Underhood Electrical Tape?

Any suggestions on what I might use that doesn't get soft or gooey when exposed to underhood heat? I like the plyability of the 3M 33+ for application purposes but it ends up distortoring after time under the hood. What do OEM's use?

I use shrink wrap. Stuff like this: http://cableorganizer.com/heat-shrink/nte-heat-shrink2-kits.html

I cut it to fit, slip this over a wire, solder, move the shrink wrap over the connection, and then use a heat gun.

I solder and shrink wrap connections. However, I need to tape up an entirely new loom.

I've never had a problem with good ol' electrical tape. I think it's what Mazda used under the hood of the Miata too.

I've redone harness wrapping on a couple of cars with 3M 33+ electrical tap. I finish it off with split convoluted tubing over the harness. It acts as another layer against direct engine heat and to keep the tape from unraveling over time.

That electrical tape Harbor Freight sells is darn good. Never had a problem with it underhood.

When I wired the old Dodge truck I bought shrink tape. It's electrical tape that shrinks when hit with heat.

How about a mile of that coloured sippy straw stuff from JC Whitney?

Dan

33+ works ok in a pinch but the rubberized 'self adhering' stuff works much better underhood.

I've never heard of shrink tape before, so I started looking and found something a little different: Self-fusing Silicone Tape with no need to heat.

OEMs usually use 'dry tape' (vinyl with no adhesive). You can get that from Eastwood, places like that. I have used electrical tape in the past but as noted heat makes it slippery and gooey.

Try splicing tape, 3m is one manufacturer, but there may be others, you can get it at grainger and probably McMaster-Car. I have used to make wire harnesses in moderatly high heat applications, I also once used it to repair a split intercooler hose on my work truck, it is stong stuff.

Big ass heat shrink tube?

Zip ties?

I like to use friction tape. It is cloth tape and sticks to itself very well. If I use electric tape I usually wrap it (cover)with the friction tape so it will keep everything tight.

It was also used on many oem harness I have cut up. It has a dielectric quality, although much lower than pvc electric tape.

RobL wrote: Zip ties?

1 zip tie every half inch. It'll look SWEET!

RossD wrote: I've never heard of shrink tape before, so I started looking and found something a little different: Self-fusing Silicone Tape with no need to heat.

I have a few rolls (red, black and white) of this kind of stuff. It's the cat's danglies, for wrapping stuff. Even works underwater - just mounted the float switch on a new sump pump.

The stock Miata harness is held together with about 10 miles (actually, it's a metric car, so they would have used 16 km) of gooey, sticky electrical tape. It's a real pleasure to remove, lemme tell ya.

Tie wraps look good untill you need to work under the hood and get poked and cut by all those dam knubs left. start with regular tape a few rounds then tape over the non sticky tape and use that using only sticky tape near bends and ends.

Try out some self-fusing silicone tape. I get mine from Waytek Wire. It's heat resistant to almost 500*F. Bonds to itself with no sticky adhesives.

Thanks, guys!

93celicaGT2 wrote:

RobL wrote: Zip ties?

1 zip tie every half inch. It'll look SWEET!

I have done plain old electrical tape and then secured the ends with tie-wraps a few times and it always held up fine, even I got lazy and did not go back and do it right. The ends never come loose and the rest of the tape stays good.

RossD wrote: I've never heard of shrink tape before, so I started looking and found something a little different: Self-fusing Silicone Tape with no need to heat.

I love that stuff. It is also moderately resistant to abrasion and pinching, which is always a plus when you're in an area with moving parts. (Hopefully your engine bay fits that description.)

go to junkyard and grab about a thousand feet of the crinkly split-loom stuff. will cost you about a penny a foot.