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My '72s harness has been molested at the alternator connection and I need to cut off the old pigtail and connect another. Is it preferable to crimp or solder these days? I intend to use heat shrink tubing to stiffen the connection across the joint under the electrical tape wrap.
If you have the proper terminals and crimpers, crimping is fine.
if you can properly splice wires together and have to proper soldering iron and skills, soldering is great.
Don’t use the cheap non sealed crimp terminals. If the aren’t covered with the heat shrink with the glue, they aren’t the correct ones for underhood work. And the best terminals are worthless without the correct crimpers.
Just my opinion, it’s hard to beat proper splicing, solder, and marine or environmental type heat shrink.
I have done both and believe soldering is better. The put some shrink tubing over the connection and it looks much better. If you are going to crimp it, make sure you use a good set of crimpers and not the one that are made like pliers.
Usually I just twist the two wires together and cover them with electrical tape. My Dad; @Oldsguy says it's best to use a wire nut so the wires don't come apart, but I ran out because it's been awhile since I installed an electric ceiling fan in the house.
I work on airplanes for a living. The Boeings, Airbus, etc of the world. They all have about 10,000 crimped connections. They also have about 10,000 soldered connections. If I'm repairing a damaged wire, it gets crimped with a butt splice followed by an environmental sleeve (fancy, for heat shrink tube that has adhesive inside). Occasionally I have to repair a shielded wire which gets repaired with a butt splice, environmental sleeve, and a soldered shield splice. Occasionally I have to replace a straight up soldered connector which has to be done by hand.
Basically, pick one, make sure you do it right and protect it with a nice heat shrink with adhesive in it and it will be as good as new. Crimp and heat shrink would be my preference due to the fact tht it takes "some" of the error out of it when you use the right crimpers and connector.
I work on airplanes for a living. The Boeings, Airbus, etc of the world. They all have about 10,000 crimped connections. They also have about 10,000 soldered connections. If I'm repairing a damaged wire, it gets crimped with a butt splice followed by an environmental sleeve (fancy, for heat shrink tube that has adhesive inside). Occasionally I have to repair a shielded wire which gets repaired with a butt splice, environmental sleeve, and a soldered shield splice. Occasionally I have to replace a straight up soldered connector which has to be done by hand.
Basically, pick one, make sure you do it right and protect it with a nice heat shrink with adhesive in it and it will be as good as new. Crimp and heat shrink would be my preference due to the fact tht it takes "some" of the error out of it when you use the right crimpers and connector.
I love real world experience, and aircraft tech has always been part of hotrodding. Crimps done correctly are fully sufficient. I've read that solder joints can break from vibration, but, to me, that screams "incorrectly built and secured harness". I try to solder wherever I can. Most of the time, you're terminating in/on devices with a crimp, though.
Does anyone have a trick for getting 3:1 shrink length right on female spades? It always seems too long or shrinks back like trying to take a leak on a winter day.
There is a big difference between a PIDG aircraft terminal and the associated precision crimpers vs the cheap generic garbage sold at auto parts stores.
Last edited by oldcutlass; June 17th, 2024 at 01:44 PM.
Reason: corrected dyslectic typing
I have some butt connectors that you put the wires in and then use a heat gun to heat the connector and it melts the solder inside over the wires and makes a waterproof connection. I have used those before and they have never failed me. Harbor Freight I have a pair and they do a really good job. Here is the link. I was an avionics instrument repairman in the USAF in 1966-70. I even took a soldering class. This experience has served me well over the years.
There is a big difference between a PIDG aircraft terminal and the associated precision crimpers vs the cheap generic garbage sold at auto parts stores.
C'mon, Koda is an engineer. I gave him enough credit that I don't have to explain the difference between using a good set of ratcheting crimpers and those cheap-o stripper/crimp combos you get for 9.99.
A good quality terminal and a set of those decent ratcheting crimpers (with some heat shrink if necessary) is all you need. If he wants to solder, also excellent!
Last edited by oldcutlass; June 17th, 2024 at 01:43 PM.
For terminals I crimp and then solder. For wire splices I go back into the taped portion of the harness. There twist the wires in a manner that minimizes the diameter, so as not to create an excessive bulge, solder and retape the harness. If you're not concerned with making the splice hard to visually detect, a Western Electric splice (with solder) is preferred. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Union_splice
Usually I just twist the two wires together and cover them with electrical tape. My Dad; @Oldsguy says it's best to use a wire nut so the wires don't come apart, but I ran out because it's been awhile since I installed an electric ceiling fan in the house.
Wire nuts are to be used on household wiring like you mentioned with the ceiling fan. I have seen it but they should never be used on a vehicle. Never.
The guy with the red beard told @Oldsguy and I that wire nuts are good for 10 or 12 horsepower each. I know I'm supposed to cover them with electrical tape, but I ran out. I used Horrible Freight masking tape instead because I had just painted a bedroom for Momma.
There is a big difference between a PIDG aircraft terminal and the associated precision crimpers vs the cheap generic garbage sold at auto parts stores.
Valid point.
If you have these, throw them in the trash
These are the minimum requirement
Of course, you should have Delphis for MetriPak and open Deutch pins, as well as the closed barrel crimper.
Last edited by oldcutlass; June 17th, 2024 at 01:42 PM.
I have a pair that has a good W crimp for spark plug wire terminals in addition to the stripper anvil. Handy! It also has W-shaped crimper anvils for smaller gauge wire, which make a clean and effective crimp. I have no idea where I got them.
I have half a dozen or more types of crimpers and strippers laying around. Seems I always come back to the GB or NAPA Carlyle crimpers and the Klein stripper though.
I like non-insulated terminals with heat shrink but since Radio Shack went away they're not convenient to find. I'm known to cut plastic insulators off terminals depending how nice a finish I want. For general use, T&B or Gardner-Bender terminals. For really nice work, Packard terminals and connectors. I don't like the stuff from HF or parts store anymore.
Crimp and solder have both worked well for me. I've never had the luxury of having enough room to make lineman splices working on vehicle wiring!
Last edited by rocketraider; June 17th, 2024 at 03:51 PM.
I have good ratcheting crimpers and good splices with adhesive and heat shrink, as well as standalone heat shrink, on order. Will update. Thanks for help.
Crimp and solder will yield the best connection. Joe linked the Packard repair manual here: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...manual-152621/
Crimp and solder is the Packard recommended method for a butt splice.
I spent 40 years working for another OEM wiring manufacturer, one of my jobs there was the manager of the crimp development team. There is an optimal crimp height and width for each terminal and wire gauge which is impossible to obtain with hand crimpers. That's not to say a crimp alone wouldn't give you years of service but adding a bit of solder will provide a superior and longer lasting connection.
I do either one depending on what the situation is. Not many people are as picky as I am with wiring. The key is to do it correct with whatever method you use and using quality parts. The parts store stuff is typically trash and over priced. When I was racing and building MX bikes, I would spend over 8 hours dissecting a harness and rebuilding it to be sure it would never fail in a race.
Usually I just twist the two wires together and cover them with electrical tape. My Dad; @Oldsguy says it's best to use a wire nut so the wires don't come apart, but I ran out because it's been awhile since I installed an electric ceiling fan in the house.
Man! you're killing me son. Do you wanna make me look like an idiot? I can do that all on my own. I said I use Elmer's glue after twisting them don't you remember???
June 16th, 2024, 04:41 PM
