Wiring Connectors

[Guest steve8274]

hi all

if the wiring needs to be extended to added to another part of car, what is the best way to connect them?

solder, spade, bullet or something else?

thanks

steve

[Shaft]

Hi Steve,

 

Solder and heat-shrink as an insulation all day, every day mate. Crimps and bullets are messy and take up a lot of room.

 

When connecting to exhisting plugs, i.e... the column switches, i removed the individual pins from the plugs and fitted new ones

instead of jointing the cables. Looks better IMHO.

 

Nick.

[Guest erichetherington]

I know everyone rates soldered connections as the best, but why do NASA specify crimped connections on the Space Shuutle?

Apologies if I'm hijacking this thread.

[fry61]

Soldering hardens the copper just aft of the heated/soldered termination,can lead to fracture at this point if vibration present but unlikely on cars; not sure where I learnt this & I still prefer soldered-on spades & straight-line joints,as I believe corrosion caused by damp conditions is more likely in cars; unlike the shuttle in a near vacuum.

[Shaft]

ALAN??? That you???

[fry61]

No, it's Bob; & I can take constructive critism; though it's highly likely I'll take no notice & still plough my own furrow.

[Shaft]

No, it's Bob; & I can take constructive critism; though it's highly likely I'll take no notice & still plough my own furrow.

 

 

Top man.... give, receive, give some more mate.

 

No need for any toys to be thrown anywhere.

[Guest steve8274]

thanks guys.

Nick, are the connectors anything special for the column switch plugs? easy to remove and replace?

not forgetting, im not the best with wiring!

also, what size heat shrink would i require

thanks

steve

Edited September 27, 2010 by steve8274

[Grim]

i think solder connections are better as crimped connections tend to be rather exposed, and the copper tends to corrode. If ever you need to make any changes, you've got no choice but to cut it back as far as the corrosion goes (it tends to creep up the insulation), which can be quite a way. Also, i may be cack handed, but i find a good proportion of my crimped connections fail to stick.

 

Soldered and heatshrunk connects it, seals it and it's done, finished.

 

At the end of the day i use both, but i prefer a soldered connection, if i can be bothered getting the iron out!

[Guest The Modfather]

Depends really on your outlook on the loom. If you want to be able to remove it, or a part thereof, then soldered insulated spades, but if it is to remain for good, solder and heat shrink, followed by loom wrap. I'm putting my loom in, and all the lights on the front will be joined with soldered spades so the wings and headlights can be removed without chopping the wires or taking the lights apart to release the wires. I had to chop my new loom in half to pass it through the bulkhead but this cut is all soldered and heat shrunk back together.

 

Darren

[Shaft]

thanks guys.

Nick, are the connectors anything special for the column switch plugs? easy to remove and replace?

not forgetting, im not the best with wiring!

also, what size heat shrink would i require

thanks

steve

 

 

Hi Steve,

 

The column plugs just open up by removing the snap fit side plates then extract the old pins.

Maplins sell the new ones, but you'll need the proper crimping tool for them mate. (not the Yellow/Red/Blue type)

 

Heatshrink you can get from ebay for a BIG bag of multi coloured and various sized stuff.

 

My 'Front' loom, i.e... headlights, fan, indicators etc plugs into the main loom also, but i bought an

11 way waterproof plug. Just looks better i think.

 

 

 

Nick.

[fry61]

Go to bed Nick, you got to get up in 6 hours Well it was when I started typing;prob only about 4 now.

[Andi]

Just out of interest how do folk solder 2 wire ends together?

When I worked at GEC I did a stint at the training school and we had to splay the 2 joining ends, push them into each other and then twist opposite ways.

I have seen quite a lot on cars where they just run one wire under the other and join then with solder.

 

 

Andi

[fry61]

Sounds like the old married joints we made for overhead line work;makes a very neat joint done properly but v, difficult with 30 odd fine strands. With car wiring I try to twist one around the other just so they stay together whilst heating/soldering.

[megadodo]

The 2 alternatives already mentioned when done well are both perfectly accetable and should give long term reliability. The splayed ends poked into each other, slightly twisted and then soldered results in a joint that bulges less then the twisted together joints but otherwise there is no performance difference. If joining several wires at the same place try and staggger the joints and if there are lots do a couple of areas of joins. Where you do have lots of jons then make sure the loom is firmly supported in thata arae to reduce solder fatigue due to vibration (not that Ican remeber that type of failure in 30 years of vehicle wiring soldering). When the loom is wrapped try and lay the wires so they don't twsit round each other too much and don't overtighten the wraps. If you snap the tape as you wrap you are too tight!