Hello and welcome back to our series on automotive tools and how-to guides for the new weekend warrior auto mechanic. This is not intended for the professional, but rather for the average Joe looking to get his hands a little dirty on the weekends. In the past, we’ve covered a lot of tools, but in today’s article I’m going to cover a brief explanation on how to look at your car’s wiring harness. Over time, the plastic or nylon insulation that covers your car’s wiring can crack. This leads to potential electrical shorts and other general chaos.

Of all things, electrical problems plague auto mechanics much more than other issues because of how difficult they are to find and track down. Also, intermittent shorts cause conditions where it is difficult to duplicate the problem to find the solution to the cause. That’s why it’s best to make sure you take a look whenever you’re under the hood. Until you’ve become a true Jedi master for car wiring, I’d suggest having a professional rewire or rewire as it can become a real nightmare if you’re not careful. Even a single incorrectly connected wire can render the car inoperable or worse, cause catastrophic damage to the car’s engine or electronic control unit.

If you decide to do it on your own, take this advice with you. Clearly mark where each wire comes from and where it goes. Also, when I’m doing this type of work, I keep a journal of the colors of the wires and how many pins the connectors had. However, once again, I would advise you to have a profession to make any wiring changes. However, at least now he knows how to stop a potential problem before it becomes a series.