As complex as vehicles are today, they are actually made up of many different components that are quite simple. While there are some that are quite complicated, parts like wire harnesses aren’t. A wire harness or often called a cable harness is essentially multiple cables put together in a certain arrangement.
This arrangement is dictated by the use of the harness and what it powers or transmits signals to. A wire harness simply makes the connection to larger vehicle components less complex by putting lots of its wiring into one single unit. They essentially make for a Plug’n’Play solution. But in order for a wire harness to be safe, you need to have it wrapped in protective material. In this case, this is wire tape.
Features of a Good Automotive Wire Wrap
Resistance
The most notable and important factor of every type of automotive wire tape is its abrasion resistance. A good level of abrasion resistance is what makes a good quality automotive wire wrap. Since you’re using this tape to protect an item that can be affected by heat quite easily, using wire auto tape with high abrasion resistance is a must.
Insulation
Talking about heat, you need wiring tape that will not only survive abrasions but that will also withstand high heat. Especially if you’re wrapping a wiring harness that’s close to engine bay components, then heat insulation is going to be important. You don’t want the tape or wires to be affected by the heat as this can lead to big issues.
Chemicals & Contaminants
Another type of protection you’ll want fleece tape to have is the ability to withstand chemicals and other contaminants. There are many wiring harnesses that sit near chemicals and solvents such as the one near the coolant tank, oil reservoir, windshield wiper fluid reservoir and so on. If these were to get covered in any of the above fluids, without any wiring tape on, they would suffer some issues. If not immediately, then definitely later on.
Hold
For a fleece tape to be able to provide all of the above protection it needs to be able to have a tight hold. While wire wrap tape still needs to be flexible enough to wrap it around a wiring harness, it shouldn’t feel nowhere near close to loose as it would be ineffective. A tight wrap also depends on the type of wire wrap you use and how you wrap the harness.
Mono vs Polymeric Wire Wrap
There are usually two types of automotive wire wrap tape that you will come across, monomeric and polymeric. Monomeric tape is a lower grade tape than polymeric tape and therefore it’s more affordable but also less protective. Polymeric tape, on the other hand, is more durable and it can withstand 600 V going through it.
How to Wrap a Wire Harness
- When wrapping a wiring harness you should always start at the top. You also need to start off with light tension and slowly make your way to the end or a split in the harness. Remember to overlap each layer of tape over the wires to make for a more secure hold.
- Once you get to a split in the harness or at the end of it you should pull out the tape tight. Whilst holding the wires and the tape, cut off the extended part and tighten the end of the wrap on the wiring harness. This way you are now ready for the next step and that is to anchor the tape with your thumb.
- With the tape on your thumb, push the end of it around and back through the loop you just made. Pull tightly on the piece that’s left so that you secure the last bit of tape and prevent the rest of the overlapping layers from loosening up. You can also heat shrink both ends which is a more effective solution. But if you don’t have heat shrink tubing, then using the above method is a good alternative.
- Make sure that if you’ve secured the wrap at a split, you should continue in the same way along the rest of the wiring harness as you did when you started. Then do the same thing at the very end of the harness either by anchoring the last bit of tape and pulling tight on it or by heat shrinking it.
Conclusion
No vehicle would be able to function nowadays without wiring harnesses but no wiring harnesses would be able to operate without issue if there was no wire tape. By using wire car tape you don’t only protect the wiring harness but you also protect components around it and keep the wires away from moving parts. The layout inside your engine bay looks neatly organised and there are no hazards from exposed wires too. What else can you ask from fleece tape?
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