I have a 78 delta 88. Took my car in Got a new motor the guy wasn’t to professional even threatened to put a lean on my car because he bit off more than he could Chew when I called em out. Even cracked my lens and out an ice dent on trunk we’re the lock is. Very frustrating.

so now I have a messy bay old wires that should have been taken out. Can anyone help me? I just want to know what wires i need and don’t. ti reduce room This is the only photo of the original Diesel engine before I swapped it.

and also I hear you can and can’t use a hose to clean a motor. Is that true or not? Is so what’s the best way to cover the things I can’t get wet? Any good cleaner recommendations? Thanks guys. Any info helps.

 

I would suggest that you purchase a factory Chassis Service Manual (check Ebay). It should have the electrical schematic for the original diesel, allowing you to find out which wires are no longer needed.

 

I'm not one of the experts, but some will chime in, I'm sure. Keep the diesel engine that came out - depending on the model, some are desirable.

 

Generally speaking... If it's not connected to something it's generally not needed if all your attached accessories are working.

 

Echo on the ‘78 Chassis Service Manual. It will be the authority on which wires went where and from there you can figure out which won’t be needed. With luck there will be separate diagrams for diesel vs. gas engines and you can do a compare and contrast and set the wiring harness up the way Olds would have with a gas motor all those years ago.

One quick task to do while you’re waiting for delivery of the CSM is to get some blue tape and a sharpie. Use them to label the wires whose purpose you can observe today — like the heavy gauge one coming out of the alternator, or the one going to the electric choke, or the coil wire/HEI wire, etc. etc.. This begins the project in an inexpensive way.

If it were me, I’d spend a few hours cleaning up the engine compartment just so that when you’re working in there it’s more fun. Once the bay is clean, you may find frayed wires, bad grounds or broken plastic wire shells which will become part of the fix-it-up project.

Somewhere around here I’ve posted some electrical harness redo instructions, or at least tips, have a look under my username in case they might help you. I’m no expert but I’ve done a fair few wiring harnesses for my ‘66’s.

Hope that helps.
Chris

 

I pressure wash all my engines with no issues. I don't dwell on the electrics but you can get pretty aggressive with everything else. Wet it first with a strong detergent let it set for a few minutes then blast it clean. Much more fun with a clean engine....Tedd

 

You can wash the engine. Keep degreasers away from the alternator, don’t directly spray the ignition system (not a concern with a Diesel engine!) throttle body/ carb, etc. Anything else, you should be ok. If in doubt, leave the engine running while spraying things down.

As for the loose wiring, there are a few connectors that might have nothing connected to them from the factory. Some are diagnostic connections, options the car might not have been equipped with, etc. A service manual will be a huge help. It looks to me like most of the factory wire wrap and plastic wire loom is missing, that makes the wiring look worse than it really is.