Fellow Owners, check your car!

[Jim]

Folks;

As some of you may have inferred from my previous posts, I've had some trouble with my Marauder. In the 28 days I've owned it, it's been in dealership hands for 8.

The transmission featured a dazzling '2nd gear affinity' in which it would shift to 2nd, seemingly at will, at all speeds. 90 MPH is a great time to select 2nd gear, BTW.

It's been 'fixed' several times, replacing transmission lever position sensor, as well as the PCM.

After being returned to me (again) last week, a transmission fluid leak showed up; the dipstick tube O-Ring was damaged from the R&R of the trans for inspection.

Got the car back Monday, and the original 2nd gear symptom returned Tuesday.

I returned to the dealership with the car yesterday (Tuesday,) and the process began to replace it. The whole car.

Now this was NOT my first choice, as I love this car, and another Marauder was not what I wanted. If nothing else, this one has great paint!

Anyhow, to make a long story slightly less long, several mechanics pored over the car, and discovered the actual fault.

Here's what you should check:

The wiring harness under the hood, on the drivers side, where it comes up and over the valve cover and down into the bowels of the car, was rubbing on the cast metal brace that seems to hold the wiper cowl. The harness cover was damaged, and one wire was chafed through the insulation, grounding out on the brace. That wire lead to the transmission selector sensor.

Wire repaired, harness re-covered and re-routed, problem solved.

So, check your wiring!

I'll post a picture tonight when I get home.

BTW, the regional Ford guy came out and took pictures to send somewhere; I guess to tell the folks in Canada that craft these cars to be a little more careful!

-Jim

PS The dealer that I bought the car from has been excellent to deal with through all this. Southern Lincoln Mercury (now Courtesy LM) in Decatur GA. See Jimmy Grotz, and tell him Jim sent ya'!

[b4z]

Jim,

It is amazing that those kinds of things happen.
On the first night I had my Camaro the headlights went out.
I opened the hood and rooted around and found that a wiring harness
was up against one of the 2 electic fans on my radiator.
The edge of the fan had eaten through one of the wires.

Extremely annoying, but those things happen. Hope it hasn't dampened your enthusiasm for the car.

[OKmrodr]

I am definitely going to check this when I do the deed this fall. Thanks for keeping the board updated on your situation.

Now, get out there, roll up the miles and report back so you can let the rest of us enjoy it vicariously (for now...:D :D :D ).

[Logan]

Thanks for the information Jim, yes, please post up pics so we know what we're looking for.

[Jim]

As requested, and promised.. Pictures!

First a general underhood shot. Affected area highlighted.

[Jim]

And, a closeup of the actual problem. Wiring harness, and the metal bit that chafed it to exposed copper...

[Fourth Horseman]

My harness seems to duck down lower, behind the valve cover. Just to be safe, though, I might cut a rubber hose and tape it into place around the trouble spot on that harness.

Thanks for the heads-up, Jim!

[Logan]

Same with my harness. It goes alot lower down. I couldn't even pull it up far enough to contact that bracket, though the edges are indeed incredibly sharp. They must've rectified the problem on the line already.

[MarauderMike]

I have that same problem plus the harness running to the oil sending unit is awfully close to the power steering pulley, need to tie that one back.

[RancorKeeper]

Interestingly, several Bullitt owners (including myself) had a bundle of wires routed over a sharp peice of metal near the firewall. They went to two of the driver side COP's & a few guys who had some stalling issues made the discovery. It was easy enough to unplug the connectors & move the wires behind the metal bracket, but I wonder why so many cars made it out of the factory this way.

[WJSOLOMON]

Originally posted by Jim: "And, a closeup of the actual problem. Wiring harness, and the metal bit that chafed it to exposed copper..."

Checked mine (Early July Deliery) and ended up gathering the two outside loops together with a 'twisty', then looping the entire harness back to one of the Brake Fluid Reservoir Lines to keep them in the middle of all of that open space, and way from all metal contact. When I first looked at it more closely, following these very helpful posts, the 'loop' to the Left was close enough to the Driver's Side Valve Cover to expose it to wear from abrasions caused by the movement of the Engine on it's Motor Mounts, under a Rough Idle, etc.

Thanks for the great "Heads Up"!

:) ;) :cool:

[Gaylon Harwell]

Mine was definitely "in hazard's way". Already showing some abrasion. You saved me lots of headaches with this tip. Thanks, Logan, for this board... and to all the users for the fantastic info!

[TripleTransAm]

What a coincidence... I just posted the exact same thing in another thread last night. It completely disabled my MM during a vacation trip on Thursday. Same area, same harness.

Only I'm not getting a new car out of it... ;)

[Blue Marauder]

Checked mine this morning and all harnesses seem to be routed properly. But then, mine is a 300B so maybe they fixed the problems in the later series?

[Jim]

Please note, my original post was from 7/02!

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by Jim
Please note, my original post was from 7/02!


Oh my. How embarrassing, I saw the '17' in the date and immediately surmissed it was May 17th... today! What a coincidence.

However, funny how the EXACT same thing can occur over the span of 10 months... haven't the good folks manning the assembly lines heard of something called a 'root cause analysis' or quality improvements? I'm disappointed that I now have to go over each and every common failure reported on this site since day 1 and double-check that it won't bite me in the rear anytime soon. I was hoping my Feb 03 build date would have granted me a reprieve from the earlier problems.

[FLA RAUD FAN]

Checked my mid Feb 300B and the harness was well below the sharp edged bracket...no factor.

I can see how it could chew it up over time if it was riding on that edge.

Thanks for the heads up!
JP

[LincMercLover]

Mines a June build and is fine. I didn't have a problem with the other side either. Can see clear to the CAT on the passenger side, and I have about 1.5" of clearence between the loom and the bracket on the driver side.

[Bigdogjim]

Any more when I go to the dealer they ask what going on? I say fire up the internet and tune in MM.net and I'll show you. Picture is worth a 1000's words.........

A big THANKS to all who take the time and trouble to post..

[Smokie]

Jim, Thank you very much for the heads up!!! my harness is about 1/8 " below razor sharp bracket and the harness shows signs it has made contact with it. Already installed rubber hose insulator on bracket and now I am off on a picnic with family about 50 miles from home and feeling a lot better about it. Again thanks to you, Logan and all members of this great forum ! :bows: :bows: :bows:

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by FLA RAUD FAN
Checked my mid Feb 300B and the harness was well below the sharp edged bracket...no factor.


How much more 'mid Feb' can February 13 2003 get??? :lol:

Maybe the assembly line folks looked at the order code and decided accordingly:

"Let's see... today is Feb 13 2003. This car is a Canadian '300A' so it gets all the previously-discovered 300A problems, and this next one is a US '300B' model so we'll make sure all the fixes are in this one, and... .... "

[Topher]

Mine is a 300A built on 8/29/02 & the wiring harness is right up against the burr edge of this stamped part. The dealer is rerouting it during their troubleshooting of my trans problem.

Chris

[03MERCMARAUDER]

Thanks for the heads up. I checked mne today and one of the wires was starting to chaf, I have an appointment in the morning with the dealer, Jim is the spare in your car a full size one? It looks like one of the factory rims except its not chrome. Did it come with that or did you add it

[RCSignals]

Looked at mine, the cable is away from the bracket, but the bracket edges aren't sharp. there is a piece of metal clipped up over the edges providing a smooth edge. Looks like it was made that way. My car was produced in Nov '02

[Heavy D.]

Just checked mine - 300B produced January 2003. It has the piece of metal covering most of the rough edge as RCSignals says, but the wire bundle is about 1/2 of a diameter forward of this "fix" and is showing signs of abrasion, even at 1500 miles. Thanks for the heads up!

[DLoreanMARAUDER]

[B]HOLY COW!{/B]
I just went out in the rain to go check! i can't belive it, wiring harness is in the same spot. although I dont see any signs of abrasion (built 8-22-02, now has 4500miles). I do see loads of electrical tape and a blue sticker w***** on it that says "MADE IN MEXICO" ???? you think maybe the dealer had a problem and fixed the cable previously before I bought it??? what are the dealers doing about it (ie tucking the harness down farther, placeing somthing over the sharp edge)? should I be worried if it has been previously repaired?

THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP! im sure you saved alot of owners from damage.

[Heavy D.]

DLoreanMARAUDER,
Mine has a thin black wrapper holding the wires together, almost like a sausage casing. No obvious electrical tape or blue sticker. Sounds like the factory is starting to catch this, or your dealer is on the ball (most likely by reading this forum!). Mine will get the same treatment this weekend. I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that your wires are probably okay, given your low mileage and the fact that it was probably caught at the factory or shortly thereafter. I can't see this wearing through anytime soon, although at 36,001 miles it probably would go...

BTW, your DeLorean project sounds kick*** - I always loved the sheet metal on them, and with that engine...!!

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by Heavy D.
I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that your wires are probably okay, given your low mileage and the fact that it was probably caught at the factory or shortly thereafter. I can't see this wearing through anytime soon, although at 36,001 miles it probably would go...


My car failed me at 5650 km on the clock... that's just a mere 3500 miles on the car and was enough to slice through the two layers of insulation (the harness, plus the individual insulation on the one PCM power relay wire that shorted to the bracket).

So, whether at 36000 miles or 3600 miles, I'd still be worried about the possibility of a short.

[Heavy D.]

TripleTransAm
Yikes, that's early. Glad it's fixed now! I was speculating as to the current condition of DLoreanMARAUDER's wires; seems to me that if there's no evidence of abrasion it's probably alright. However, if left untreated I agree with you that there would be cause for worry over the possibility of a short circuit. The bundle on mine is far enough back so that half is protected by the metal clip. The other half is showing minor abrasion that needs to be addressed ASAP before it works through and shorts.

[hitchhiker]

Folks;

As some of you may have inferred from my previous posts, I've had some trouble with my Marauder. In the 28 days I've owned it, it's been in dealership hands for 8.

The transmission featured a dazzling '2nd gear affinity' in which it would shift to 2nd, seemingly at will, at all speeds. 90 MPH is a great time to select 2nd gear, BTW.

It's been 'fixed' several times, replacing transmission lever position sensor, as well as the PCM.

After being returned to me (again) last week, a transmission fluid leak showed up; the dipstick tube O-Ring was damaged from the R&R of the trans for inspection.

Got the car back Monday, and the original 2nd gear symptom returned Tuesday.

I returned to the dealership with the car yesterday (Tuesday,) and the process began to replace it. The whole car.

Now this was NOT my first choice, as I love this car, and another Marauder was not what I wanted. If nothing else, this one has great paint!

Anyhow, to make a long story slightly less long, several mechanics pored over the car, and discovered the actual fault.

Here's what you should check:

The wiring harness under the hood, on the drivers side, where it comes up and over the valve cover and down into the bowels of the car, was rubbing on the cast metal brace that seems to hold the wiper cowl. The harness cover was damaged, and one wire was chafed through the insulation, grounding out on the brace. That wire lead to the transmission selector sensor.

Wire repaired, harness re-covered and re-routed, problem solved.

So, check your wiring!

I'll post a picture tonight when I get home.

BTW, the regional Ford guy came out and took pictures to send somewhere; I guess to tell the folks in Canada that craft these cars to be a little more careful!

-Jim

PS The dealer that I bought the car from has been excellent to deal with through all this. Southern Lincoln Mercury (now Courtesy LM) in Decatur GA. See Jimmy Grotz, and tell him Jim sent ya'!
Thanks to those like you, who have posted useful information, I had a checklist of things to look for when I took delivery of my new MM Friday.

:up:

The wiring harness on mine was close to this sharp metal piece, but not actually touching it. I am going to slip a cut piece of heater hose over that part of the wiring harness to make sure they never touch.

Free Beer for you! :beer:

Thanks and Best Regards,

David

[RCSignals]

Wow, the original post in this thread is almost two years old.

Mac, is this one a record holder?

[Bigdogjim]

Hey RC: I guess they don't check dates:lol:

[bagpiper]

Checked today,just started to wear the outer case on the same spot.300a build date 07/02 thanks for the info.

[UAW 588]

I checked mine today. Everything is A-ok. It seems for the 04's they put a piece of rubber tube around the wiring harness. But thanks for the heads up. Boy, I love this site. Gets better each and every day. :up:

[MainEngDwarf]

I guess I better check mine out today. Thanks Folks

[brent]

And, a closeup of the actual problem. Wiring harness, and the metal bit that chafed it to exposed copper...
Thanks SO much. Just checked my 04 found harness rubbing sharp metal.

less than 3000 mi. about 3 mo driving. Wear not through outer wire harness cover yet.

I put a short piece of split fuel line over the sharp metal edge. A few little fixes can sure make a Big difference.

Thanks,
Brent in GA

[CRUZTAKER]

An excellent example of an older thread that deserved to be rejuvenated.

Glad it helped you Brent.

And :welcome:

[Merc-O-matic]

[QUOTE=CRUZTAKER]An excellent example of an older thread that deserved to be rejuvenated.

Glad it helped you Brent.

CRUZ you are absolutely right!
I have told 2 Marauder owners about this
(not members of the net)
and saved their butts!

Gotta Love It! :D

[MERCMAN]

If you are not an original owner, check out this thread

[fastblackmerc]

Been there... done that....

I also added a rubber vacuum cap to the part of the bolt that projects out.