The last few evenings I’ve been working on finalizing the wiring runs in the engine compartment. I looked at a few other aircraft blogs to get a few ideas, and ordered a few supplies. I started by working on the ignition leads and the EGT and CHT probe wiring. I switched out some of the adel clamps I had been using and went with -6 size clamps for all the ignition leads. The leads are slightly loose in this size clamp, but the -5 size is too tight. I wanted to be able to run zip ties through some of the clamps, and it’s helpful to have a little bit of play. The silicone cover on the leads sticks very well to the cushion clamps, so the -6 size seems to work well.
I also used some short (1/4 inch) lengths of rubber tube to create stand-off spacers for the wiring. Running zip ties around the wire bundles and through the tube keeps the wiring together but separated by 1/4 or 1/2 inch or so. Apparently it’s a good idea to have some spacing between the ignition wires and the other wiring runs to minimize interference.
Installing adel clamps is a pain, even with the clamping tool and using safety wire to hold the clamps shut. It’s just slow going.
It’s also slow going trying to visualize the wiring runs, and trying to figure out what wiring will go where. I had to redo work a couple of times, and can already tell I’ll be redoing things in the future. It feels like an iterative process to get everything worked out and squared away.
I’m using a fireproof abrasion protection sleeve on almost all of the wiring. This helps keep the wiring neat and tidy and I hope it will keep it cleaner. The sleeve can be slipped on around the wiring which makes it much easier to install and remove.
