Opel GT EZ-Wire Thread

[Thom71GT]

This thread is for all who have, are in the process, or are going to rewire their Opel GT with an EZ-Wire kit. This is all something that we all will probably have to do and there are lots of questions. Please post your progress, questions, solutions, findings, tips, warnings, etc..... here. Thanks and good luck to all of you. Oh,... me too.


Some questions I have right off the bat.

1) Im guessing you can go and buy new plugs pretty easily. Where did you get them?

2) How did you cover all those guages and switches in the dash? Obviously the ez wire kit will not be specific to all those things, but what do you do? Make splices? Im confused on that one.

3) My tumblers went out in my ignition years ago so I have a push button under the dash. How to I do the rewire to include that? Or, should I snag a different steering column that has a good ignition switch and key? I have one available.

4) I have the one plug S-10 upgraded alternator. Not understanding where the wires go on that one when I look at the Destec Wiring Diagram. How do I rewire that?

5) Finally, anyone that has done this before. What are some tips and warnings?!?!?

[rsefczek]

i've started to make myself a list of things i need to adapt/change on the ez-harness. 2 easy ones right off the bat:
1. the horn on the ez harness uses a relay while the opel does not. on the opel you need 2 wires to the horn and ez-wire only has 1 so you'll need to find an extra (a/c compressor wire if you don't have an a/c)
2. the oil sender unit needs 2 wires but ez harness supplies only 1 so another is needed here.

the rear circuits include a trunk light and fuel pump wire(s) which can be pulled and redirected to the front

i'll add more as i find 'em

bob

[Thom71GT]

Originally Posted by rsefczek 2. the oil sender unit needs 2 wires but ez harness supplies only 1 so another is needed here. the rear circuits include a trunk light and fuel pump wire(s) which can be pulled and redirected to the front bob

So how do you do this? (Im sure it will become more apparant once I get into this thing) Do you just keep several small reels of 12 - 18 guage wire to use and then splice into the one wire that EZ supplies? Or do you do something else?

[rsefczek]

the harness wires are bundled with cable ties. i just snipped the ties and pulled the wire(s) i wanted from one bundle (say the rear section) and added to the bundle i needed them in. then i reattached the cable ties. i'll probably have to purchase some wire and appropriate connectors at some point as well. i have figured out how to remove the wires from the ez wire fuse box as well as from the original opel connectors so i can reuse them if necessary. i'm thinking of keeping the dash wiring as is so the connectors may be helpful

bob

[Thom71GT]

Originally Posted by rsefczek i have figured out how to remove the wires from the ez wire fuse box as well as from the original opel connectors so i can reuse them if necessary. bob

Ok, information like that is very helpful. How DO you remove the wires from the ez wire fuse box? Please enlighten us. Thanks in advance.

[rsefczek]

the ez fuse box has a base held on at all four corner by plastic notched pieces. i used 2 small screwdrivers to depress the latch and release one side at a time. now i got the base off and could see the wires entering. on the side of the box is a blue plastic strip. this is a retaining clip to help hold the wires in. it just slides out perpendicular to the box. a little gentle persuasion on the wire and, voila, out it comes! it you need it, i can post pics tonight when i get home

[GoinManta]

Originally Posted by rsefczek i've started to make myself a list of things i need to adapt/change on the ez-harness. 2 easy ones right off the bat: 1. the horn on the ez harness uses a relay while the opel does not. on the opel you need 2 wires to the horn and ez-wire only has 1 so you'll need to find an extra (a/c compressor wire if you don't have an a/c)

NOPE.. Run the horn wire to the horn as per the directions, then make a pigtail of a female lead and a eyelet. Ground to the body. Done.

Originally Posted by rsefczek 2. the oil sender unit needs 2 wires but ez harness supplies only 1 so another is needed here

Yep, I recommend using the purple power antenna wire. Just cut it at the fuse box, (leave 2 inches at fuse block in case you want to use it for a later circuit).

[Thom71GT]

[QUOTE=GoinManta]NOPE.. then make a pigtail of a female lead and a eyelet. QUOTE]


??? huh??? Sorry, but when it comes to electrical, I need visuals. Me stupid. :o

[GoinManta]

Originally Posted by rsefczek i'm at the beginning of a rewire using the ez wiring harness. the wires are nicely labelled but not the same color coding (obviously) as the opel. i'm a little hung up on the plugs they supply for the ignition and flashers/hazard. anyone figured them out or do i just cut and splice them into the opel plugs/flasher? the headlight relays also look to be a small issue (the opel engineers really liked headlight relays, didn't they?). bob

OK.. DON'T cut the EZ wiring headlight circuit or flashers. Not neccessary.

The only hangup will be the Headlights on the GT. My thought is that you would simply Use the switch in the dash for the parking lights to trigger a relay that would turn on the headlights, and parking lights. Eliminating the microswitches.

The turn signals, etc... are just ran like they are labeled. You will have to figure out the column connections, but it isnt too hard with the factory wiring diagram and a multimeter.

If You look at the directions I have done for the Manta (http://www.goindesign.com/EZ4manta.pdf) you will see how I incorporated the EZ harness with the Opel one, and if luck would have it that the Manta color codes and GTS are the same it will make it doubly easy. That said I have not checked to see if the color codes are the same.

As for the horn, You will run the horn wire to the horn, you will simply ground the second wire at the horn to the body of the car. You will not have two wires to the horn anymore.

I hope with all those doing the Ez harness I can get some to download the Manta PDF and modify it for the GT so I can make a set of GT specific directions.

You can ignore the complex Opel wiring. Such as the Opel plugs, etc.. ignore them. Remember you are replacing the harness. Not trying to incorporate the old one into the new one. Just think of the guages and things like the ignition switch and turn signals as simple switches. Power in and power out. Then all you have to do is figure out which wire connects to which wire.

Charles

[GoinManta]

Originally Posted by Thom71GT 1) Im guessing you can go and buy new plugs pretty easily. Where did you get them?

Not neccessary the only one you will need are the headlights, they are included in the packet you got.

Things like wiper motors, etc.. you can either do like I did and that is just use female lugs and wire it that way one wire at a time.

YOu will notice all the male/femal plug sizes through out the Opel are no different than the ones you can get at the electrical dept at Home Depo. So just go get a bunch of male and female lugs from them before you start.

Originally Posted by Thom71GT 2) How did you cover all those guages and switches in the dash? Obviously the ez wire kit will not be specific to all those things, but what do you do? Make splices? Im confused on that one.

Simple, the dash lights are powered by the parking light circuit. The oil sending wire connects to the oil pressure guage.

The basic directions cover wiring the basic ammeter.

Simply put you will have wires to feed the different circuits as labeled in the EZ harness. That feeds either the power or the ground signal to the gauge.

There should be one gauge power feed required and that will come from the EZ harness. All the grounds can go to ANY ground. I built a ground block with a big ground wire to the body, with a bunch of terminals to hook up all the loose grounds.


Refer to the Manta directions to see how I did the Manta, the GT is similar, it seems more complex just looking at it, but the principal is the same.

Originally Posted by Thom71GT 3) My tumblers went out in my ignition years ago so I have a push button under the dash. How to I do the rewire to include that? Or, should I snag a different steering column that has a good ignition switch and key? I have one available.

Actally this makes it easier. You know exactly where to wire the ignition power to.. Instead of the column you will terminate it at the push button.

Originally Posted by Thom71GT 4) I have the one plug S-10 upgraded alternator. Not understanding where the wires go on that one when I look at the Destec Wiring Diagram. How do I rewire that?

Its a simple circuit and in the universal directions. Look under GM page 11 I believe.

Originally Posted by Thom71GT 5) Finally, anyone that has done this before. What are some tips and warnings?!?!?

Yes, on the Manta though. Yes it is intimidating at first, but in reality it ends up being quite simple.

Rule #1 - READ THE DIRECTIONS - ALL OF THEM

Rule #2 - DON'T CUT wires within the circuits. Unless you have done a complete trace and understand exactly what you are cutting and why.

Rule #3 - THESE Directions: http://www.goindesign.com/ebay/EZ20manual.pdf

Rule #4 - DON'T get intimidated.. its much easier that it seems at first

Rule #5 - Preplan the project.. seperate and go through the rewiring in your head with the diagrams, instructions and harness before you start. The more familiar you are with the harness before you start the easier it will be.

Rule #6 - READ THE DIRECTIONS - ALL OF THEM

Rule #7 - FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS now that you read them twice.

.................................................. .......

Originally Posted by rsefczek thanks for the additional info, charles. the original gt wiring ran part of the turn signal circuit through the hazard switch (as well as the flasher can). any idea why and why it's not necessary on the ez harness? bob

Because the EZ wiring harness has TWO flasher circuits Turn and Hazard.

So you should bascially wire the turn signal switch seperate of the hazard, and the hazard will be wired to the hazard switch. This was the trickiest circuit for me to sort out on the Manta. But overall it wasnt terribly difficult comparing the two diagrams. (EZ and Opel)

Charles

[GoinManta]

Originally Posted by soybean Thom, here is one thread I followed when I upgraded to the 1 wire upgrade. Now I am curious too as to how this will apply to the EZ wiring harness upgrade

Actually it simplifys the install of the EZ harness since the EZ is designed around a basic GM Installation. Just download the universal directions and follow the directions for a GM one wire alternator.

OH I forgot to mention to everyone..

Be sure to download the Universal directions I created :

http://www.goindesign.com/ebay/EZ20manual.pdf

They are much clearer and easier to follow than what comes with the harness currently.

Charles

[GoinManta]

[QUOTE=Thom71GT]

Originally Posted by GoinManta NOPE.. then make a pigtail of a female lead and a eyelet. QUOTE] ??? huh??? Sorry, but when it comes to electrical, I need visuals. Me stupid. :o

Here you go, along with a image of a typical insulated female disconnect. Which between them and uninsulated (Like the one shown in the diagram) MALE disconnects. You should be able to connect to any switch or motor on the car without a "plug".

Charles

[Thom71GT]

AH HA!!! Ok, now I know exactly what you're talking about. Thanks A picture says a thousand words.

I have a zillion male and female connects and disconnect from when I thought I was actually going to make my own harness. What was I thinking?

[rsefczek]

but the advantage of plugs comes when you have to disconnect your dash (again and again) and only have to take apart a few plugs instead of many male and female connectors (plus the joy of putting them back together afterwards).

[GoinManta]

Originally Posted by rsefczek but the advantage of plugs comes when you have to disconnect your dash (again and again) and only have to take apart a few plugs instead of many male and female connectors (plus the joy of putting them back together afterwards).

True, but if You gingerly take out the disconnects in the plug, you can replace them with the standard one. You just have to remove the plastic protection off the disconnect after you crimp. THe other option is to cut the pigtail off the old harness and reuse just taht first 4 inches or so. Thats what I did for the Manta dash package.

[namba209]

Originally Posted by GoinManta You just have to remove the plastic protection off the disconnect after you crimp.

Charles, and all the rest of you folks doing any mods to the electrical wiring on the Opels. Take it from me from past experiences, you do not want to JUST crimp the wires to new connectors, terminals or lugs. You gotta solder them and use shrink sleeving for good insulation. Anything less any you stand the chance of having vibes disconnect the connections or terminals at the worst possible time. Like what hapened to me some years ago in my old motorhome. Everything went dead, electrically, in the middle lane of Interstate 5 on a Friday afternoon right near the Disneyland exit. To say I got more than my share of one-fingered peace signs would be an understatement. I did a wiggle/shake test of the wiring accessible from inside the rig and found the "ace" electrician at the dealership had crimped the main electrical lead from the battery to the rest of the system and it had come loose. I'm sure none of you need or want that to happen. So now all my connections are soldered just for that reason. O.K. off the soapbox.

[GoinManta]

True, I forgot to mention that. Good tip..

I do use crimped terminals, but I do the crimp in two steps like a factory connection would be done. First with the () shaped part of the crimper labeled for the guage ware. Then I use the )) shaped spark plug wire crimp (not on all crimpers BTW..) to really clamp down on it at the split. Then I put a drop of solder at the base of the crimp at the wire.

One other thing too.. Do NOT use the crimp splice connectors. They suck and come loose almost immediately.

The way I splice I learned in the Army..

1: Remove a bit of insulation at the point of the splice.
2: Reverse twist the wire so as to spread open the wires
3: With the wire to be spliced, open it up so it looks like a ragged paint brush 4: Slide / Weave the wires from the spliced wire through the wire you are splicing too.
5: Give a good twist to junction. Wrapping the spliced wire around the main wire you are splicing too.
6: Use a bit of solder to work its way into the weaved area.
7: Then use the shrink tube on the area.

Speaking of shrink tube, use it as opposed to electrical tape whereever you can. It adds strength to the joint and won't unravel.

Also for safety reasons I don't use lead rosin solder. I only use it when I make terminal connections where the wire doesnt have any support. It flows better, but the less lead in my blood system the better. I use the lead-free most the time.

Charles

[Thom71GT]

Here is some progress.

http://www.ttwatchworks.com/opel4.htm

[namba209]

Thom, before you get too far along with this, may I suggest some convulated tubing to put the wires in. It's the same stuff the newer cars have around their wire bundles. It protects the wires from abrasion and possible shorts from the insulation rubbing away where it goes through the tight holes in the body. It makes for a neat looking installation too.

[Thom71GT]

Yeah, I thought of that and then went out and bought some. Thanks

[Bo Mows]

What web site do i get the e-zwire kit for my GT? Which harness curcuit config (or part number) is the best?

Bo

[Thom71GT]

Originally Posted by Bo Mows What web site do i get the e-zwire kit for my GT? Which harness curcuit config (or part number) is the best? Bo

Contact Charles Goin (goinmanta) on this site. He did some schematics for them and has arranged for any of us to get the harness through him at a discount. I pay-pal'd Charles the money and I think 3 or 4 days later a harness was sitting on my front porch.

[Thom71GT]

Now I think I am seeing how or where I am going to need to modify the harness. Someone tell me if Im wrong or right.

For example. It gives me left and right backup light. Well, I only need one so I cut the other one off. It only gave me right licence plate light. I need left as well, so Im guessing I cut into the right park light and tail off of that for the license plate. Also, Ill need left and right side marker lights, so I daisy chain off of the right and left park cables, right?


Lastly, for the rear, there is fuel guage and fuel pump wires. I dont need the fuel pump wire do I? Its the fuel guage wire that I attach to the gas tank right?

[rsefczek]

just the guage wire is needed, thom, you're right. i pulled the pump wire and redirected it to the front end for something that need a power source. sounds like you're having as much fun as me. i also bought the "coldheat" soldering system and it's left me pretty cold. not enough power to effect good splices.
still trying to figure out the p.o. wiring in the engine compartment...btw i wound up pulling the dash so i could reach the blower motor. how did you do it?

bob

[Thom71GT]

I've got the dash pulled out, but I can't get the stupid hood release thing off to get the dash out. I'm having to work around it.