16 replies to this topic

[minisilverbullet]

What is the best method for adding connectors/terminals to wires. 

 

I have always used the colored insulated terminals with a cheap set of thin crimpers. It is very neat at a all. 

 

I was looking at crimpers in a store today, i could make my mind up. 

 

I saw a set of thick crimpers which crimp evenly along the insulated connector. 

 

I also say a set of thick crimpers for uninsulated terminals, looked great. 

 

Which type are best and are there any other alternatives? 

[FlyingScot]

I use uninsulated type with shrink wrap around the connector.


FS

[Domneon]

I convert Police cars at the Peugeot SVO and we use a variety depending on the location on the car.

 

We use a lot of the superseal type connectors which have terminals that require these: http://www.vehicle-w...t-crimping-tool

 

And for pre-insulated spades, eyelets etc :http://www.vehicle-w...chet-crimp-tool

 

But it does depend on what connector or terminal you are wanting.

[russo]

My personal thought is solder with shrink wrap. Never liked crimp on terminals. You are never going to have a problem with a resin core soldered joint.

[Domneon]

My personal thought is solder with shrink wrap. Never liked crimp on terminals. You are never going to have a problem with a resin core soldered joint.

 

Built 1000s of connections with purely crimping on the police cars without any problems. As long as the crimp is fine, it's not going anywhere.

[dklawson]

With solder you do have to be careful to solder quickly and get the heat out so the solder does not wick up the stranding.  With crimping you need to make sure the tool is set up correctly.

 

During the past year I purchased the crimpers in the link below.  They come with changeable dies to handle most crimp terminals you are likely to run into.

 

http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B00TB0ULUE

[Steve220]

My personal thought is solder with shrink wrap. Never liked crimp on terminals. You are never going to have a problem with a resin core soldered joint.

Solder does not like vibration. You'll find factory car looms, even modern aircraft (from airliners to military jets) use just crimps.

[madaboutcherry]

and f1 cars.

[dklawson]

In defense of soldering... yes, it doesn't like vibration.  However, when the solder is not allowed to wick up into the stranding and the joint is supported by heat shrink tubing, vibration of soldered joints is not really an issue.  

 

The main reason given for preferring crimp vs solder is associated with consistent results and operator skill.  A properly set up crimp tool provides consistently good connections while soldered connections are highly dependent on the skill of the operator.  Soldering is also difficult in the field where there might not be electric power.  Vendors I deal with at work have provided me this information and given it as the main reasons why crimping is almost the only connection used by the U.S. military. 

 

I use both connection types depending on the situation and conditions.

[MRA]

My personal thought is solder with shrink wrap. Never liked crimp on terminals. You are never going to have a problem with a resin core soldered joint.

 

urgh....  solder on a car ?  not a good idea, no professional wiring harness manufacturer would use soldered joints at all !  it would NOT pass FDVP testing and qualifying.

 

Solder forms a brittle joint as it cannot be controlled and will "wick" up the wire to a convenient point where it will fatigue.

 

secondary harmonics on a modern car can reach 70hz and wiring can fail at the frequency if not made correctly.

[MRA]

In defense of soldering... yes, it doesn't like vibration.  However, when the solder is not allowed to wick up into the stranding and the joint is supported by heat shrink tubing, vibration of soldered joints is not really an issue.  

 

The main reason given for preferring crimp vs solder is associated with consistent results and operator skill.  A properly set up crimp tool provides consistently good connections while soldered connections are highly dependent on the skill of the operator.  Soldering is also difficult in the field where there might not be electric power.  Vendors I deal with at work have provided me this information and given it as the main reasons why crimping is almost the only connection used by the U.S. military. 

 

I use both connection types depending on the situation and conditions.

 

Doug I understand what you are saying and soldering or crimping can have it's positives and negatives, soldering because of fatigue failure (more so on a turbo car) and crimping which also has to be done correctly..

 

Not many people know that a crimp has to apply a certain compression load on the wire strands, enough to keep out air between the wires (gaps lead to corrosion) and over crimping causes the strands to work harden and then fail, the solution is to use the correct crimping tool for the correct type of crimp for your wire and the crimping tool should be calibrated.

[MRA]

Quote

Soldering is also difficult in the field where there might not be electric power. 

Quote

 

I am pretty sure I saw a British REME VE using a gas soldering iron a few years ago, as some of the 38999 MIL connections are soldered terminals, the difference is these are protected by the use of a backshell, these support the wire over a pre determined distance.

[KernowCooper]

I always crimp the plain 6.3mm lucars and then run solder into the lucar and cover with the slide up over clear plastic covers

Attached Files

•  lucars.jpg   15.37K   2 downloads

[floormanager]

I convert Police cars at the Peugeot SVO and we use a variety depending on the location on the car.

 

We use a lot of the superseal type connectors which have terminals that require these: http://www.vehicle-w...t-crimping-tool

 

And for pre-insulated spades, eyelets etc :http://www.vehicle-w...chet-crimp-tool

 

But it does depend on what connector or terminal you are wanting.

I second the ratchet type, with the correct connectors.  Class connections

[Orange-Phantom]

There is no problem with solder on a car if done properly.

 

Also, what about all of your electronics that are soldered???  Car stereo, electronic engine systems, onboard computers etc....  They are full of soldered components and I don't see them fatiguing and failing through vibration.  Just think of the amount electronics in modern cars!

 

If the job is done rubbish then you are going to have problems just like if you don't crimp a connector properly, it's all down to the skill of the person doing the job.