True. Wasn't thinking when I asked that.
What is the best method or repairing under hood wiring, butt connectors or soldering?
- Thread starter wtd
- Start date
Here is the post I started about what happened and a few pictures.
I actually bought the harness that includes the VCT connectors but decided I didn't want to mess with installing the complete harness just for two connectors since there are a lot of connections and tie down points. The replacement VCT connectors were not that expensive.
The harness that includes the low pressure AC switch is not available so a replacement connector was my only option. The harness that I actually bought is discontinued so the dealer must have found it somewhere anyway since they had to order it in. I'm just going to keep it in case something more drastic happens to that harness in the future.
Opened the hood on my Mustang the other day to find this.
Needless to say, I was not happy. Cat hair and cat prints everywhere and cat crap down below this area. These are the connectors to the two passenger side VCT solenoids and the other picture is of the low pressure AC switch where the wires were chewed off to it which is below this same area. I...
bobistheoilguy.com
JHZR2
Staff member
Crimp with the proper tool (Klein makes a nice ratcheting one). Use heat shrinking butt connectors, and consider traditional heat shrink over top of that a bit further out.
JHZR2
Staff member
Why not? They make ones that are designed to shrink and seal.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
I do a combination of things based off what the system is. I like to do a hook solder then heat shrink, but the heat shrink self solder is very nice.
Generic butt crimps are terrible by them selves. Any movement at all and the wire will break right at the crimp. The ones with heat shrink are slightly better. I have soldered many and never had a problem. People say that the wire will break near the soldier. Mine never did.
Excellent point, I usually try and strain relieve crimped splices when I can. I like to leave a little slack and secure the wire so it isn't flexing or pulling at the crimp at all.
Crimp tools range so wildly in quality and function, and then there is the skill of the user, or lack there of.
Soldering is an acquired skill and can also be done poorly yet look acceptable.
Solder is not a great conductor, so tinning two copper wires then touching them and soldering them together, can have significantly mroe resistance than wires twisted together then soldered, or when a high quality butt crimp is used, done properly in a quality crimper.
I'm not big on electrical tape, but sometimes it is necessary. Adhesive lined heatshrink is my goal.
if time is not a factor when tape is the option, use liquid E tape, a thin coat and then the E tape sticks insanely well to it once dry. Small Zip ties over the E tape can keep it from unravelling, but one should also cut it, not tear it , and not stretch the final wrap, to prevent it unravelling.
Huge difference in the quality of E tape available as well.
Working around old bad quality E tape is a sticky mess of a nightmare.
The Marine guys can take it to a different level.
Soldering is an acquired skill and can also be done poorly yet look acceptable.
Solder is not a great conductor, so tinning two copper wires then touching them and soldering them together, can have significantly mroe resistance than wires twisted together then soldered, or when a high quality butt crimp is used, done properly in a quality crimper.
I'm not big on electrical tape, but sometimes it is necessary. Adhesive lined heatshrink is my goal.
if time is not a factor when tape is the option, use liquid E tape, a thin coat and then the E tape sticks insanely well to it once dry. Small Zip ties over the E tape can keep it from unravelling, but one should also cut it, not tear it , and not stretch the final wrap, to prevent it unravelling.
Huge difference in the quality of E tape available as well.
Working around old bad quality E tape is a sticky mess of a nightmare.
The Marine guys can take it to a different level.
Marine Wire Termination - Marine How To
Marine Wire Termination - Tools of the Trade MHT Recommended Tools: The products below are our top picks for crimp tools. RecommendationsI include; PRO GRADE, MARINE GRADE, & PENNY SAVER GRADE. Every tool recommended BELOW, we have tested here.
marinehowto.com
Solder and Poor Trouble Shooting = $$$$ - Marine How To
The Wire That Caused Years Worth Of Expenses So I get called to winterize a new customers boat and it has already been hauled to their house and needs to be winterized on the hard. Not
marinehowto.com
Making Your Own Battery Cables - Marine How To
Pick Your Crimp Tool FTZ 94284 & Ancor Hammer Crimper TEMCO TH0005 & FTZ Bench Mount BUY FTZ 94284 CRIMP TOOL - BAY MARINE
marinehowto.com
I solder everything if I can. Crimping is for people who can't solder or if the location is so inaccessible.
I prefer the ones with shrink tube, but if I don't have them and depending on the application (vibration, flex, moisture), I will use a standard non-shrink insulated one and put a longer piece of heat shrink tube over the connector to seal and support the wires outside of the connector. I will especially do this if the wires have to bend coming out of the connector; to Chris' point, you don't want the stress at the crimp.
JHZR2
Staff member
Here’s what I did.
Battery Terminal Replacement: Hydraulic Crimp - Die Size
My Ram doesn’t have great battery terminals. Over the years and hundreds of thousands of miles, the batteries have been replaced multiple times, and probably over tightened. I’m changing to crimped on copper lugs, and military-style terminals. On the truck, the negative cables are 1/0, the...
bobistheoilguy.com
Thanks for these links. Very informative.Crimp tools range so wildly in quality and function, and then there is the skill of the user, or lack there of.
Soldering is an acquired skill and can also be done poorly yet look acceptable.
Solder is not a great conductor, so tinning two copper wires then touching them and soldering them together, can have significantly mroe resistance than wires twisted together then soldered, or when a high quality butt crimp is used, done properly in a quality crimper.
I'm not big on electrical tape, but sometimes it is necessary. Adhesive lined heatshrink is my goal.
if time is not a factor when tape is the option, use liquid E tape, a thin coat and then the E tape sticks insanely well to it once dry. Small Zip ties over the E tape can keep it from unravelling, but one should also cut it, not tear it , and not stretch the final wrap, to prevent it unravelling.
Huge difference in the quality of E tape available as well.
Working around old bad quality E tape is a sticky mess of a nightmare.
The Marine guys can take it to a different level.
Marine Wire Termination - Marine How To
Marine Wire Termination - Tools of the Trade MHT Recommended Tools: The products below are our top picks for crimp tools. RecommendationsI include; PRO GRADE, MARINE GRADE, & PENNY SAVER GRADE. Every tool recommended BELOW, we have tested here.marinehowto.com
Solder and Poor Trouble Shooting = $$$$ - Marine How To
The Wire That Caused Years Worth Of Expenses So I get called to winterize a new customers boat and it has already been hauled to their house and needs to be winterized on the hard. Notmarinehowto.com
Making Your Own Battery Cables - Marine How To
Pick Your Crimp Tool FTZ 94284 & Ancor Hammer Crimper TEMCO TH0005 & FTZ Bench Mount BUY FTZ 94284 CRIMP TOOL - BAY MARINEmarinehowto.com
Has anyone ever used the first method described in this article? I tried it yesterday and covered it with heat shrink instead of tape and it seems to be very strong. Leaves a little bit of a bump in the middle but not bad.
I was wondering if this would be a better solution given how small the wires are.
www.musclecardiy.com
I was wondering if this would be a better solution given how small the wires are.
Fundamentals of Automotive Electrical Connections and Connectors
In my opinion, this is the single most important chapter of this book. Nothing is more telling of your wiring skill than the quality and integrity of your connections. In addition, your connectivity makes or breaks the reliability of the circuit you’re adding, adding to, or repairing. If there...
www.musclecardiy.com
The most important thing issue is to keep moisture and elements out of the repaired section of wire. You have to get the repair weather tight to prevent corrosion of the wire and future failures. Use liquid tape or weather tight solder/crimp connectors to get the repair done right.
How is that different from a butt connector? lol
Either method is fine. It depends on how comfortable you are with soldering.
Also notice one important thing. The wires themselves, regardless of method, need to be clean and shiny, no corrosion present. They also need to be in close contact with each other and preferably mechanically joined to prevent movement, which will result in that "cold solder" joint if not.
The amount of room that you have to work with, adjacent items that cannot take the heat of a heat gun etc. will also make the determination.
And no, heat will not make the nearby insulation brittle. A heat gun would be more prone to doing that than the concentrated heat of a soldering iron.
And yes, definitely use shrink tubing with a filler to seal out the elements. When repairing one wire, you are actually doing TWO repairs. One for the conductor, and another for the insulation.
Also notice one important thing. The wires themselves, regardless of method, need to be clean and shiny, no corrosion present. They also need to be in close contact with each other and preferably mechanically joined to prevent movement, which will result in that "cold solder" joint if not.
The amount of room that you have to work with, adjacent items that cannot take the heat of a heat gun etc. will also make the determination.
And no, heat will not make the nearby insulation brittle. A heat gun would be more prone to doing that than the concentrated heat of a soldering iron.
And yes, definitely use shrink tubing with a filler to seal out the elements. When repairing one wire, you are actually doing TWO repairs. One for the conductor, and another for the insulation.
I'm not good at soldering so that method is probably not going to be used unless I decide to use the solder filled butt connectors that I have.
The wires are nice and shiny so that is not an issue.
I want to mention that I only did this method as practice to try it out. I didn't actually repair the car yet using this method.Has anyone ever used the first method described in this article? I tried it yesterday and covered it with heat shrink instead of tape and it seems to be very strong. Leaves a little bit of a bump in the middle but not bad.
I was wondering if this would be a better solution given how small the wires are.
Fundamentals of Automotive Electrical Connections and Connectors
In my opinion, this is the single most important chapter of this book. Nothing is more telling of your wiring skill than the quality and integrity of your connections. In addition, your connectivity makes or breaks the reliability of the circuit you’re adding, adding to, or repairing. If there...
So I did fix the wires on the Mustang today. Things did not start off well. I started with the low pressure AC connector since it was going to be the hardest because of there being hardly any room plus the wires coming out of the loom were fairly short.
I first tried the un-insulated butt connectors that I was going to cover with heat shrink. I don't have a dedicated crimping tool just for those so I couldn't get a good crimp and the wires kept pulling out.
I then tried the solder filled heat shrink butt connectors and the first one I did didn't hold because the solder didn't melt good enough. I was using my heat gun on high. I decided to give up on that method.
I finally went to the heat shrink butt connectors and that seemed to work though I did have to do two crimps over. I have a cheap crimping tool just for these type.
The car started and I didn't have any running issues or lights on the instrument cluster showing any issues so I guess there were no other wiring issues and the ones that I fixed are holding for now. I did wrap all of the repaired wiring in high heat Tesa tape and then put the ribbed black plastic covering over that. I guess time will tell to see if it holds.
I want to thank everyone who replied and gave their ideas, opinions, and experience on this.
I first tried the un-insulated butt connectors that I was going to cover with heat shrink. I don't have a dedicated crimping tool just for those so I couldn't get a good crimp and the wires kept pulling out.
I then tried the solder filled heat shrink butt connectors and the first one I did didn't hold because the solder didn't melt good enough. I was using my heat gun on high. I decided to give up on that method.
I finally went to the heat shrink butt connectors and that seemed to work though I did have to do two crimps over. I have a cheap crimping tool just for these type.
The car started and I didn't have any running issues or lights on the instrument cluster showing any issues so I guess there were no other wiring issues and the ones that I fixed are holding for now. I did wrap all of the repaired wiring in high heat Tesa tape and then put the ribbed black plastic covering over that. I guess time will tell to see if it holds.
I want to thank everyone who replied and gave their ideas, opinions, and experience on this.
