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Newbie with SC430 project - Did I really just buy this?
Newbie to the site with a specific issue. If you wish to skip the backstory you can go directly to the bottom.
Always loved the SC430, but family man duties made it impractical. Ran across a dude who was is nice guy in a bad situation and had to sell a car that he (and buddies) had wrecked. Good news: good deal and no airbag deploy. Bad news: interior fire and shadetree repairs which may have made matters worse and the car is dead. No juice, even when connected to a battery. I looked up the vin and saw there was no accidents on record and the price was right so I figured why not.
After getting her home, first thing I did was strip out the interior to see the extent of the damage. The majority was behind the center console and airbox.
A visit to a local salvage(3hrs. away) and got what I thought I would need for the first round of repairs. But then I discovered that the bundle of wires that run along the kick board on both sides were cut. WTF?! I soldered all the wires back according to color, and gauge(thickness), but here is my delimia... I'm sure the first of many.
On the Passenger side I have 4 sets of matching wires (8 wires/4 connections). 2 set Red, with white stripe with single silver line around it. and another 2 sets of red wires with double silver lines around it. Tried to see if the sets had any distinction, but I saw none.
If anyone could tell me what these wires are for and how to connect them would be great. Im looking forward to becoming a part of the CL community and providing updates as the project progress. I would really appreciate any advice on the current project, and what you may have learned with yours.
Because I recognize that the internet can be the outlet for the cowardly, I would appreciate that comments/exchanges are of the more mature vein, and I will offer the same.
This is way over my pay grade, but I will tell you two things I noticed. First, whoever owned this car was not afraid of modifying it. In the second pix, you can see a VAIS unit. So you may find wires that are not stock. Second, under the side kick boards is a standard path for running wires from front to back. Everything you find there may not be stock.
Take a lot of pix and keep us updated -- this looks like an interesting project.
I might be able to help you out because I do have the wiring diagram for a 2002. What year is yours? It looks like a 2005 or 2006, just guessing....
To be honest, you really need to spend $40 on a copy of the wiring diagram for this car. Another $200 for the maintenance manuals would also be helpful.
Wow...not sure I'd trust my life in this car going down the highway at 70 miles per hour.
Not sure you could ever guarantee airbag health, anti-lock brake functionality, or cruise
control reliability after a fire. When you can get a high mile car for $7500 on autotrader
right now, I'd put my money toward one that doesn't need a whole new interior....parts are
so expensive, you'd probably spend more fixing this up.
If you got a good enough price on it, I would part it out and apply the profit to
a well kept, higher mile car whose timing belt/water pump has been changed.
These cars will go for a long time....start with something non-catastrophic.
I'm guessing this is sort of a hobby project, not all about dollars and cents.
My first car didn't have an air bag or anti-lock brakes and I survived just fine. No matter how you slice it, its still going to be safer than a motorcycle.
Its really nice to see that there are individuals who would even try and put effort to fix all that up so good for you
Not to put you down in anyway, but I really feel that by the time you get it all together it will end up costing just as much as a decent mileage used SC in perfect working condition. Parting out might be a good idea.. even the smallest thing on this car can cost quite a bit.
regardless which ever path you decide to go, there is always someone on this forum to give you the help you need
I really appreciate the advice and the words of encouragement from a few (Cube, Bimmer, etc.).
It is a 2002 and mileage at last check was 95K. You guys are not the first to warn me that I should run...fast, but outside of the electrical obstacles, it really looks worse than it is. Besides I can always follow the advice and part her out if need be.
Bgw70 - Coincidently I did get the 2002 Electrical Wiring Diagram Manual in the mail today, with color diagrams, but it does not go into depth with the silver lines around the wires.
I'm not Daddywarbucks by a long shot, but it is not my main car so I am not in the crunch to get her done tomorrow. The project overall does not bother me. It's the little things...like wire colors.
Sincerely, I appreciate your comments and advice. I will keep you guys updated on the progress.
Having the Electrical Wiring Diagram manual will help. It doesn't actually give wire travel location ( as in "these wires pass through the lower driver side kick panel" ) but it does give the wire color, etc. If you can trace the wire back to a connector, there is a section at the back of the manual that will help you ID the connector. Then you can find that connector on the correct circuit diagram. Long and slow work, but do-able. There are some special electronic tools that can inject an RF freq signal to help you trace wires.
As you already did with joining the wires that were unique and easy to match, try to pair-up these last wires by cut and length. If they were cut one at a time with a pair of diagonal cutters, the angle of the cut and the location might be different enough to match them up.
While the car looks bad now with the dash all torn apart, with enough time a patience, it should come back together nicely. Have fun with your project!
09-04-15, 09:26 AM
Newbie with SC430 project - Did I really just buy this?
