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De-Wiring an 8

AN23

Well Known Member
I'm going to begin our panel upgrade next week and I'm trying to "chair fly" this project so I can be a little better organized. When I had the RV-7, we added a Skyview and so all of the current wiring stayed in place and some new wiring was added. This time, we're taking our pure round gage (Westach) RV-8 and bringing it into the 21st century. Pretty much all of the engine gages, fuel gages and ammmeter, along with their associated lighting, will be removed and replaced with Dynon.. It would seem to me that the easiest way to get the old wiring out is to cut it at the gage and then, after making sure the anything securing the wires is removed, simply pull the wire forward towards the associated sensor. Does that make sense? The new Dynon harness will then be routed to the sensors. I can easily remove any unused grounds from a easily accessible ground strip.

Any hints?
 
On the big airplanes, our goal is to only disturb the wire-bundle to the extent necessary to delete each wire.

We start at the connector and follow the service loop back to the larger main bundle, using a wire spoon and small diagonal cutters to cut each lace or zip tie just back to the main bundle. Then we use the wire spoon to try and isolate the wire to be deleted and push it through the clamps and lacing of the main bundle. We de pin or cut each wire to be deleted at the connector and then feed it back through the main bundle until we reach the next connection. If the connector is to be re used, we de-pin the wire from the connector.

I try to follow the same system on the little airplanes. My goal is to build the new panel on the work bench with all the interconnecting wiring. So, when the panel goes in we've got sensors, power wires and ground wires pretty much going right back where the old wires came out of. I have owners ask me to "reuse the old wire as much as possible". But, I do not like to do this. I've removed enough rat's nests to know the old wire needs to go.
 
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