stuck with replacing rear window wiring loom

[Van]

I'm working at replacing the rear window wiring loom. The current wires are totally rotten where they go inside the rear window frame.
I have a new wiring loom. It has 2 connectors on the interior side of the loom. According to the manual I have to pull out the old wire and then disconnect it. However the wire or connectors seem to be stuck and I don't want to pull hard to avoid damage.
Has any of you guys experience with this job? Do I have to lower the roof lining to get to the connectors?

In the frame inside the window is a tiny opening where the wire has to go through. The plastic connectors won't go through there,they are to large. Do I have to remove the wires from the plastic moulds to get them through there?

[JohnB]

Hi that's what I ended up doing cut them off then resolder them after you pass the through the frame I couldn't see any other way apart from taking the frame from the glassd

[dcwalker]

Hi

I changed mine a couple of years ago.

For the connections inside the car, yes the simplest is to carefully lower the headlining at the back so you can see what you are doing and get at the connectors.

As far as the wiring on the tailgate itself is concerned, if you look at the black frame that the wiring runs inside it is actually a channel fixed to the glass, and the outer surface (as you look at the tailgate stuck up in the air in front of you when stood at back of car, if you are with me) is actually a plastic cover clipped in, much like domestic cable box conduit. If you carefully prise that off then you can lay the whole new cable inside and then clip the cover back on. If I remember rightly, it was a pig of a job to clip back on and best done with some warmth (like bright sunshine, if you're lucky!) applied.

Nonetheless it does work, just takes a bit of time.

David

[Van]

I've worked on this yesterday afternoon and again today for six hours. I didn't have the time or the guts to get the roof lining down. By recommendation from my workshop I went for making new wire between the roof and the window. That caused me trouble enough.

The wires literally fell apart. It's a miracle the wiper and rear window heater still did work and no electricity short-cut came up.
So first of all I had to determine which wire ends belonged to each other.
The wires previously had been fixed and the tulle was already in two parts. I kept as much form the window end of the tulle
as possible. I cut new ends of wire and with help of washing-up liquid squeezed them through the window end of the tulle, through the opening in the window frame and then through the body part of the tulle.
I wanted to solder the wires but the solder just wouldn't stick to the wires. I had to go out and get me some cable eyes. I clipped the new wire onto the wire coming from inside and squeezed the tulle back. Then I squeezed the connected end back in the roof and the tulle back on.
Inside the window I connected the new wire to the existing wire also with cable eyes for the same reason. I pushed back the old tulle with new wire as much as I could. I have to get some good tape to fit onto the exposed part of the wire.

As David wrote, fitting the wire in the frame is a pain. I had put the plastic cover ends in hot water, that made them a lot more flexible. But they cool down very rapid. I was unable to prise in all at this time. It was getting late, it was getting dark, it started to rain and when I had to undo one bolt of the window hinges it slipped off the hinge with a loud crack and it scared the hell out of me. Luckily no damage but I used some tape to keep the rest of the strips in place and called it a day. I have to go out early tomorrow and be out of town for a couple of days. I will try again on the plastic strip later maybe with a paint striper.

The good news is, the wiper works! The brake light works! And the rear window heater works!

[dcwalker]

Good to hear you are making progress!

David

[Van]

With a hot air gun and a hand from my bro I finished the plastic strip. I hope the new wires will last a while. The weak spot I think could be where they come out from the window. Two pics below.


worn wires


making new wire ends

[glasgowjim]

The reason the solder doesnot stick to the wires is because of surface degradationof the copper wires sometimes can be sorted by cleaning the surface with sandpaper/emery paper / glass paper .