I have a question? My friend want to sell me a 94 rx-7 that has one problem, he told me that the car need a main harness replaced, because had a stereo system installed, a faulty power hook up caused the harness to burn.

So my question is if is hard to replace that or if it's expensive to fix that.

 

Hard, not really. It depends on your skill level. You'll have to pull the dash, much of the interior, etc. But it is more time consuming then hard if you can follow instructions.

Expensive, yes. The harness certainly is not cheap unless you buy used (and few people sell them due to the PITA factor in removal) and there is a lot of labor.

 

By main harness, he is probably referring to the engine harness that goes between the ECU and motor. Those get very brittle when old due to the heat generated underhood on the FD.

I think the going rate on a new engine wiring harness from Ray at Malloy Mazda is about $1,000. Ray's contact info is in the 3rd gen FAQ in the stickied thrads.

Installation can be challenging since you are working in the rats nest and there are lots of small, old, brittle parts under there too - solenoids, vacuum hoses and such. If you were to pay someone, it would probably be 4-8 hours of work. You would want a rotary specialist shop to do that work. The dealer is clueless.

 

Thank you all for the answers.

I will take my Rx-7 to the dealer.

 

but he just said the dealer is useless.... i mean clueless try to find a rotary specialist near you

 

If it's the engine harness that runs over the block I doubt it was the stereo, they just get brittle due to engine heat. Ray's price for this harness is under $1000. Your dealer's price is usually a lot higher. If it's the engine harness that runs around the engine bay there will be less labor but the harness is closer to $2000. That harness is damaged if an improperly sized wheel rubs through the wheel well. If it's the dash harness, then nothing in the engine needs to be involved but the interior pieces are very expensive and hard to find replacements. So any interior work must be done carefully.

Mazda dealers can probably handle the stuff that doesn't involve tearing into the engine but they will be expensive. I'd figure out which harness you need and go from there.

Dave

 

THis is the photo he send me a few minutes ago, the burning is close to the battery side.

 

That happen to my friends FD. There is a clip that holds it up and after time it broke off. What happen to my friend was that his wheel was rubbing it and eventually ripped it (He didnt have a wheel well). He found a used harness and cut and connected everything by hand. It was a lot of work but the cost was cheap. Of course anything new will be expensive but i think his total cost was less then 400.