18 replies to this topic

[WhRob]

Hi all,
I've taken the loom out to tidy up some modifications made by previous owner and I've had to unwrap some of the main branch.
I'm just about ready to rewrap it and I've seen some people have used a fabric tape (Tesa tape) rather than the pvc tape. From what I've read the fabric tape isn't waterproof (bit it looks better). Does anyone have any advice on what to use?

I also need to find out how the loom is meant to sit along the front, it had been attached with cable ties above the grille; how is it meant to be?

Cheers (and a slightly early Happy New year to all!)

[sonscar]

Buy some proper pvc loom tape,non sticky.The front has tabs to hold the wires in the recess behind the top of the front panel,Steve..

[Harry L]

I'm using Tesa tape on my custom loom, keeps it together really nicely and looks professional. Anything that needs serious mechanical protection I have put in plastic conduit.

[WhRob]

Thanks for the really quick replies!

Just had a look and there are two tabs on the far left and right, that makes sense but nothing in the middle? I have a exterior bonnet catch mechanism there but not obvious how the loom is held there? Is it just the n/s lights that go across the middle?

Any thoughts on positives/negatives of pvc Vs fabric wrapping?

[nicklouse]

Don’t use ones with adhesive. 

[sonscar]

The middle is designed to hang loose so it gets stuck in the bonnet catch and gets covered in road spray causing lighting faults,this may not have been intentional.It goes to the lights on both sides from connectors in the middle.Steve..

[WhRob]

I'll have to see what I can do around the bonnet catch, maybe a length of conduit to stop it drooping.

Is the advice about no adhesive because it goes soft with heat?

[KTS]

mainly because adhesive backed tape will stick to the wires in the bundle so you won't be able to form the loom to fit

[Bobbins]

Tesa is a brand of a whole variety of tapes so effectively means little. For the loom it is important not to wrap with ordinary adhesive insulating tape because although it will work fine now it'll be a complete mess at some point in the future, and as mentioned heat just accelerates this problem.

A whole variety of fabric and pvc loom/harness tapes are available from sources such as Autosparks or Polevolt, my personal opinion is that if you want the "fabric look" in a car that would have originally had a pvc wrapped loom, use pvc first to provide the best protection against moisture ingress then over-wrap with fabric. A small roll of self-amalgamating tape is handy to seal the ends to prevent loom tape unravelling.

[stuart bowes]

I thought (but might have misunderstood) that the point of the fabric type of tape was that water would be allowed to escape ..  yes it will get in there, but it dries out again

 

bear in mind the cabling within is insulated with plastic sheathing anyway which makes it all naturally waterproof anyway without need for extra protection as such, the tape is there to bundle them all together for tidiness more than anything else

 

I suppose really the only parts that need protection are the bare metal parts which, if you have any of that halfway along your cables you've got problems anyway! and the pins in the end plugs can be treated with electrical contact grease for this reason 

 

i've wrapped mine all in fabric tape and it looks pukka (not fitted yet though, build still in progress) however there are parts I now want to undo and rewire in certain ways, and thinking about it for some parts I'm going to also add a flexible conduit which looks even more pro

Edited by stuart bowes, 01 January 2023 - 07:26 PM.

[WhRob]

I thought the same; that stage fabric tape would let water in but allow it to dry out? The original (I guess) tape just fell off when I unwrapped it and I don't think it was doing a great job of keeping the wires dry

What fabric tape did you use Stuart? Would you recommend it?

[imack]

I wrapped my original 72 harness with Tesa fabric tape. Went over the factory vinyl tape. It's not particularly sticky but it sticks to itself and doesn't unravel.
Vauxhall supply it to wrap harnesses for warranty repair so it must be OK.

[stuart bowes]

I'll be honest I didn't fret too much about branding, I just went on amazon and searched for fabric loom wrap tape or something to that effect

 

it is sticky, but after the wrapping the bundle is still flexible enough to shape (varying depending on number of cables in the bundle) but having a bit of foresight about that I did also put a bit of shape in it as I wrapped it, with the thicker sections

 

I believe it was this

https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

and this 

https://www.amazon.c...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

the blurb actually says 'waterproof' but I wouldn't put money on that being true

 

if / when I order more with hindsight I'd probably leave the narrower stuff and just get a few of the wider ones as it goes further obviously

 

getting it off again is actually a bit of a b@s$rd to be honest I ended up having to pick at the edge with scalpel and scissors for a bit before it would start unravelling but I guess that's my fault for not planning ahead correctly and also testament to it's strength

Edited by stuart bowes, 01 January 2023 - 10:31 PM.

[WhRob]

I've ordered some fabric tape and will give it a go. I'll let you know how I get on

[E23TFD]

So my former life was in the automotive Tesa world. There is a vast array of wire harness tape so much so is separate to rest of the auto team.

Basically there are two types, one group based on sound deadening and the other for abrasion protection. The latter mainly used for engine bay and through bulk head holes etc.

It’s all OEM materials and designed for the task against OE specs. I’m sure if there is a need I can put together a list of numbers of the tapes and where used.

Also don’t get confused with how “sticky” something is against adhesive strength. For instance Honey is really sticky but isn’t great in holding things together.