I have a 93 del sol and i startd to notice that my fuse was blowing alot to my radio.because im not a mechanic i had no idea what was wrong so i just kept replacing the fuse. Until recently when i smelld and then saw smoke coming outta my speaker hole.So i pulled off the paneling and realized that my wires were getting so hot they were burning all the plastic around them,and now they are all meltd together.my car wont start or anything.No lights are coming on when i turn the keyMy question is.How much do you think it will cost to fix this?And does this sound like the wiring harness is fried to you?How much does 1 usually go for at a junk yard??Thank YOU
The cost to replace the wiring harness will more than likely exceed the value of this car. Sorry. You may find one at a salvage yard. However it will require lots of labor to replace. The going rate for a mechanic is about $100 per hour. I would expect this to take up to 30 hours to replace. This is because of the dis-assembly and reassembly required to remove and install a new wiring harness. The mechanic may get by for less if he can only replace the damaged section of the wiring harness. However it sounds like the damage is extensive. Also, who knows what electronic components were damaged when the wiring harness burned. You may also be looking at replacing the engine management computer, radio, heater / AC controls, etc.
Replace all damaged wires. It you have a resistance tester (Fluke for instance is top-of-the-line, very good, but cheap knock-offs are available at Radio Shack) then you can check the wires. your wires are too small for the amount of power going to the speakers (did you recently upgrade components?) get a larger gauge (AWG) (smaller number on wire). then you'll have to check all the appropriate fuses - there may be more than one blown. When the wire insulation melted, a short formed over current smoke and other bad stuff. This is all a start. It's hard to say how extensive the damage really is without a knowledgeable electrician on scene. Also, there could be another problem that occurred simultaneously or that could have been masked.
