# Help! A squirrel chewed through engine compartment wiring harness of my 2000 S10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, blazer\ **Created:** [January 23, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871 "2013-01-23T02:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emptynestinco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/57b2e6/32.png) [@emptynestinco](https://community.cartalk.com/u/emptynestinco)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/1 "2013-01-23T02:32:50Z")
Hello Ray and Tom, Click and Clack… My friend Rick is really good with cars and fixes most everything himeself. When it wouldn’t start one day (away from home) he had to keep going back to where it was to try to figure out what was wrong. He came up with a few different diagnoses but came to the conclusion it was the fuel injector inside the gas tank and went online to order one. Once it finally got towed back home, he had a chance to really get a good look and found that all those wires had been chewed and eaten. They’re too short to splice back together. Can you recommend anything? P.S. Rick says he’ll shoot any squirrel on the property now. yuk, yuk, yuk. ---
**Author:** ![oldbodyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@oldbodyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldbodyman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/2 "2013-01-23T02:59:48Z")
Just add some new wire. By the way Squirrels make a good stew! Enjoy!! ---
**Author:** ![emptynestinco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/57b2e6/32.png) [@emptynestinco](https://community.cartalk.com/u/emptynestinco)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/3 "2013-01-23T03:16:01Z")
Thanks, oldbodyman. Rick says that would work on the old style cars but these wires went to the computer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/4 "2013-01-23T03:20:49Z")
How about, just a guess, I would cut a section out then going to an auto parts store and ask for suggestions on wire type and splicing. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 9:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/5 "2013-01-23T09:36:20Z")
I had all the wires replaced on my Riviera from the fuel pump up to the computer under the dash, no problem. Its standard stranded automotive wire. Use good waterproof splicing techniques and connectors. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 11:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/6 "2013-01-23T11:18:38Z")
@emptynestinco what engine? Has the fuel pump been replaced yet? [http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=82335&cc=1361506](http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=82335&cc=1361506) [http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1114659&cc=1361506](http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1114659&cc=1361506) [http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=340925&cc=1361506](http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=340925&cc=1361506) ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/7 "2013-01-24T04:16:03Z")
Start splicing. Like oldbodyman said, it takes adding additional length of wire with a butt splice on each end. It’s a big job but essentially easy…just time consuming. The wires are color coded. You or he will need to cut back several inches on each side of the remaining harness and stagger the new splices so as to not end up with a huge wad of butt splices all in one place. ---
**Author:** ![oldbodyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@oldbodyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldbodyman)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/8 "2013-01-24T05:21:36Z")
Thanks Ken I did leave the part about staggering out. I had to do this job on Ford truck. I had a helper go thru some old wire harness I had. I would tell him what I needed and he would find it and cut it as needed. It made the job alittle faster. I used butt conectors and srink tubes. Then tape. Worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/9 "2013-01-24T06:25:08Z")
I did a friends temporarily with butt connecters, then we took the time later to solder and brush on electric tape and heat shrink. No problems from wiring chew through since then. Butt connecters are good most of the time, solder is good all the time. If you live in the salt zone it is amazing how fast any unprotected wire can corrode. ---
**Author:** ![emptynestinco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/57b2e6/32.png) [@emptynestinco](https://community.cartalk.com/u/emptynestinco)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/10 "2013-01-25T04:28:14Z")
@db, it’s a 4.3 engine. Thanks for all the help, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![emptynestinco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/57b2e6/32.png) [@emptynestinco](https://community.cartalk.com/u/emptynestinco)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/11 "2013-01-25T04:29:11Z")
P.S. The fuel has not been replaced. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/help-a-squirrel-chewed-through-engine-compartment-wiring-harness-of-my-2000-s10/76871/12 "2013-01-25T05:20:55Z")
If the wires at the splicing point are super short and super inaccessible, rather than attempting a splicing job with short sections of new wire, it might make more sense to wire up a new wiring harness section for that bundle; i.e. you just replace those wires entirely with new ones. You may be able to save the connectors. In any event you’ll have to know which connectors each wire goes to, on each end. And to use the appropriate wire guage. BTW, here’s a little auto-wiring hint I’ve learned along the way: The brand of electrical tape you use to tape over an exposed splice makes a big difference. I used to use that cheap PVC stuff, you know, the kind you buy for 50 cents a roll. That works ok in some applications, but not for automobile wiring. It is too stiff and comes undone too easily when subjected to the temperature ranges and various corrosive substances that cars are subjected to. Instead, pony up a few extra bucks, and invest in a roll of Scotch 33+. I purchase mine at Home Depot. You’ll save dollars in the long run. [http://www.3m.com/product/information/Scotch-Super-33plus-Vinyl-Electrical-Tape.html](http://www.3m.com/product/information/Scotch-Super-33plus-Vinyl-Electrical-Tape.html)