Gentlemen...and Ladies,

Rats or some other rodent types decided to eat my 99 DISCO II's wiring. The end result was that the truck needs an entirely new wiring harness and there's no telling how much other electrical damage has been done until we can get it powered up.

Since the estimate to install a new harness, ($4,000+) exceeds the current NADA value of my truck, the insurance co wants to total the vehicle. They're offering $3500.

My problem is that I've put over $5K into the truck over the past 18 months; installed new engine and accessories, front drive shaft, new ball joints and tie rods, new transfer case, rear brakes, etc.. Granted, the truck has 214,000 miles on it, but what the hell!

BTW, she has an ARB bumper with WARN winch, roof rack, 2" lift with EMU shocks, driving and fog lights mounted on ARB plus all the other LR factory options.

My options are to keep the truck and the insurance co will pay me $2300 and I'll end up with a dead truck and a salvage title. I guess I could shop around to find someone to do the re-wiring or part her out myself ... although I'm really not a wrench.

What you you guys think? What would you recommend?

Appreciate any and all advice.

Joe Pundzak
99 DISCO II
Boone, IA

 

Find a wiring guy or become one. It is a D2, so the RAVE shop manual has all the wire colors, pin outs, and color photos. The circuits manual shows the connectors as small numbers, the electrical library has the connectors usually with a color photo.

The rodents could not have eaten it all, but they can make a mess, and a $100 an hour mechanic will eat up a lot of time. Electrical is pretty easy, if I cold get a degree and a contractor's permit anyone can. Take some pix of the damage and post them. I think you can make the repairs yourself. Most of the wiring is not shielded. Home Depot sells wire connectors, the proper stripping and crimping pliers, and numbering for cables. You would just be splicing, not running all new.

 

Test wires everywhere, you're SOL unless you do it yourself.

 

Yeah I'm with Savannah, try and rewire yourself. It will be a huge b*tch but you've got so much invested in the truck. It's basically a new truck if you can get the wires running again.

Guys sell wiring harnesses from time to time on here and DiscoWeb. Might want to give the classifieds the once over.

 

Electrician's have to know a few steps more than a plumber, who only has to know three basic parts to the plumber's code (hot is on the left, cold is on the right, and poop won't run uphill). But you can't be color blind as an electrician. Work one system at a time. Utility knife will slice back any sheath so you can get a good look at colors, they will be a solid with a stripe usually. When you are done what is left of the $2300 will buy a nice roof rack and some other goodies. Pick out the one you want, slap a pix on the wall in the garage for motivation, and get to it. One thing that helps is having really long (like 25 feet) test leads, so you can meter from back to front of truck as needed.

 

Is it just the engine harness? I cannot imagine that it's $4000 to replace it. The part is pretty pricey, but I'll bet you could get a used one from a disco with a over heated engine for pretty cheap.

If you let them total it, keep all of your accessories, ARB, etc, unless they are specifically giving you money for them.

 

$3,500 for truck with over 200,000 miles is a fantastic win for you.

Use a solder wire butt for each wire, use solder and then have heat shrink tubing ready to put over it.

Here is a good video

 

This is what I was thinking. They are only paying you for the stock truck. Take off extras, take their $3500, and then decide what to do next.

Back in the day, I had a new truck I still owed on that was totaled (Hit hard in the side). I removed the extras, (brush guard, spare tire, jack, roll bar, bed liner, etc.....). It took me a weekend to do the removal and take the items to the Flea Market. made $1500 on TOP of the value they gave me for the truck, which was low, and why I did it. Remember, this was back in 1986 or 87 when that was a bunch of money. Well worth my time.

If you took the $3500 and got another $1500 +, that's $5000 to maybe look at another LR you can fall in love with that has 1/3 the miles on it.

On the other hand, doing the wiring yourself might cost less than $200 if you are lucky. Depends on how much damage there actually is. That leaves you with $2000 to buy Candy, or whatever YOU happen to be into. I like candy.

 

This is yet another example of why I say dont go broke keeping your truck on the road, take the money, remove the accessories and run.
Buy a different one, put your stuff on the "new" truck and go.
Otherwise you are going to have to buy a used wire harness and rewire the truck or dig into it yourself.
We had a van at work with a broken wire inside the main wire harness, dealer wanted $2500 for the harness, thats for a Chevy.

 

Another point , rodents gnawing may have stripped off insulation, not cut wires, and left them exposed. In the same part of Home Depot they have "liquid insulation" which is a thick plastic you paint on to fill in the damaged insulation. If the metal conductors are cut, you want to splice. If the insulation is nibbled away (it really tastes good compared to frozen walnuts this time of year), a few black gunky blobs on the cable won't hurt.

Most mechanics are not electricians, and vice versa. It is possible to repair harnesses, and even if you have one or two wires that can't be fixed you can run new ones.

And you'll get plenty of help from the forum. Post some pics, try for up close and in focus and well lit.