Engine Harness

#1

I am thinking about replacing my engine harness in trying to fix my “will not stay running” issue. I have an '88 car which is the transition year. Basically a late model as far as engine configuration. Will the engine harness from an '87 early car work? Are there differences in the engine harnesses for the different years?

Thanks,

#2

The engine harness from an 8/87 or earlier will run the engine, but the tach won’t work. Slight modification of the harness might be required. You need a harness from a 9/87 or later.

#3

Jim,

Where did you find a new engine harness? I can’t even find the part number.

#4

Mike, for the price of a harness just buy a known good one from a running car. I think the swap was somewhere around mid-87 as Jim suggested.

RP

#5

But don’t get one from an ABS car (90/91) because they are different too.

#6

I vote for an early harness and screw the OEM tach.

What is the issue with late harness and ABS? I’d not heard that one before.

#7

[quote=“ilateapex” post=64830]Jim,

Where did you find a new engine harness? I can’t even find the part number.[/quote]
I bought a new harness from my dealer. I think the part numbers I used were 12511724422 & 12511719606

#8

[quote=“Ranger” post=64841]I vote for an early harness and screw the OEM tach.

What is the issue with late harness and ABS? I’d not heard that one before.[/quote]My 89 car is non-airbag, but when I built it years ago, I used the motor/motor harness from my 90 airbag-equipped donor. There is at least one lead going into the round connector on firewall that is power on one side, but ground on the other.

Sparks and burnt wiring ensued. Remedy was to use the harness that matched the body. I have read elsewhere about the technical differences but that was more than enough info for me.

#9

I pulled the engine harness off my '87 parts car (was easy as head was already gone) and it appears to have the injector harness intigril with the rest. Luckily I don’t need it right now.

#10

The commonly accepted acronym for airbags is SRS for supplemental restraint system.

#11

The commonly accepted acronym for airbags is SRS for supplemental restraint system.[/quote]Doh! Well, I got one of the 'S’s right. Sorry about that, but of course was referring to airbags not brakes. Sorry for confusion. I can sometimes think or type, but not often both at the same time.

#12

Is there a part # on the engine harness somewhere? I don’t recall ever seeing one, but I’ve never really looked either.

This thread is making me realize that harness incompatibility is more of an issue than I thought. We could really use a post that discusses the different kinds of harnesses, how to recognize them and how to mod them for our use.