Date:         Mon, 22 May 2000 12:37:58 -0700
Reply-To:     BRENT CHRISTENSEN <bchristensen@INFOGENESIS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         BRENT CHRISTENSEN <bchristensen@INFOGENESIS.COM>
Subject:      Speaker wire repair and impressions of Vanagon door wiring in gen
              eral
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Yesterday I finally got around to fixing my dead left front speaker.  Sure
enough, the blue speaker wire had been severed by the action of the door.
(The break was located inside the rubber boot that runs from under the dash
to the door at the hinge).  First of all, this was a major PITA to work on -
the break was located deep inside the rubber "conduit", and I could not see
any easy way of removing it.  I actually had to pull it back very forcibly,
and then hold it there with some hemostats (medical clamps for blood
vessels) so that I could get to the break point of the wire.

Unfortunately, the wire was so filthy that I could not get a good solder
joint (and I couldn't strip it back any farther).  I ended up using a
solderless butt connector.  :-(

While I was inside the rubber conduit, I noticed that several of the other
wires were beginning to give way as well (cuts or breaks in the insulation).
I could not get at them to repair them, even though I removed all the door
panel and trim.  I even pulled all the cable ties that were holding the wire
bundles and removed the "vapor barrier" (plastic sheeting)., but I still
couldn't move the wire bundles to a position that would allow more
flexibility.

Has anyone ever successfully re-wired their door in order to replace these
broken (or breaking) wires?  What needs to be done in order to get to the
wires inside that piece of rubber conduit?  I am planning to replace the 4"
Alpine font speakers with something else bigger soon, and I want to replace
the old broken wires. I prefer to run the wires inside the existing loom if
at all possible, but it looks to be a MAJOR PITA to get that rubber conduit
moved out of the way...

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA


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