71 XKE S2 OTS Wire Harness Routing

Hi All,

Trying to correctly layout, position the new wire harnesses from SNG. Having some difficulty with determining the correct routing for the starter relay and starter motor.

Can someone please post some pictures that would show me the correct routing.

Thanks in advance.
Bob

For the S2 E the starter relay is located on the firewall near the windscreen washer bottle.l

Hi John,

Thanks. I did install the relay on the firewall next to the washer reservoir. What I am also trying to figure out is where the wire harness feeds through. This harness also carries the wire for the starter motor. Not a lot of extra cable to separate these 2 items… What hole in the firewall does this harness feed through the firewall?

Thanks!
Bob

Mine is a 68 but is Series 2 layout under the bonnet. Looks like harness comes thru at the side of the transmission tunnel right under the wiper motor. I am trying to point to the harness with the screw driver blade in the photo below

David
68 E-type FHC

The harness goes forward and not through the dash.

On S2 cars without ballast set up the starter relay was mounted inside the dash and fed through a grommet to the engine bay.

Richard Liggitt

Hi Richard and others,

Let me preface by saying that I really do try and work things out on my own before I bother you guys…

Well, I am still at this main harness layout. I am working with a new harness kit from SNG. The main harness is what I am referring to. The right side of the main harness includes: the very end, which connects the right side harness that feeds the hand brake and right rear side stuff…; the right side door switch; starter motor, starter relay; wiper motor; wiper washer.

All of these wires run off of the main harness and “y” off from the main. So I relocated the wiper motor and washer and starter motor through the right side hole per Richard’s picture. All good!

The problem is that the short amount of cable via another “y” spit off from the main harness is not long enough to reach the starter relay.

I have tried also running the starter relay wires through the firewall hole on the left lower side of the washer res. Still not enough cable to reach!

As I lay the wire harness out, it appears that if I relocate the starter relay inside the firewall, under the dash on the right side, all wire seem to work…

Has anyone else installed a new harness kit from SNG? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Bob

I am just completing my total rewire on my S2
The starter relay MUST be located as Richard Liggitt shows, the harnesses was designed that way.
The wires to the starter solenoid go through a hole in the tunnel, If you get stuck with this one I can post a picture
Mike Longmead

Hi Mike,

Yes please… Any pics will help!

I just cant figure this out… I have tried to no avail to route this harness and the various “y” cable routings.

Again, my issue is with the starter relay wiring reaching the relay. Also, how does the end of this harness then connect into the left side wire harness?

Thank you in advance!

Bob

I have taken some shots of work in progress. This routing works since all the wires reach their targets.
first is shot of starter relay location


Next is shot of starter wire, windshield wiper and windshield washer cables running forward to transmission tunnel.

Next shot is of bundles passing through transmission tunnel.

Next shot shows starter lead (red/white) coming out of tunnel. The lead is then strapped to the round tube before terminating at the starter.
Th final shot is of the wiper and washer runs also coming through the same opening and routed to their respective units.
Hope this is of some help
Mike Longmead

Mike,

As I understand it your installation is correct for a '69 Series 2 (which doesn’t have the ballast resistor in the ignition circuit), but not for the 70-71 Series 2s, which have the ballast resistor in the ignition circuit. I believe the starter relay is located in the engine bay on the firewall for the later cars, as described in Richard Liggitt’s post. If Bob is continuing to have problems getting the harness to fit with the starter relay located in the '71 position, I wonder if he has the earlier harness?

-David

Hi Mike,

Thanks! If I route my harness the way your picture shows, it will work! I thought that the starter relay resides on the engine firewall, engine side vs passenger side. Trying to run it through to the engine side, there is not enough cable/harness.

Question to this forum… Is the picture/routing from Mike correct?

Many thanks Mike and others that have assisted in this.

Bob

David,

My harness would work if starter relay was located on the inside.

The harness “kit” from SNG did offer an option for early vs late? Or did I miss something?

Very puzzling!

What would be the issue with locating the starter relay inside. Then run wire to the ballast. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Bob

Bob,

I assume that this was a typo, and you meant to say “from SNG did NOT offer an option for early vs late” - Correct? As you say; puzzling. The relays are different - '69 is single pole vs '70-71 being double pole, to add the ballast bypass functionality. So, the original harnesses MUST be different to add the ballast bypass wire at a minimum. This is independent of the physical location of the relay. All that said, I don’t know of any reason why you couldn’t move the relay into the earlier position and then wire it according to the later specification. It does beg the question why Jaguar moved it though? Maybe it was nothing to do with the functionality change, but more to do with ease of access. Who knowns? I am rather surprised that no-one else on the forum has chimed in with their experience of putting new harnesses into a '70-'71 Series 2. Many members must have done so, and come upon this issue if the harness truly won’t reach the engine bay location.

-David

David and Bob;
I have commented a couple of times when I thought I had something of substance to add (of course that is something always open to debate).
I used all new wire looms during the restoration of 1970 2+2 and had no problem. My car has the ballast ignition and the starter relay on the fire wall near the wiper motor. The loom wires were of appropriate length but I seem to remember that there was a redundant wire or two. The wires exited the passenger compartment on the medial side of the right sided foot well and reached the starter relay easily.
I seem to have picked up that the car Bob is working on does not have ballast ignition and the starter relay was under the right side of the dash or he ,or someone, wanted it there as the wires seemed to work well.
Since my car has A/C having the starter relay on the firewall allows it to be accessed easily, if under the dash on the inside it would be a pain to access if there was a problem with it.
As a matter of practicality I would not want my starter relay on the inside under the dash, I would move it to the firewall and get some ‘extra’ wire, color coded correctly, and extend the wires to the ‘outside mounted’ starter relay. If the car is about originality and or concours judging this would not be a solution.

Regards, Joel.

Hi David, yes, a typo. My guess is location change due to ease of access.

I think I may just locate to inside and run the one wire to the ballast.

Thanks!
Bob

On the ballast ignition cars the starter relay harness was a separate harness that went forward in the engine bay. It was wrapped in black electrical tape. It started out with 4 wires at the relay (the ground wire was not in the harness but a separate wire). Two of the 4 wires dropped out to the starter relay (red/white and brown), one went to the ballast resistor on the picture frame (white/blue), one was connected to ground at the bracket (black), and one (white/yellow) somehow snuck back to the ignition switch. I don’t really remember but my guess is that is split out from the harness at around the transmission tunnel and joined with the wiper harness to pass through the bulkhead in the tunnel area. The wire would have been in a black sleeve which extended from the harness through the bulkhead.

When I bought my harnesses from Rhode Island Wiring a zillion years ago, they were not familiar with the ballast starter relay harness. I had to send them my original harness for them to duplicate. I believe they now list it as “Starter Protection relay Harness”. However they do not list the two different dash harnesses - the older one with the starter relay wires branching out (which they do list), and the new one without it. Since I did not replace my dash harness, we never ran into the differences.

Richard Liggitt