A reason not to have an electronic bus (photo)

[belfert]

Here is one reason not to have an electronic bus.  The attached photo shows most of the wiring under the dash.

[happycamperbrat]

scary lookin 

[Jeremy]

The wiring of the engine & gearbox loom on a vehicle with an ECU is certainly vastly more complex than one without, but to be fair the wiring behind the dashboard won't change much - it's the complexity of the controls (switches & warning lights etc) that determine the amount of cable behind the dashboard, not the fact that there is a computer involved. In fact modern computer-controlled vehicles have vastly simplified wiring due to the use of data-buses - ie. sending multiple signals down one cable rather than using a separate wire for each item. I believe Jaguar was the first manufacturer to use data-buses as a way of reducing the immense complexity of the wiring loom on their cars.

Jeremy

[muddog16]

Looking at this wiring tells me two things...........the original wire is not that disorganized, and everything after the OEM wiring is a bunch of crap and typical of shade tree mechanics slopping crap together in a hurry!...........It's self-inflicted!

[belfert]

Looking at this wiring tells me two things...........the original wire is not that disorganized, and everything after the OEM wiring is a bunch of crap and typical of shade tree mechanics slopping crap together in a hurry!...........It's self-inflicted!

A lot of the OEM stuff is bundled nicely, but just as much of the OEM wiring is not bundled nicely.  The wiring to the gauges is a disaster.  It appears the video/audio system was added after the bus was built and that wiring is a mess.

I have added a total of about a dozen wires inside the dash.

[belfert]

Jeremy, my bus was built before multiplex wiring was being done in buses.  I've seen other older buses with far less wire up front.

I will clean up most of the mess as I redo the dash.  There are many unused wires that are just capped that could be removed.

[Len Silva]

It's easy to be critical of the after market wiring but the OEM wiring was done before the dash was installed when there was plenty of room to work.

Trying to add to an existing system can be difficult at best.  Fortunately, you now have the opportunity to clean it all up and to know where every wire is going.

[Busted Knuckle]

Whoa, hold one there!
Brian how long before your trip this year?
If memory serves me correct about this time every year you start on a major project, and then run short on time getting it done before your trip to NV!

OK, now as far as the wiring goes it's about typical for most buses I have worked on!
Now I have never been into the dash wiring on either of our '05 s, but I'm sure they'll look similar also with the exception of any "shade tree mechanics" having a hold of them!

Have fun, and get 'er done early!
  BK 

[cody]

BK, it's the last minute panic that is the driving motivational force for most of us lol.

[belfert]

I've got just over three months to get this done.  I don't plan a bunch of other projects in the meantime.

[muddog16]

LOL, I wasn't picking on Brian, from experience most people don't take time to bundle their wiring or even take time to make it look decent.... about wiring, out of sight out of mind.........let the next guy clean it up............but that never happens....next thing you know birds mistake it as a nest!

[Busted Knuckle]

LOL! I wasn't picking on Brian either. But I just thought I'd ask him when the "big" trip is as we all know he has a history of scrambling at the last minute and even considering canceling the trip several times because of the deadline being to close to "get'er done!".

  BK 

[belfert]

I've been continuing my work on the dash.  The wiring is a disaster!

They ran wires from different bundles to the same plug so it is near impossible to seperate the bundles to make it easier to work around.  I'm starting to wonder if the bus will ever run again.