HELP! Wire Harness Caught in Axle!?!?! WTF!

maiku · 06-28-2009, 06:31 AM

After the car show tonight I was cruising on the highway w/ cruise control when suddenly I heard a snap then all my indicator lights on the dash panel came on (ABS, VSA, Power Steering, etc) and it started making a tapping noise. I thought something happened to my tire or something and I pulled over right away. I get out, check the car, look in the engine bay and everything looks fine. I turn on the car and it runs fine but all those lights are still on and my A/F and boost gauges aren't on either. Strange... I'm real close to an exit so I drive slowly to it and pull off at the gas station. I notice, very clearly that my power steering isn't working at all.
Eventually I saw fluid slowly leaking and saw that a harness got wrapped up onto the axle and spun around a **** load till it snapped. Okay, that's where the noise was coming from, but the fluid? Okay so the harness wrapped so tight that it got itself on the other side of the axle seal. Upon removing the mangled harness the fluid came out like a stream. The seal is shot, the harness is destroyed. The question is - HOW THE !#%( did this happen? I just got home (5am) after having it towed.

UPDATE: So I took a look at it today while comparing it to a friends car it looked like my harness was fine and there were none missing. I eventually found out where it came from. It was a harness going through the firewall for my wideband.

The wideband was powered through the fusebox for the ABS fuse which popped when the wires got snapped so that's why all those lights came on. So all I need is new tranny fluid and an axle seal. Definitely not as bad as I thought. New wiring harness for the wideband aside it still turned out to be a ~$250 mistake.

I still have no idea why the harness got caught in the axle. I know it was zip tied to another harness and never had much slack anyway.

**Br3TT** · 06-28-2009, 06:39 AM

wow thats crazy sorry to hear that it will be interesting to hear what the dealer has to say

sk33ny · 06-28-2009, 06:42 AM

Very sorry to hear about this, but i doubt the dealer will touch your car with so many modifications.

They will most likely say that because your car is lowered that the axle was located closer to the wiring harness then stock.

Its always worth a shot though, ask around and figure out which dealerships are mod friendly. You might even find a friend of a friend who will hook you up.

Just an FYI, as far as i know, Civic Sis are fly-by-wire (electric steering) so you dont actually have power steering fluid. Correct me if im wrong.

trans9mp · 06-28-2009, 06:43 AM

thats the craziest thing ive ever heard man... sucks tho... i couldnt see the pictures because im on a govt computer... the only thing i can think that could possibly have happened is one of the wiring brackets that hold the harness to the chassis came loose allowing the harness to drop eventually getting tangled on the axle. Im assuming you confirmed that the harness is from your vehicle? not something that could have been laying on the road... i dont think that is going to be covered under warrenty, i can see the dealer blaming this on your "mods"... but who knows, maybe ur dealer is kick ass and will cover it. good luck man, it sucks that happened, ur car is nice as hell

sk33ny · 06-28-2009, 06:46 AM

^ He didnt post any pics btw.

trans9mp · 06-28-2009, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk33ny

^ He didnt post any pics btw.

oh ok... there were a bunch of picture boxes with the little red x's in them on my screen... assumed they were pics... my bad lol

sk33ny · 06-28-2009, 07:02 AM

^ NP, they are just forum smileys. =]

CMS062407 · 06-28-2009, 08:26 AM

From what I know, honda can only VOID a warranty if the part that is "bad' is modded...for example, since your car is turboed, there is no way in hell honda will fix your engine if it blows, or if your suspension blows, they won't fix it because it is modded....I actually think that is some sort of LAW...you may need to do some research on it.

but that sucks to hear man! I hope you get it all sorted out.

CMS062407 · 06-28-2009, 08:28 AM

Actually i found the thread that was posted about that sort of thing...

Aftermarket mods and Honda warranty / Will this void my warranty?

what bolt ons void warranty? - Honda Forum / Acura Forum - SuperHonda.com

% What will void my Warranty? The GRAND Warranty FAQ THREAD. - Honda-Tech

I wonder though if Honda would try to blame it on your car being lowered..maybe they will say "if your car wasn't lowered then the harness wouldn't have been so close to the axle"

trans9mp · 06-28-2009, 08:32 AM

good info to know... now i wonder... lets say he installed some kind of electrical device in the car... guages etc... since a wiring harness is part of the electrical system... could they loop hole it and say well since he messed with the electrical system, we wont fix this... hopefully not... either way, i hope it gets figured out... esp since it seems to have just fallen off... might give some people a reason to check theirs as well... might be some sort of defect with the brackets?

CMS062407 · 06-28-2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trans9mp

good info to know... now i wonder... lets say he installed some kind of electrical device in the car... guages etc... since a wiring harness is part of the electrical system... could they loop hole it and say well since he messed with the electrical system, we wont fix this... hopefully not... either way, i hope it gets figured out... esp since it seems to have just fallen off... might give some people a reason to check theirs as well... might be some sort of defect with the brackets?

I would hope Honda wasn't that big of co*k sucker!

hmm I am sure at a minimum he has a turbo gauge installed though, but that is obviously not the cause of this incident.

trans9mp · 06-28-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMS062407

I would hope Honda wasn't that big of co*k sucker!

hmm I am sure at a minimum he has a turbo gauge installed though, but that is obviously not the cause of this incident.

exactly... hopefully his dealer is cool... i know a few honda dealers up in PA/MD that wouldnt touch it and try to find every reason to make him pay for it... Either way, if I was him, if the individual dealer wouldnt take care of it under warrenty, I would file a complaint thru HQ or something...

curtis265 · 06-28-2009, 08:45 AM

Take all the mods out and then bring it to them!

CMS062407 · 06-28-2009, 08:47 AM

haha, damn, that would be quite a hassle with the load of stuff he has.....wouldn't be worth it to take it all off IMO

trans9mp · 06-28-2009, 08:48 AM

no def not... i saw his mod list in another thread... removing everything would take days lol... def not worth it

sk33ny · 06-28-2009, 09:28 AM

Unfortunately it doesnt matter what the law says, if a dealership doesnt want to warrenty your work they wont. I had a friend with a blown engine come in and they blamed his catless downpipe for it all. We had no way of proving otherwise.

Im guessing that they will blame (and possibly the real cause) of it on your suspension. If it changed the positioning of your axle then it might of made it possible for something to snag on it.

Just be warned, warrenty work on a modded car is a huge pain in the ass.

I just hope you find a friendly dealership.

GETMONEYADAM · 06-28-2009, 09:34 AM

maiku!! crazy.. sorry to hear about this bro!! I just was telling you farewell and have a safetrip as we were both leaving the 1/4 mile and now this unexpected contigency?! wow, unbelievable.

rayray110589 · 06-28-2009, 10:20 AM

Sorry to hear bout ur car, maiku

midnitesi · 06-28-2009, 10:23 AM

all ic an say is take it in to honda

VIIIcivicsi · 06-28-2009, 10:26 AM

Post some pics. Harness are pretty intact unless you did something to it...

06-28-2009, 06:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
maiku Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Gville, FL Posts: 6,676 Maiku (m-ai-k)	HELP! Wire Harness Caught in Axle!?!?! WTF! After the car show tonight I was cruising on the highway w/ cruise control when suddenly I heard a snap then all my indicator lights on the dash panel came on (ABS, VSA, Power Steering, etc) and it started making a tapping noise. I thought something happened to my tire or something and I pulled over right away. I get out, check the car, look in the engine bay and everything looks fine. I turn on the car and it runs fine but all those lights are still on and my A/F and boost gauges aren't on either. Strange... I'm real close to an exit so I drive slowly to it and pull off at the gas station. I notice, very clearly that my power steering isn't working at all. Eventually I saw fluid slowly leaking and saw that a harness got wrapped up onto the axle and spun around a ** load till it snapped. Okay, that's where the noise was coming from, but the fluid? Okay so the harness wrapped so tight that it got itself on the other side of the axle seal. Upon removing the mangled harness the fluid came out like a stream. The seal is shot, the harness is destroyed. The question is - HOW THE !#%( did this happen? I just got home (5am) after having it towed. UPDATE:** So I took a look at it today while comparing it to a friends car it looked like my harness was fine and there were none missing. I eventually found out where it came from. It was a harness going through the firewall for my wideband. The wideband was powered through the fusebox for the ABS fuse which popped when the wires got snapped so that's why all those lights came on. So all I need is new tranny fluid and an axle seal. Definitely not as bad as I thought. New wiring harness for the wideband aside it still turned out to be a ~$250 mistake. I still have no idea why the harness got caught in the axle. I know it was zip tied to another harness and never had much slack anyway. Last edited by maiku; 06-29-2009 at 01:23 AM.
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06-28-2009, 06:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
sk33ny Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Age: 22 Posts: 6,270 Aaron	Very sorry to hear about this, but i doubt the dealer will touch your car with so many modifications. They will most likely say that because your car is lowered that the axle was located closer to the wiring harness then stock. Its always worth a shot though, ask around and figure out which dealerships are mod friendly. You might even find a friend of a friend who will hook you up. Just an FYI, as far as i know, Civic Sis are fly-by-wire (electric steering) so you dont actually have power steering fluid. Correct me if im wrong. Last edited by sk33ny; 06-28-2009 at 06:44 AM.

06-28-2009, 08:28 AM	#9 (permalink)
CMS062407 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 452	Actually i found the thread that was posted about that sort of thing... Aftermarket mods and Honda warranty / Will this void my warranty? what bolt ons void warranty? - Honda Forum / Acura Forum - SuperHonda.com % What will void my Warranty? The GRAND Warranty FAQ THREAD. - Honda-Tech I wonder though if Honda would try to blame it on your car being lowered..maybe they will say "if your car wasn't lowered then the harness wouldn't have been so close to the axle" Last edited by CMS062407; 06-28-2009 at 08:32 AM.

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06-28-2009, 06:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
trans9mp Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: El Paso, TX Age: 28 Posts: 829 Clint Shifflett	thats the craziest thing ive ever heard man... sucks tho... i couldnt see the pictures because im on a govt computer... the only thing i can think that could possibly have happened is one of the wiring brackets that hold the harness to the chassis came loose allowing the harness to drop eventually getting tangled on the axle. Im assuming you confirmed that the harness is from your vehicle? not something that could have been laying on the road... i dont think that is going to be covered under warrenty, i can see the dealer blaming this on your "mods"... but who knows, maybe ur dealer is kick ass and will cover it. good luck man, it sucks that happened, ur car is nice as hell

06-28-2009, 06:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
sk33ny Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Age: 22 Posts: 6,270 Aaron	^ He didnt post any pics btw.

06-28-2009, 07:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
sk33ny Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Age: 22 Posts: 6,270 Aaron	^ NP, they are just forum smileys. =]

06-28-2009, 08:26 AM	#8 (permalink)
CMS062407 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 452	From what I know, honda can only VOID a warranty if the part that is "bad' is modded...for example, since your car is turboed, there is no way in hell honda will fix your engine if it blows, or if your suspension blows, they won't fix it because it is modded....I actually think that is some sort of LAW...you may need to do some research on it. but that sucks to hear man! I hope you get it all sorted out.

06-28-2009, 08:32 AM	#10 (permalink)
trans9mp Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: El Paso, TX Age: 28 Posts: 829 Clint Shifflett	good info to know... now i wonder... lets say he installed some kind of electrical device in the car... guages etc... since a wiring harness is part of the electrical system... could they loop hole it and say well since he messed with the electrical system, we wont fix this... hopefully not... either way, i hope it gets figured out... esp since it seems to have just fallen off... might give some people a reason to check theirs as well... might be some sort of defect with the brackets?

06-28-2009, 08:45 AM	#13 (permalink)
curtis265 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Age: 21 Posts: 4,079	Take all the mods out and then bring it to them!

06-28-2009, 08:47 AM	#14 (permalink)
CMS062407 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 452	haha, damn, that would be quite a hassle with the load of stuff he has.....wouldn't be worth it to take it all off IMO

06-28-2009, 08:48 AM	#15 (permalink)
trans9mp Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: El Paso, TX Age: 28 Posts: 829 Clint Shifflett	no def not... i saw his mod list in another thread... removing everything would take days lol... def not worth it

06-28-2009, 09:28 AM	#16 (permalink)
sk33ny Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Age: 22 Posts: 6,270 Aaron	Unfortunately it doesnt matter what the law says, if a dealership doesnt want to warrenty your work they wont. I had a friend with a blown engine come in and they blamed his catless downpipe for it all. We had no way of proving otherwise. Im guessing that they will blame (and possibly the real cause) of it on your suspension. If it changed the positioning of your axle then it might of made it possible for something to snag on it. Just be warned, warrenty work on a modded car is a huge pain in the ass. I just hope you find a friendly dealership.

06-28-2009, 09:34 AM	#17 (permalink)
GETMONEYADAM Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3,448	maiku!! crazy.. sorry to hear about this bro!! I just was telling you farewell and have a safetrip as we were both leaving the 1/4 mile and now this unexpected contigency?! wow, unbelievable.

06-28-2009, 10:20 AM	#18 (permalink)
rayray110589 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bradenton, Fl. Age: 22 Posts: 2,142 Ray~Ray	Sorry to hear bout ur car, maiku

06-28-2009, 10:23 AM	#19 (permalink)
midnitesi Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: jacksonville fl Age: 24 Posts: 10,994 james	all ic an say is take it in to honda

06-28-2009, 10:26 AM	#20 (permalink)
VIIIcivicsi Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 151	Post some pics. Harness are pretty intact unless you did something to it...

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