Let's get connected!!!

[Scooterwrench]

No,I'm not trying to create a new online dating site,like we need any more of those.
This thread is about wiring and the correct way to make connections. I look at some of y'alls wiring under your hoods and think "Holy sheepsh*t Batman,how can that thing even run" I know y'all are doing the best you can with the knowledge that has been presented to you so maybe I can increase that knowledge a little.
I have done a LOT of wiring on bikes,cars and boats and have learned the hard way what you can't do. Phew! I'm glad those day are over.
Probably doing wiring for the marine environment has been the best teacher of doing it the right way because if you didn't you know it quick. Salt water,conductors,connections and electricity don't play well together. You folks up there in the great white north where the roads get salted know what I mean.
We're gonna talk about the basic easy to use solderless terminal first with the exception of two. The butt connector and the IDC(Insulation Displacement Connector) because there is just no good way to use these. Everybody knows what a butt connector is,used to slice a wire together. An example of the IDC are those little connectors commonly used to splice in side marker lights on trailers. You wrap the little plastic housing around the trunk wire,insert the wire t-ing off,squeeze the little blade and it cuts through the insulation and ties the trunk to the offshoot then you flip over the little plastic top and supposedly you're done. Uh-uh,gauranteed,you'll be back fixing that mess later when corrosion eats the trunk wire in two. I've got no pictures of either of these because they go straight in the garbage.
First thing we're gonna need is some tools. I don't wanna hear any whining about how expensive they are. Y'all pay top dollar for cams,pistons,cranks,,,,,,,etc. ya'll can splurge on some good tools too. Most of these tools you see here were found a yard sales,flea markets and such so they didn't hurt too bad. They last a long time. With the exception of the blue handled crimpers on the right I've had these tools since the mid 80's and have done literally miles of wiring with them.

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That poor ol Weller D550 soldering gun is on its third handle replacement,gonna need a new trigger switch soon too. I'll try to hook y'all up with links to these goodies,I'm pretty good at finding stuff.

OK lets make us a connection!
First we're gonna start off with the basic down and dirty terminal install. Just a simple ring terminal,the first thing I grabbed out of the box.

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First we need to strip our wire,

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You'll see that the barrel has a split in it were they formed it out of sheet copper,you're gonna position the bump on your crimpers right over the center of that split.

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[L31MaxExpress]

I really like these. I crimp the whole wire, insulating jacket included for strain relief, then heat shrink multiple layers over the repair.

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[Scooterwrench]

Insert your wire and squeeze the piss out of the handle. You want a tight connection. If you can pull a truck by that ring you did it right.

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I like to turn the terminal 90deg and crimp again with the loop part of the crimpers just to tighten it up some more.

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Now you have a nice tight connection but there is still one more step. You have to reinforce the insulation so vibration doesn't break the wire at the barrel. You do this with the open loop part of the crimpers again.

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And there is your down and dirty terminal install that will work for a long-long time.

 

[Scooterwrench]

I really like these. I crimp the whole wire, insulating jacket included for strain relief, then heat shrink multiple layers over the repair.

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Y'all hold off a little while and let me complete this tutorial.

 

[Scooterwrench]

OK now we're gonna do a ring terminal the right way. If you do it like this it will be there till the next ice age.
Strip your wire and strip the plastic off the terminal. You can buy terminals that don't have the plastic sleeve on them but most of your parts houses don't carry them so this is the work around.

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Slide a piece of heat shrink tubing over your stripped wire and crimp the terminal the same way as if it had the sleeve on it.

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Slide your heat shrink up over the barrel and shrink down in place.
A Bic lighter works good for this but you can use a heat gun. I've found the heat gun slows me down too much when I'm doing a mile of wire.

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[Scooterwrench]

OK now we're gonna do a splice. MaxEx wanted to jump in there and describe his method of doing splices but as I said at the beginning I will not use crimp connectors for wire splices. No offense intended Max.

This time we're gonna strip our wires back about an inch and slide a long enough piece of heat shrink tubing over one end of our wire that will be long enough to cover the connection plus a little for seal.

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Twist the wires together like you're making a western union splice,break out your soldering iron and 60/40 rosin core solder and solder it up. Make sure you push the heat shrink up over the wire a good ways or it will shrink during soldering and you will not be happy.

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The next step I found necessary around boats because even though zinc chloride flux is not highly corrosive it still was creating green connections after about a year out there in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Take your favorite aerosol solvent of choice that is not chlorinated,spray a little on the corner of a rag and wipe down your solder joint. It will clean the rosin flux off and keep it from corroding if moisture does get past the heat shrink.
Slide the heat shrink over the connection as centered up as you can and shrink it down.

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[Scooterwrench]

I really like these. I crimp the whole wire, insulating jacket included for strain relief, then heat shrink multiple layers over the repair.

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Sorry man, I only type with two fingers and the backspace button and my interweb is sloooooooooooow today. That's why I call this worlds end,technologically it is.

 

[Gmule]

Good post.
I would add that if you can get shrink tube with the sealant in it use that on joints that are exposed to the elements

 

[kennythewelder]

Good thread. Made it a sticky.

 

[Scooterwrench]

Good post.
I would add that if you can get shrink tube with the sealant in it use that on joints that are exposed to the elements

Yeah I should have said that,it's all I use except for the really small stuff,haven't found it for 20 gauge and smaller.