Proper Splicing
Moderators: The Dark Side of Will, Series8217
Proper Splicing
I thought this article might be useful to the more novice mechanics around here like me. I'm not a fan of wiring and I never have been. But this year I decided to learn how to do things properly and solder connections together.
In the past, I have used barrel crimp connectors that have the heat shrink wrap on them. They have worked fine but I know it's still not the best. So I bought myself a soldering iron and some heat shrink tube and am going to wire things right this year!
ANYWAYS.....I wanted to see what proper splice and tap soldering should look like and I came upon this site:
http://www.mmxpress.com/technical/connections.htm
I found this to be quite enlightening and hope that someone else will find it as useful.
In the past, I have used barrel crimp connectors that have the heat shrink wrap on them. They have worked fine but I know it's still not the best. So I bought myself a soldering iron and some heat shrink tube and am going to wire things right this year!
ANYWAYS.....I wanted to see what proper splice and tap soldering should look like and I came upon this site:
http://www.mmxpress.com/technical/connections.htm
I found this to be quite enlightening and hope that someone else will find it as useful.
'88 Fiero GT- 3800 Turbo Best E.T. 11.36 Best MPH 121.50 (Sold and gone)
2021 Hyundai Veloster-N (SCCA Solo D-Street)
2004 Mazda RX-8 (SCCA Solo STX)
WNY SCCA-Region Auto-X Program Chair
2021 Hyundai Veloster-N (SCCA Solo D-Street)
2004 Mazda RX-8 (SCCA Solo STX)
WNY SCCA-Region Auto-X Program Chair
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- Peer Mediator
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A friend who now owns my maroon car taught me how to solder, and it's how I did the harness in both of the 3.4 swaps.
I bought an automatic wire stripper from a store for like $10, and thought it'd suck. It is almost honestly the best tool I have. It saved me SOOO much time and aggravation, I would pay triple what it costs. Go get one, they are amazing.
Then I'd strip about a half inch off each wire, then spread the independent strands inside of the actual wire. I'd put the to wires together, and twist their strands together. Then I'd hold it up with the soldering gun, and wait until the wire was hot enough to where it pulled the solder through the connection.
All of my solder joints were just perfect, this method worked extraordinarily well. It was also pretty cheap, as I only needed solder, the $10 tool, and the heat shrink tubing that is like $2 from Lowes.
I bought an automatic wire stripper from a store for like $10, and thought it'd suck. It is almost honestly the best tool I have. It saved me SOOO much time and aggravation, I would pay triple what it costs. Go get one, they are amazing.
Then I'd strip about a half inch off each wire, then spread the independent strands inside of the actual wire. I'd put the to wires together, and twist their strands together. Then I'd hold it up with the soldering gun, and wait until the wire was hot enough to where it pulled the solder through the connection.
All of my solder joints were just perfect, this method worked extraordinarily well. It was also pretty cheap, as I only needed solder, the $10 tool, and the heat shrink tubing that is like $2 from Lowes.
88GT 3.4 DOHC Turbo
Gooch wrote:Way to go douche. You are like a one-man, fiero-destroying machine.
regular heatshrink is ok btu it will still allow moisture to wick in, and it does little or nothing for the physical strength of the splice.
i only use environmentally sealed crimps. they are all we used for the aerospace and marine applications at work. once you crimp them, then heat them the heatshrink had a glue inside that softens and bonds to the wires insulation. it made the splices stronger than the rest of the wire and you could completely submerge them with no risk of corrosion.
i only use environmentally sealed crimps. they are all we used for the aerospace and marine applications at work. once you crimp them, then heat them the heatshrink had a glue inside that softens and bonds to the wires insulation. it made the splices stronger than the rest of the wire and you could completely submerge them with no risk of corrosion.
You know how the professor tests a splice connection? He pulls the wires (hard) before it is soldered. If it comes apart before the wire breaks, it's a bad splice.Aaron wrote: Then I'd strip about a half inch off each wire, then spread the independent strands inside of the actual wire. I'd put the to wires together, and twist their strands together. Then I'd hold it up with the soldering gun, and wait until the wire was hot enough to where it pulled the solder through the connection.
Mine would have surely pulled apart, but I couldn't have avoided that. It already was hell on my hands each night, they would hurt so bad from twisting the wires and such.whipped wrote:You know how the professor tests a splice connection? He pulls the wires (hard) before it is soldered. If it comes apart before the wire breaks, it's a bad splice.Aaron wrote: Then I'd strip about a half inch off each wire, then spread the independent strands inside of the actual wire. I'd put the to wires together, and twist their strands together. Then I'd hold it up with the soldering gun, and wait until the wire was hot enough to where it pulled the solder through the connection.
But the harness in the maroon car has been working great, daily driven through Colorado and Oklahoma weather, without any issues. And the black car's hasn't had any issues yet either, so I think it's good enough :thumbleft:
88GT 3.4 DOHC Turbo
Gooch wrote:Way to go douche. You are like a one-man, fiero-destroying machine.
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Hell, I painstakingly lap soldered every last connection in my wiring harness, then used heatshrink tubing. It's just a quirk of mine.
I strip a little more than 1/4" of the insulation off each end, twist the strands together neatly so they don't fray, and fully tin both ends. Then I use 4 fingers on my left hand to very carefully hold them end to end, and side by side, and flow solder till solder flows around both wires and cools, usually burning myself in the process. I unspool some solder from the roll and use it as its own "3rd hand". Once the solder is cooled, the wire will break long before the joint separates. Pain in the ass and inefficient but it looks neat to me. :la:
I strip a little more than 1/4" of the insulation off each end, twist the strands together neatly so they don't fray, and fully tin both ends. Then I use 4 fingers on my left hand to very carefully hold them end to end, and side by side, and flow solder till solder flows around both wires and cools, usually burning myself in the process. I unspool some solder from the roll and use it as its own "3rd hand". Once the solder is cooled, the wire will break long before the joint separates. Pain in the ass and inefficient but it looks neat to me. :la:
- Series8217
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On a harness I built at WCF I used good butt splices, soldered the wires into the crimped splices, then sealed them with heat shrink that has a melting inner liner. That heat shrink tubing is awesome. It provides a completely waterproof seal and also helps hold the wires together mechanically. Those joints will never fail!
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