getting a copy of the colour codes for the various wires used, beware some of the cheap connectors used for bullet type connectors, they are not all created equal and some can be quite loose when you insert the bullet into them. Good luck and ask away if you need more info or pictures.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine!
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PostPost by: Timbo » Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:21 pm

All good tips gratefully received. Loom should be good. Used Autosparks before found them v reliable. Sticking with vacuum headlamps but surprised at lack of relays. Only one as I can see for horn? Fuses in dash board. P clips great in cockpit but what about in engine bay? Just seems to sit where it lies?
Regards Timbo
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PostPost by: Bigbaldybloke » Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:39 pm

Regarding p clips, I’ve used very few in the interior as the harness just lays on the floor up against the sill and the carpet and underlay hold it fine. Under the bonnet I’ve added clips where the harness is near the exhaust or moving parts. It’s not that many. I made my own front harness as mine is a very early car that only had two fuses and relays. I’ve added additional fuses. Motor for headlamp pods, electric fans, alternator instead of dynamo, electronic ignition, electric oil pressure gauge electric washer pump, electric fuel pump, etc and had to mate this front harness to the dashboard and rear harness. All went well, it all worked and no smoke!
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PostPost by: wotsisname » Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:25 pm

on the subject of additional wiring... choice between originality or practicality.. I added a few extra bits.. some mentioned already.
an extra wire to the rear lamps, I replaced the RH reverse bulb with a red led as a fog.
couple of wires for electric aerial .
I ran these with the battery cable.
I have a dab adapter for the original type of aerial cable.. sits at the radio end.. £20
pair of speaker wires to rear and one to each door.
I put in the heated rear window and spare cable shown on wiring diagram, but not present in loom... neither currently in use
alternator conversion, if not already dealt with, needs an extra thick cable from the solenoid
electric fan and wiring to allow for an over ride switch (paranoia?).
I used the front body mount bolts for a couple of p clips and as already mentioned, anywhere the cable come move and chafe or get hot.
1968 Elan plus 2 - project
2007 Elise S2 [modified with a Hethel 70th sticker (yellow)]
2000 Elise S1 - Sold
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