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As with everything else, time is ravaging the foam insulation on my car's hoses and wiring. Each time I go to work on something (the stereo installation, the D1R firewall brace), I come across bundles of wires or connectors that were originally wrapped in foam by the factory assumedly for protection from rubbing.



The foam looks fine until you touch it, then it compresses and/or turns to dust, coming apart in lots of messy little pieces.



So far, I've simply cleaned up the mess and put everything back together, protecting it with zip ties and electrical tape where it seemed appropriate, but not replacing the original foam as I don't have anything like that on hand.



Do you replace that foam with something, and how important is it really? Obviously it depends on the location and what might be rubbing on the wiring otherwise, but I'm curious.

With the horror stories flying about the battery/alternator/starter wiring harness, and now this, very soon I'm going to be afraid to open my hood. Out of sight, out of mind - that'll be my new motto!

Replace?

i tend to replace the foam with something a bit more resilient. i use a lot of the plastic jacketing you can get at any hardware store.

Split loom, or coil loom?

generally split loom. the coil stuff is a royal pain, though it is better

Duly noted. Thanks!

I also use a lot of split loom. But, the foam is also easy to replace. Just purchase a roll of wide (can usually find up to 2") foam used for weatherproofing at the local hardware store. Because it has sticky tape on one side it is easy to wrap it around the wire and stick it to itself.