Hi zMR. ERIC , It was very pleasant to see you again after a short intervention of 2to 3 years Sir , you are a blessing too many many thousands of people all around the world to keep their life easy going with the automotive technologies learned from your sincere service given online. May God Bless You and Your Family. I am Mohandas from New Jersey. L
Eric, there is an adjustment on your ratcheting crimper that completely eliminates the ability to over crimp with that type of tool. It's on the side of the tool and looks like a star with a Phillips screw in the middle of it. Adjust this properly and the tool will automatically release prior to ever being able to over crimp.
The shield (looped) attachment not only heats the back side of the shrink tubing, it also "shields" from damaging other wires in tight areas (like wires in the dash of your car)... Thanks Eric! Been watching your stuff for a long time.
You are spot on advising the use of the correct crimping tool. The ratchet type with the sets of interchangeable jaws are best. Regarding over crimping.... on most of these tools there is a sort of star shaped pressure adjuster and locking screw this allows you to avoid over crimping .Look for the arrow indicating + or - . Also always close the crimps fully until they spring back open automatically............enjoying these great vids
You mentioned choosing good wire (at about 4:25). I would like to add the importance of choosing the right wire. Some people don't know that solid wire isn't appropriate for automotive. Much lesser known (and the difference in the wires you held up for demonstration) insulation is rated for different applications. Some are made for added protection against oil or solvents, where others are intended for higher heat areas for example. As usual you have made a very informative and helpful video. Well done sir and thank you.
Great post. When you put the item to be crimped in the die while the die is outside the tool, I could see exactly where to place my connector. It's so much easier to see what you are doing than the seven other posts I found on the same subject before finding yours. Thank you for your help.
You are a demigod amongst mechanics and provide inspiration to us lesser beings. When removing insulation with SCISSORS-type strippers, close the tool around the wire then open it back up without pulling off the insulation. Rotate the tool (or wire) 90 degrees, then clamp down again. Done right (with quality wire) and you can pull the insulation off the wire with your thumbnail. To chime in regarding solder, I've been known to use it if the wire won't otherwise hold a crimp. One might rightly ask, "Why not just solder the connector in place and skip the crimp?" With insulated connectors I skip the crimp if I can pull the insulator off and slide it back up over the wire insulation. I then solder the connector on then pull the insulator back over the bare metal. Most of the time the wire insulation is too thick, though. Great job Eric. Thanks for all of your advice and humor.
i recently started assembling my own custom sleeved computer power cables, it was definitely a learning experience, lots of trial and error and practice to get them right, but very satisfying when done correctly!
Been soldering everything (mostly non-automotive stuff) forever, got sick of encountering aluminum wires and such that don't solder easily and finally ordered a crimping tool. Thanks for the primer, was glad to see YOU had a video on this when i checked TH-cam.
Overall, very good instructional video on the basics. Using the correct tooling is absolutely critical. Love how you stress that. Note: You should NEVER crimp a soldered (tinned) wire! There are several failures that can result from doing that. It is a DEFECT in all military, aviation and medical application.
Excellent video Eric. Proper tools make all the difference. When I strip the insulation with wire strippers like your yellow/black pair or the red handle pair, I squeeze once with the proper size cutter then rotate the wire 90 degrees and squeeze again to fully cut the insulation then move to the next larger size cutter and pull the insulation off. That way you will not break any strands of the center conductor as you pull the insulation off.
I've always used non insulated terminals, crimped them in place, the soldered the connection to keep it from working loose, pulling out, or corroding. I then finish the connection with heat shrink tubing to give me a nice insulated terminal.
Most OE car manufactures have warnings in their repair manuals about only using crimps and never soldering wires. The base of the solder joint is a hard-spot that will fail in some circumstances....
That's why they're also crimped. To provide strain relief. The solder is there to make it more corrosion resistant and ensure a good electrical connection.
I would have no idea about the non insulated connectors, I've already dealt with a few of them and I kind of just sandwich it together, but now I know I can get that tool, life will be so much easier thanks a bunch
Agreed. I'll expand on that though, you shouldn't solder a crimped connector. There are many reasons. One, consider that the three different materials will all expand and contract at different rates and will cause the connection to come apart, oxidize and otherwise become unreliable. Another reason is that the solder creates a solid (brittle) component of the connection and will break when flexed repeatedly.
I agree on never soldering, in proffesional use it is not allowed. The solder wil walk across the copper and removes the flexibility. The joint will break for sure. Crimped connectors ar far more reliable in stressed environments then soldered connections.
@@CBTalon97 I doubt the thermal expansion coefficients are significantly different and since one SHOULD anchor wire - especially before and after a join the concern about flexing leading to failure is misplaced.
@@CBTalon97 Again the thermal expansions co-efficients are not significant. by you own argument, a crimped connector would fail because the co-efficents are not identical. The average DIY guy is more likely to crimp incorrectly. Even in the video Eric mis-crimps - TWICE. And some key points are, though talked about, are not shown well enough. It is easy to do an improper crimp.
Automotive wiring if one of my favorite things to do! I actually remove the plastic insulation from crimp connectors (other than butt connectors) and solder them on (no crimping) and add a little dielectric grease (stops any corrosion caused by the solder) with my own heat shrink. It comes out super strong and looks very good. I'm not a big fan of connectors that come with heat shrink built in because MOST, not all but MOST have a heat activated adhesive layer on the inside. Some people like the adhesive, but IMO it causes issues in the long, long run. Some of that adhesive will extrude out onto the wire when you heat shrink it, this extra adhesive is messy and collects debris. This debris can become conductive over time, just look at videos about dirty batteries and how that dirt can become conductive over time. Just my two cents, albeit my two cents is probably only worth .5 cents to most people that read this whole thing. Great video Eric!
I do the same thing, but crimp the connector first, then flow enough solder to wick the connector to the wire. heat shrink over the top, beautiful. Never had a failure.
I crimp first then add solder to insure max bonding. I find this procedure to be especially important for connections made OUTSIDE the vehicle as moisture, dirt and salt will degrade a crimp only connection in time. I have had to do over connections that were compromised in this way. I like the heat shrinkable connectors for inline bonding as I will sure not get a soldering iron in there without wrecking the connector. Another Great showing, Eric ! . I occasionally crow to people on the quality of your presentations, video and lighting. Your early experience in media arts stands you in good stead. Gordon (AKA Gweedo Murray)
Thank you for this great video. You are 100% correct. You have to have the right tools! I am rewiring a 1966 Chevy C-10. Bought a cheap tool, watched this video and bought the "Tool Aid" which you are using. It makes crimping easy and perfect crimps! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!!! The ignitor for my fireplace broke and they no longer make the type of igniter that fits my fireplace. Everywhere told me my only option was to either open it up and light it by hand every time, or get a new fireplace. With this I was able to wire up part of my old broken igniter with part of a new one.
As always, another great video by Eric. Thanks for enlightening me on the different connector crimping tools. learn something new every day.Thanks for posting Eric.
Cool video! Just want to add that tinning the wire before crimping is no good. Either solder or crimp, don't do both. Also adding a heat shrink tube over insulated crimped connectors/joins makes no sense to me (unless you want to hide your imperfect crimp...) Heat shrink tubes over soldered wire joins makes sense though, and makes a good and rigid connection if done right (it's cheaper also, but disassembly is not as easy). If using heat shrink tubes in automotive assemblies, make sure to use high quality kind with glue inside. Helps protect it against dirt and moisture and makes it more resistant to wear, moist, vibrations etc.
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I make the wiring of an old Fiat 131 about 3 years ago only crimping and never had any electric problem. I think soldering is ok only in circuit boards. Anyway really good tutorial, I learned the hard way.
I recently built my own camper van . Wiring wise using crimps . Using a crimping tool similar to the one in the video . If it's getting a bit awkward , is to load the crimp into the ratchet crimper literally to the first notch on the ratchet . So the crimp is gripped just enough so it can't fall out of the tool . Then you have a bit more control in tight areas , push the stripped wire into the crimp then squeeze it up . Rather unorthodox but it worked for me .
I like those quick release levers for your crimper dies. I have to remove my two screws to change out dies .. although I never change them. I've got a second crimper for non- insulated connectors.
Oh cool! :D I bought a crimping tool just like yours by misstake today, when I actually wanted a cable-stripping tool (yeah, I must be blind...lol). And being a complete beginner in this area, I had absolutely no idea what I had brought home! I'm not an native english speaker, so the word "crimping" to me sounded like something you might do when peeling a cable. Also the store employee actually told me it was a cable-stripper, and I was in a hurry to catch my bus. Anyways, now I realize that this is exactly the kind of tool I'm going to need after stripping the wire! =) Funny how misstakes can end up being lucky sometimes!
Eric the number of conductors inside the insulation determines the flexibility of the wire. Thaat is the smaller the conductor size and the laarger number of conductors the more flexible it is. Also I have been stripping wire for over 50 years and use nothing but a knife or side cutters. You can get a good strip this way doing this method. I never use splices to join wire, but will use ring and spade terminals. In any wire joinery, I solder. Solder wires together and solder terminals on the ends. I was glad when heat shrink tubing came along. When it firsy came out it was about $15.00 for a 3 foot section to shrink over a 14 ga. wire. How things have changed over the years.
Good video, I learned that if you press the metal of the shrink tube flat, slide the shrink tube itself off, solder, then slide the shrink tube back over, and shrink. Added protection, add proper size shrink tube as well? Over-kill, I know but it's good, I've tried!
Well, when we fixed aircraft wiring (NAVY, AE) we used crimp type splices to make a repair in a wire, crimped on pins inside connectors too. Special heat guns for the heat shrink to seal up the splices, no lighters. Crimp tools that don't release until they've been squeezed far enough. Pretty much what you see here. Soldering was only on terminals that were meant to be soldered to. I use a butane soldering iron when I solder, it heats up quick, doesn't require a cord. I'll set up a few wires, solder and then shut the iron off and put it out of the way by itself or in an old glass ashtray If I want it near. I also have a neat little butane heat gun that shrinks things up quick without too much heat. Having the proper tools and supplies to begin with makes it so much easier.
I actually watched another channel and the guy was sleeving computer cables and using shrink tubing with it. He had a heat shrink tube gun that is only a quarter of the size of the standard electric heat gun, weighs a lot less and only uses lighter fluid or a lighter insert. That would be a cool bit of arsenal for your automotive electric kit dude. I'm going to get one within the week. Cheers for the video bud. :)
I was recently introduced to posi-lock and posi-tap connectors. They're slightly more expensive then your standard butt connector or tap, but I love them. They don't come in connectors that I am aware of, but they are great for connecting wires together.
Thank you so much for making this! I hadn't thought of the heat gun before but will start using that from now on. I'm about to take on a project of installing an aftermarket Android stereo so this tutorial is perfect. I also enjoyed what you said about the crimping being very relaxing. That, of course, is if you're not using the cheap-o Harbor Freight stripper's crimpers that are 1/16" thick and act like scissors when crimping.
Being a welder for a good portion of my life, I tend to want to solder connections and shrink tube them then place them in flex loom. Just more confidence in those terminations and it looks so neat and tidy when you're finished.
I agree, but with this project, those shrink tube butt connectors saved my butt. (pun intended) When you have to make a thousand connections, crimping can save you a ton of time. Thanks for your input.
The reason the numbers increase as the wire diameter decreases is wire is measured as how many can fit into a square inch. Known as the Stubs Steel Wire Gauge. They use similar for IV cannula sizing.
I enjoyed the video and never knew that some people crimp the wiring and then solder the connection later. That is the one thing I never did when soldering wiring, and didn't know that was an option.
Excellent video/tutorial! I don't have any experience with proper electrical crimping (using actual crimping tools and doing it right), but I think I might know why some people prefer to solder as well as crimp: The best crimp, short of using an industrial swage machine to compress the sleeve into a solid block, will still leave tiny air pockets between strands of wire as well as the connector. Eyes made in steel cable using crimped aluminum 'duplex' or 'turnback' sleeves tend to oxidize on the inside, gradually losing their holding power. So I assume the same issue will exist with any crimped connection - no matter how well you do it, corrosion can still occur inside the sleeve. Soldering, however, should be able to completely fill those air pockets. Just my thoughts. I'm terrible at soldering, but I sure would rather have solder in addition to a crimp, even with shrinkwrap.
@4:53 - The knurled knob at the top of the pliers adjusts for the different thickness of the wires. There are 4 positions - 0.2-.9mm; 1 -- 4.0mm ; 5.0 -6mm and computer wires. Try it and see what works.
i like the heat shrink butt connectors and terminals much more than the standard dark plastic ones. i try to go a little smaller than the recommended color connections like you did in the video with a blue connector for 10 gauge wire even though it's technically in yellow territory. it feels tighter. i use the second style of strippers and the pliers type of crimpers, personal preference, as long as you use a tool designed for the job, you'll have much more success than trying to use a random pair of pliers to crimp or diagonal cutters instead of a correct stripper. excellent video. keep up the good work.
I was looking into this topic just a few days ago, hoping you had made a video on it. Sure enough just a few days later it's posted, very helpful, great video.
Excellent video Eric. You are absolutely right the correct tools make the job, there are different arguments for mechanical crimps vs soldier for different applications. This video was well thought out and presented.
1) You should always use ratcheting crimpers. Ratcheting crimpers should not overcrimp, they should crimp the right amount and then stop. The crimper you showed early on that is not ratcheting, the one with blue handles which you said works better with non-insulated connectors.... there's a reason. It's DESIGNED for non-insulating connectors. It's the wrong tool for insulated connectors (and the wrong tool for any connector because it's not ratcheting). 2) Never solder a crimp connection. In fact, never solder anything that didn't initially come soldered. No really, don't use solder. It's not an appropriate way to repair something. Solder leaves a mechanically rigid joint. Over time, there will almost invariably be stress (often cyclic stress) on the joint, and it will break. A crimp connection is designed to grip things without becoming rigid and is more than adequate. 3) Avoid using crimps with vinyl insulation. Seriously, nylon is way better. 4) You should always have heatshrink over all joints, whether its inherent in the connector or added on top of it (remember to put it on before connecting the wire because you may have no option afterward. 5) Electrical tape is, under no circumstances, a substitute for heatshrink. Ever. They serve two different purposes. Electrical tape will not adequately protect the joint from the weather.
Excellent video...but no happy birthday ?!?? To each their own, reading through comments. Yes, soldered connections can go bad over time, crack, high vibrations with no give, but I honestly believe this is based on materials used and knowledge /execution. I mainly do soldering for security, you tug hard enough on any crimped connection, and they usually fail, but I see both sides as well and have used crimping. Looks good Eric ! Well done sir!
I've got a technique I like for the crimp terminals that crimp both the conductor and the jacket. I strip my wire to the length I want, load a terminal into the dies and start the crimp with the usual three clicks, hold the wire in front of the crimp dies, but touching the dies themselves, line up where my conductor and insulator go relative to the dividing line on the crimp dies, then slide my fingers holding the wire down so they are actually touching the dies. Without changing my grip on the wire, I'll then shove the wire into the terminal until my fingers touch against the crimp dies again in the same way, and crimp away. I've been doing it this way for years on everything from automotive-type 10AWG crimps to 26AWG Molex C-Grid-type pins, and since I started I have yet to end up with a crimp that has insulation under the wire side, or not enough insulation under the insulation side. A similar idea works for both non-insulated and insulated crimp terminals; you just line the wire up with the crimp dies or jaws again in the right orientation using fingers as a gauge. It works surprisingly well.
This is a fantastic video that shows the subtle intricacies of something that seems simple, but can have a few pitfalls. You're so right about having the right tool. Great work as always. A minor nitpick: I can see the benefit of having Cameraman Brian. On some of the shots here I needed to pop a Dramamine. I kid, I kid! Have a good 4th, Eric.
I love those terminals with the heat-shrink tubing pre-installed. And I hate the ones with the hard plastic. I also tend to use non-insulated terminals for ground connections. Almost everything on the car grounds to the chassis, anyway. So there's no need to worry about short-circuits. For connections that will be exposed to the elements, I like to use "fully insulated" terminals or weather-pack terminals. On the fully insulated terminals, I put a dab of grease into them before connecting them, to keep moisture out.
eric, there are different strand counts for wire. higher strand counts are more flexible. there's also tinned wire, i believe for corrosion resistance, however that is done to the individual strands from the wire manufacturer. i don't think it's a good idea to solder the wire before crimping as it doesn't allow the wire to flair to increase pull out resistance.
I agree with you. I used to work with small gauge solid and stranded wire. It seemed to me that crimping terminal lugs on to solid wire did not make a good connection because I think the crimp style connectors were designed for use with stranded wire where the stranded wire would be crushed in the crimp whereas solid wire will not crush, thus a poor connection.
In my automotive class they taught me the crimping and soldering of the wires but they say it's better to just crimp because a crimp is metal on metal where solder is the same essentially but the type of solder is essential too. They also showed me that in time the solder can go bad in essence and creates a corrosion called electrolysis and modern tech on a car is sensitive to even the slightest drop in voltage that could be dropped in that solder. In theory you could have caused a problem by soldering in the long run than just crimping it and calling it there I hope my point is clear if not my bad but I can elaborate on that but in short they said crimping is better
the bigger isue the vibration, the hard point solder creates makes the copper more likely to break from work hardening. With electronics if it moves or the user is in contact with it you probably want a crimp/compression connector. Some reason you will see lots of glue on pcbs in electronics where vibration is expected(or over built). Reason 2 solder dosen't crip like copper, its not nearly as squishable, It will break down with vibration and chip like an over hardened steel blade. Side note if you have to solder in a car make sure you have a long bit of heat shrink to keep the flex away from the solder joint to prevent bending. Still avoid it if you can on critical stuff.
Broken joints aside, if you have a voltage issue the connection isn't good period. Solder can go bad, but you SHOULD be heat shrinking to help prevent that. Realistically, unless you have a very special application, both are the same.
photondebuger45 Corrosion between solder and copper? Never heard of such silliness. Solder forms an alloy with the copper. The solder making the connection brittle should be an actual concern. The second concern would be these type of connectors that just squish. Try to find oem terminals and get a good crimper that actually folds the wings of the terminal down into the wire, and the insulation.
+Tim Ramich those connectors you mention are the strongest , you can pull out on the wire. I'm waiting for someone who fabricate clips to clip on for more strenght
Solder is more reliable for the DIY; for aerospace and mil applications, crimp connections are required in cable harnesses subjected to vibration because they're not brittle as a solder connection would be when the solder wicks up the wires. However, the crimpers used there are very different from the DIY crimpers, because the specialized crimpers actually bond the wires together from the very high compression forces, essentially creating a pressure weld. That won't be happening with the generic crimps. Solder and heat shrink is best for reliability, and won't be as prone to degraded connections over time from corrosion with exposure to humid conditions in the environment. Generic crimp tools will leave some air channels that can allow internal corrosion to happen over time; soldering after the crimp would help fill the gaps. Just need to take care not to overheat the insulating sleeve if using cheap quality crimp terminals though, causing them open up and just slide off.
I'm an electrician in Queensland, Australia, and I specialise in industrial work (kind of similar to auto-electrical) and we don't solder anything. Not really sure why, we just dont solder unless doing printed circuit boards. Oh, and I've never heard of over-crimping. The jaws on your crimpers shouldn't go past the ideal amount of force. Everything else seems fine.
Thanks for your input. Funny you mention that about the crimpers, I noticed it did something similar to a torque wrench when it gets to a certain point. Honestly, after wiring this car with crimp connections, I'm not sure I'll be soldering again in the future.
Soldering's arguably a better choice, but from a practical point crimping is the way to go. It's faster, doesn't require power like a soldering iron, a lot harder to get injured from a crimp tool than an iron, no fumes from the solder and can be done from a non-optimal location ie in a car trunk. You can go over your crimps with a heat gun or lighter (prefer a candle) after you're done all your crimps.
The idea of crimping stranded wire is that there's a slight springiness in the wire that allows it to maintain a tight crimp regardless of temperature changes. When you solder the stranded wire, you, in effect, create a solid conductor. A solid wire has no springiness and can loosen over time. Also, because the solder will wick up under the insulation, it creates a stress point if the wire moves; the soldered part won't flex so the stress is at the point where the solder ends.
Great video! I didn't see it in this video, but I've used some electrical connectors that have a male and female connection which can be disconnected if needed. I've used this connecting wires to my side turn signal mirrors.
hay its good your passing on good information and I used to work as a quality assurance manager and your crimpers that click they should not over crimp on the job we had a lot of them and we got the best over a $100 and they are mad almost full proof and their is a bimba cylinder fixture for those tools with a foot pedal control they are nice, and your right, the right tools make the difference and wire striping in the industrial market and military grade you cant even have one strand missing because the crimp wont be as strong its a proper mechanical crimp, and solder is only a electrical connection not used as a weld not strong enough and their is a term about how clean everything is, they say is it sanitary. but I'm glade someone is not putting bullshit out their for once, hey good luck and if your installing amps and doing repairs if your interested I could tell you how it enhance amps I mean louder clear not distorting everyone I have done for people say its the best amp they ever owned and wont give it up big difference
Excellent timing, I've recently picked up a 1998 GMC C2500 with the 6.5L diesel and she's got quite a few electrical problems that I've traced back to harness damage in multiple spots. Currently have the intake out so I can get better access to where the bulk of the damage is.
Some workplaces I've learned prefer that you take the time to do it right. That means taking the time to Tin the connection because you'll know you have all the wires to conduct with, where as just crimping it without Tinning the wire means some of the wire could not be in use or the pinch could just separate the wires, not pinching them hard enough and over time will turn into a loose connection(this could cause the lights to flicker for example as the vehicle drives down the road/bumpy roads..) That being said, when I work I'm usually under pressure to do the job in a certain amount of time, so I just skip the Tinning step as that can add an extra 15/20 minutes to a job depending on how much crimping you have to do. All in all, it really depends on the mechanic's skill. If the mechanic is skilled enough, and takes his time to get it right the first time, then it's no big deal to skip the tinning step. If you have a rushing/corner cutting/half ass accident prone idiot doing the crimping, you're probably going to find something wrong/loose in the post-check before the equipment even leaves the shop.
13:04 Aren't those jaws your using on an insulated terminal, meant for NON insulated terminals? The jaws for insulated will have blue, red, or yellow, so you can match it up with the color of the insulation.
I believe that soldering is a must where there is a connection leading to a measurement, for example, a sensor (digital and analogue), a read out (like a speedo or taco) or an audio connection. These types of connection require solid uninterrupted power. If its a simple binary (on/off) power signal then a male/female connection should suffice, as if there is a fault in the connection you will see it instantly.
I'm not big on the use of a lighter on heat shrink, but sometimes it's the only available option. My only addition to what you do with the splice connectors is that I put a light coat of a di-electric (non-conductive) grease on the insulation before insertion. That way, if there are imperfections in the sealing of the heat shrink, the grease helps to keep water out.
Hi Eric! Im building my car and I am in the wiring step. I moved battery to the trunk. I didnt use the solder with those crimp connectors, but when I did the connections for the big powercable from trunk to front, I used little solder just because my tool was too little for the connector.IMO solder is not necessary If you have good tools and It also makes the wire too stiff to crimp for no reason.
Those Kline crimpers were all there was way back. Good for insulated and non-insulated connectors. I like those crimpers you are using. Like Ethernet crimpers.
klein makes an ergonomic set (blue handle white ring) very good. I'm also led to believe that the reason that the gauge number goes up as size goes down is something to do with the number of drawing processes necessary to get the wire down to size. I also recall that it's not as easy as a 1:1 correlation to the awg number.
Hi Eric Nice video, clear information on connectors and tools, and mostly good advice on procedures. But there is a but, never tin a wire before crimping, tin is a mechanically weak metal, and it creeps, if you tin a wire before crimping, you just made a connection that will get loose and fail, so ONLY crimp bare wire. You can solder UN-insulated connectors AFTER crimping, I do not do it myself, but some people do, I would NEVER solder an insulated connector. You should NEVER have to use the release on your crimping tool, guessing when the crimp is done correctly, is NOT the way to go, the ratchet is there to insure that you go to the correct max. pressure, and that you do NOT release the tool prematurely! There should be an adjustment instruction included with your ratcheting crimping tool. Keep up the good work
@7:00 and 12:45, I believe you are using non-insulated connector die (with spike) to an insulated connector. This is probably OK, but there is a risk the insulation may get ripped and may not give you waterproofing it was designed for with heat shrink butt connectors. You probably want to use the die with smooth contour from the red die storage box.
I'd also like to add that it's good to get QUALITY crimp connectors. In my experience, the most durable ones have built-in sealant that will ooze out of the insulation when you apply heat. Not only is the connection sealed from moisture and dust ingress, the copper inside is mechanically supported to prevent work-hardening and breakage of the wire inside the insulation.
Eric, the first stripper’s , the blue and yellow one, have a tensioning screw on it , so if you set it up right you won’t pull out any strands of copper.. 🤙🏼🇦🇺
Agreed proper tool is very important. I have the same problem. The crimp tool I was using is awful. I don't solder before. I will solder after in some cases, like on my old tractor where the connects will be exposed to moisture, high humidity, higher stresses (vibrations, etc), but that is mostly to keep out corrosion and added security. I would expect it to be a problem soldering before crimping as the solder would make the wires harder and less willing to form but that would also have been using a cheap awful crimping tool. Knowing how to properly crimp is also important. I made crimps incorrectly for a while because someone showed me how to crimp and they were also doing it wrong.
Great video thank you. This may be a silly question. When you are joining 4 wires (Neg to Neg and Positive Positive)to power one item Eg: cord from a fan to the cord of a cigarette adapter plug, I am assuming you will have two different connectors to crimp?
Great video automotive wiring is very complex with many different types of signals and power connections. I would like to add know the circuit your working on. If it is a 12-volt power circuit where is it fused, what is the fuse rating is the wire size and connector rated for the circuit. Again this is a great video covering the physical connectors and wires. I have a 1964 C10 pickup that was owned by an industrial electrician. He rewired the truck with solid conductor 14 and 10 gauge wire. I chased broken conductors for hours. I have purchased a painless harness to rewire the truck. Thanks for the great videos and all the hard work.
I solder any connections that don't demand removal and sometimes even those. Always a better connection especially in cases where exposed to environment. Shrink tube And/or electrical tape over connection. For extreme weather exposure we use tar tape.
Ratcheted crimper tools usually have a auto release which allows you to set the correct crimp force, then you just crimp it down and it lets go automatically without you having to manually release the tool and worry about over crimping.
Nice man! I just did my painless harness on my Bronco, I wish you had this video before that. I learned a lot through the process but this video would have helped. Good job!
4:20 the wire on the right looks to me to have more strands, than the one on the left. more strands means more redundancy if one of the strands breaks, also that more strands means it's better to send a signal (really only applies to the 750mhz+ range). So the thinner strands, as far as automotive is concerned are used more in areas where it is likely to flex due to vibration and movement.
The quality of wire connections depends on the tools, wire, connectors and skill. Used to build relay control cabinets using nickel plated teflon wire and gold plated connectors. For automobiles I usually solder all connectors and use heat shrink but don't use a torch or soldering iron. Instead of a conventional soldering Iron I use a carbon rod (welders gouging rod) and 6V battery because it is quick and only heats the terminal. Easy to solder extremely large connectors using this method even in the wind.
4:10 I think the reason the one on the left has more conductor is because it is CCA and the one on the right is pure copper, but hard to tell from video.
Should've soldered them Eric it keeps thems corrosions out. But that's really all solder does it keeps connections condensation free. Godspeed good sir.
I disagree, the shrink tube butt connectors create a 'cold weld' and the shrink tube seals it when you're done. It's just as good as solder if not better and takes a lot less time. Thanks for your input.
great video i agree its all about the tools making the job easier and better. also the connectors do not get the harbor freight ones to save money they dont stay connected or they break
Eric , this is very good video thx. Let me say however the the other crimper if done correctly will give you a factory connection . Now I will say it has to be done on non insulated connection. I am not trying to correct you in any way . I am saying that there is another way to do this . Oh also you will have to cover the connection with heat shrink to finish the connection
As far as insulated/non-insulated, I’ve always been able to slide the insulator off if it’s not necessary. I just keep everything together for future use. Also his point about heat shrink is dead on. I heat shrink all my crimps, but mainly because of OCD.
Throughout my life with old car, I've experienced numerous crimp electrical failures. So overall, I don't like crimp joints. That said, the right crimp tool goes a long way toward making a better crimp joint.
Hi zMR. ERIC , It was very pleasant to see you again after a short intervention of 2to 3 years
Sir , you are a blessing too many many thousands of people all around the world to keep their life easy going with the automotive technologies learned from your sincere service given online. May God Bless You and Your Family.
I am Mohandas from New Jersey.
L
Eric, there is an adjustment on your ratcheting crimper that completely eliminates the ability to over crimp with that type of tool. It's on the side of the tool and looks like a star with a Phillips screw in the middle of it. Adjust this properly and the tool will automatically release prior to ever being able to over crimp.
Funny you should mention that, I figured that out the day after I shot this video. Thanks!
We never quit learning. Thanks for pointing that out, SANTAMAN. I just bought crimpers just like that.
Hey, he said how to pretty close crimp electrical connectors!!
The shield (looped) attachment not only heats the back side of the shrink tubing, it also "shields" from damaging other wires in tight areas (like wires in the dash of your car)... Thanks Eric! Been watching your stuff for a long time.
You are spot on advising the use of the correct crimping tool. The ratchet type with the sets of interchangeable jaws are best. Regarding over crimping.... on most of these tools there is a sort of star shaped pressure adjuster and locking screw this allows you to avoid over crimping .Look for the arrow indicating + or - . Also always close the crimps fully until they spring back open automatically............enjoying these great vids
Being an Automotive electrician for over thirty years you are a good motor mechanic.
Thank you!
You mentioned choosing good wire (at about 4:25). I would like to add the importance of choosing the right wire. Some people don't know that solid wire isn't appropriate for automotive. Much lesser known (and the difference in the wires you held up for demonstration) insulation is rated for different applications. Some are made for added protection against oil or solvents, where others are intended for higher heat areas for example.
As usual you have made a very informative and helpful video. Well done sir and thank you.
I actually learned all of this in electrical class. you got all the right tools for the right job!
Great post. When you put the item to be crimped in the die while the die is outside the tool, I could see exactly where to place my connector. It's so much easier to see what you are doing than the seven other posts I found on the same subject before finding yours. Thank you for your help.
You are a demigod amongst mechanics and provide inspiration to us lesser beings.
When removing insulation with SCISSORS-type strippers, close the tool around the wire then open it back up without pulling off the insulation. Rotate the tool (or wire) 90 degrees, then clamp down again. Done right (with quality wire) and you can pull the insulation off the wire with your thumbnail.
To chime in regarding solder, I've been known to use it if the wire won't otherwise hold a crimp. One might rightly ask, "Why not just solder the connector in place and skip the crimp?" With insulated connectors I skip the crimp if I can pull the insulator off and slide it back up over the wire insulation. I then solder the connector on then pull the insulator back over the bare metal. Most of the time the wire insulation is too thick, though.
Great job Eric. Thanks for all of your advice and humor.
i recently started assembling my own custom sleeved computer power cables, it was definitely a learning experience, lots of trial and error and practice to get them right, but very satisfying when done correctly!
Been soldering everything (mostly non-automotive stuff) forever, got sick of encountering aluminum wires and such that don't solder easily and finally ordered a crimping tool. Thanks for the primer, was glad to see YOU had a video on this when i checked TH-cam.
Overall, very good instructional video on the basics. Using the correct tooling is absolutely critical. Love how you stress that. Note: You should NEVER crimp a soldered (tinned) wire! There are several failures that can result from doing that. It is a DEFECT in all military, aviation and medical application.
Excellent video Eric. Proper tools make all the difference. When I strip the insulation with wire strippers like your yellow/black pair or the red handle pair, I squeeze once with the proper size cutter then rotate the wire 90 degrees and squeeze again to fully cut the insulation then move to the next larger size cutter and pull the insulation off. That way you will not break any strands of the center conductor as you pull the insulation off.
I've always used non insulated terminals, crimped them in place, the soldered the connection to keep it from working loose, pulling out, or corroding. I then finish the connection with heat shrink tubing to give me a nice insulated terminal.
Most OE car manufactures have warnings in their repair manuals about only using crimps and never soldering wires. The base of the solder joint is a hard-spot that will fail in some circumstances....
ck m
Please cite the OEM manuals that state to "only using crimps and never soldering wires".
That's why they're also crimped. To provide strain relief. The solder is there to make it more corrosion resistant and ensure a good electrical connection.
You the man, best way to do it, hands down
You are a brave man using a heat gun that close to your hands while wearing rubber/nitrile gloves.
I would have no idea about the non insulated connectors, I've already dealt with a few of them and I kind of just sandwich it together, but now I know I can get that tool, life will be so much easier thanks a bunch
As a hobby dude in my garage wiring up anything and everything. I use the exact same ratcheting crimper you're using and I absolutely love it.
I have made many thousands of crimps and agree with NOT soldering the wire before crimping.
Agreed. I'll expand on that though, you shouldn't solder a crimped connector. There are many reasons. One, consider that the three different materials will all expand and contract at different rates and will cause the connection to come apart, oxidize and otherwise become unreliable. Another reason is that the solder creates a solid (brittle) component of the connection and will break when flexed repeatedly.
I agree on never soldering, in proffesional use it is not allowed.
The solder wil walk across the copper and removes the flexibility.
The joint will break for sure.
Crimped connectors ar far more reliable in stressed environments then soldered connections.
@@CBTalon97 I doubt the thermal expansion coefficients are significantly different and since one SHOULD anchor wire - especially before and after a join the concern about flexing leading to failure is misplaced.
@@kennmossman8701 but there is a difference, and it's needless additional labour that will only add to the chance of failure. Why bother?
@@CBTalon97 Again the thermal expansions co-efficients are not significant. by you own argument, a crimped connector would fail because the co-efficents are not identical.
The average DIY guy is more likely to crimp incorrectly. Even in the video Eric mis-crimps - TWICE. And some key points are, though talked about, are not shown well enough. It is easy to do an improper crimp.
Automotive wiring if one of my favorite things to do! I actually remove the plastic insulation from crimp connectors (other than butt connectors) and solder them on (no crimping) and add a little dielectric grease (stops any corrosion caused by the solder) with my own heat shrink. It comes out super strong and looks very good. I'm not a big fan of connectors that come with heat shrink built in because MOST, not all but MOST have a heat activated adhesive layer on the inside. Some people like the adhesive, but IMO it causes issues in the long, long run. Some of that adhesive will extrude out onto the wire when you heat shrink it, this extra adhesive is messy and collects debris. This debris can become conductive over time, just look at videos about dirty batteries and how that dirt can become conductive over time. Just my two cents, albeit my two cents is probably only worth .5 cents to most people that read this whole thing. Great video Eric!
Good to know. Thanks.
I do the same thing, but crimp the connector first, then flow enough solder to wick the connector to the wire. heat shrink over the top, beautiful. Never had a failure.
I crimp first then add solder to insure max bonding. I find this procedure to be especially important for connections made OUTSIDE the vehicle as moisture, dirt and salt will degrade a crimp only connection in time. I have had to do over connections that were compromised in this way. I like the heat shrinkable connectors for inline bonding as I will sure not get a soldering iron in there without wrecking the connector. Another Great showing, Eric !
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I occasionally crow to people on the quality of your presentations, video and lighting. Your early experience in media arts stands you in good stead. Gordon (AKA Gweedo Murray)
Thank you for this great video. You are 100% correct. You have to have the right tools! I am rewiring a 1966 Chevy C-10. Bought a cheap tool, watched this video and bought the "Tool Aid" which you are using. It makes crimping easy and perfect crimps! Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoyed this guy's tutorial. He really knows his stuff!
Thank you!!!
The ignitor for my fireplace broke and they no longer make the type of igniter that fits my fireplace. Everywhere told me my only option was to either open it up and light it by hand every time, or get a new fireplace.
With this I was able to wire up part of my old broken igniter with part of a new one.
As always, another great video by Eric. Thanks for enlightening me on the different connector crimping tools. learn something new every day.Thanks for posting Eric.
I really like how you add solder to the ring connector after crimping it. We do the same thing in our shop.
Cool video! Just want to add that tinning the wire before crimping is no good. Either solder or crimp, don't do both. Also adding a heat shrink tube over insulated crimped connectors/joins makes no sense to me (unless you want to hide your imperfect crimp...) Heat shrink tubes over soldered wire joins makes sense though, and makes a good and rigid connection if done right (it's cheaper also, but disassembly is not as easy). If using heat shrink tubes in automotive assemblies, make sure to use high quality kind with glue inside. Helps protect it against dirt and moisture and makes it more resistant to wear, moist, vibrations etc.
I make the wiring of an old Fiat 131 about 3 years ago only crimping and never had any electric problem. I think soldering is ok only in circuit boards. Anyway really good tutorial, I learned the hard way.
I recently built my own camper van . Wiring wise using crimps .
Using a crimping tool similar to the one in the video .
If it's getting a bit awkward , is to load the crimp into the ratchet crimper literally to the first notch on the ratchet .
So the crimp is gripped just enough so it can't fall out of the tool .
Then you have a bit more control in tight areas , push the stripped wire into the crimp then squeeze it up .
Rather unorthodox but it worked for me .
I like those quick release levers for your crimper dies. I have to remove my two screws to change out dies .. although I never change them. I've got a second crimper for non- insulated connectors.
Oh cool! :D I bought a crimping tool just like yours by misstake today, when I actually wanted a cable-stripping tool (yeah, I must be blind...lol). And being a complete beginner in this area, I had absolutely no idea what I had brought home! I'm not an native english speaker, so the word "crimping" to me sounded like something you might do when peeling a cable. Also the store employee actually told me it was a cable-stripper, and I was in a hurry to catch my bus. Anyways, now I realize that this is exactly the kind of tool I'm going to need after stripping the wire! =) Funny how misstakes can end up being lucky sometimes!
Eric
the number of conductors inside the insulation determines the flexibility of the wire. Thaat is the smaller the conductor size and the laarger number of conductors the more flexible it is. Also I have been stripping wire for over 50 years and use nothing but a knife or side cutters. You can get a good strip this way doing this method. I never use splices to join wire, but will use ring and spade terminals. In any wire joinery, I solder. Solder wires together and solder terminals on the ends. I was glad when heat shrink tubing came along. When it firsy came out it was about $15.00 for a 3 foot section to shrink over a 14 ga. wire. How things have changed over the years.
Good video, I learned that if you press the metal of the shrink tube flat, slide the shrink tube itself off, solder, then slide the shrink tube back over, and shrink. Added protection, add proper size shrink tube as well? Over-kill, I know but it's good, I've tried!
Well, when we fixed aircraft wiring (NAVY, AE) we used crimp type splices to make a repair in a wire, crimped on pins inside connectors too. Special heat guns for the heat shrink to seal up the splices, no lighters. Crimp tools that don't release until they've been squeezed far enough. Pretty much what you see here. Soldering was only on terminals that were meant to be soldered to. I use a butane soldering iron when I solder, it heats up quick, doesn't require a cord. I'll set up a few wires, solder and then shut the iron off and put it out of the way by itself or in an old glass ashtray If I want it near. I also have a neat little butane heat gun that shrinks things up quick without too much heat. Having the proper tools and supplies to begin with makes it so much easier.
These nothing like a really good stripper!
I actually watched another channel and the guy was sleeving computer cables and using shrink tubing with it. He had a heat shrink tube gun that is only a quarter of the size of the standard electric heat gun, weighs a lot less and only uses lighter fluid or a lighter insert. That would be a cool bit of arsenal for your automotive electric kit dude. I'm going to get one within the week. Cheers for the video bud. :)
I was recently introduced to posi-lock and posi-tap connectors. They're slightly more expensive then your standard butt connector or tap, but I love them. They don't come in connectors that I am aware of, but they are great for connecting wires together.
Thank you so much for making this! I hadn't thought of the heat gun before but will start using that from now on. I'm about to take on a project of installing an aftermarket Android stereo so this tutorial is perfect. I also enjoyed what you said about the crimping being very relaxing. That, of course, is if you're not using the cheap-o Harbor Freight stripper's crimpers that are 1/16" thick and act like scissors when crimping.
Being a welder for a good portion of my life, I tend to want to solder connections and shrink tube them then place them in flex loom. Just more confidence in those terminations and it looks so neat and tidy when you're finished.
I agree, but with this project, those shrink tube butt connectors saved my butt. (pun intended) When you have to make a thousand connections, crimping can save you a ton of time. Thanks for your input.
The reason the numbers increase as the wire diameter decreases is wire is measured as how many can fit into a square inch. Known as the Stubs Steel Wire Gauge. They use similar for IV cannula sizing.
I enjoyed the video and never knew that some people crimp the wiring and then solder the connection later. That is the one thing I never did when soldering wiring, and didn't know that was an option.
Excellent video/tutorial!
I don't have any experience with proper electrical crimping (using actual crimping tools and doing it right), but I think I might know why some people prefer to solder as well as crimp: The best crimp, short of using an industrial swage machine to compress the sleeve into a solid block, will still leave tiny air pockets between strands of wire as well as the connector. Eyes made in steel cable using crimped aluminum 'duplex' or 'turnback' sleeves tend to oxidize on the inside, gradually losing their holding power. So I assume the same issue will exist with any crimped connection - no matter how well you do it, corrosion can still occur inside the sleeve. Soldering, however, should be able to completely fill those air pockets.
Just my thoughts. I'm terrible at soldering, but I sure would rather have solder in addition to a crimp, even with shrinkwrap.
@4:53 - The knurled knob at the top of the pliers adjusts for the different thickness of the wires. There are 4 positions - 0.2-.9mm; 1 -- 4.0mm ; 5.0 -6mm and computer wires. Try it and see what works.
i like the heat shrink butt connectors and terminals much more than the standard dark plastic ones.
i try to go a little smaller than the recommended color connections like you did in the video with a blue connector for 10 gauge wire even though it's technically in yellow territory. it feels tighter.
i use the second style of strippers and the pliers type of crimpers, personal preference, as long as you use a tool designed for the job, you'll have much more success than trying to use a random pair of pliers to crimp or diagonal cutters instead of a correct stripper.
excellent video. keep up the good work.
I was looking into this topic just a few days ago, hoping you had made a video on it. Sure enough just a few days later it's posted, very helpful, great video.
Great information, I am currently making two flood lights for nightime trout fishing and this helped me tremendously! Subbed!
Excellent video Eric. You are absolutely right the correct tools make the job, there are different arguments for mechanical crimps vs soldier for different applications. This video was well thought out and presented.
The video makes us feel like a curios little kid standing in there, and Eric is like daddy behind me teaching all the wiring stuff ;)
Weird fetish projection
Bud, you need to be on radio, you have the voice !!
Just got a really cool kit and not one mention of how to use it. Thanks Eric!
1) You should always use ratcheting crimpers. Ratcheting crimpers should not overcrimp, they should crimp the right amount and then stop. The crimper you showed early on that is not ratcheting, the one with blue handles which you said works better with non-insulated connectors.... there's a reason. It's DESIGNED for non-insulating connectors. It's the wrong tool for insulated connectors (and the wrong tool for any connector because it's not ratcheting).
2) Never solder a crimp connection. In fact, never solder anything that didn't initially come soldered. No really, don't use solder. It's not an appropriate way to repair something. Solder leaves a mechanically rigid joint. Over time, there will almost invariably be stress (often cyclic stress) on the joint, and it will break. A crimp connection is designed to grip things without becoming rigid and is more than adequate.
3) Avoid using crimps with vinyl insulation. Seriously, nylon is way better.
4) You should always have heatshrink over all joints, whether its inherent in the connector or added on top of it (remember to put it on before connecting the wire because you may have no option afterward.
5) Electrical tape is, under no circumstances, a substitute for heatshrink. Ever. They serve two different purposes. Electrical tape will not adequately protect the joint from the weather.
Perfectly said.
Excellent video...but no happy birthday ?!??
To each their own, reading through comments.
Yes, soldered connections can go bad over time, crack, high vibrations with no give, but I honestly believe this is based on materials used and knowledge /execution.
I mainly do soldering for security, you tug hard enough on any crimped connection, and they usually fail, but I see both sides as well and have used crimping.
Looks good Eric ! Well done sir!
I've got a technique I like for the crimp terminals that crimp both the conductor and the jacket. I strip my wire to the length I want, load a terminal into the dies and start the crimp with the usual three clicks, hold the wire in front of the crimp dies, but touching the dies themselves, line up where my conductor and insulator go relative to the dividing line on the crimp dies, then slide my fingers holding the wire down so they are actually touching the dies. Without changing my grip on the wire, I'll then shove the wire into the terminal until my fingers touch against the crimp dies again in the same way, and crimp away. I've been doing it this way for years on everything from automotive-type 10AWG crimps to 26AWG Molex C-Grid-type pins, and since I started I have yet to end up with a crimp that has insulation under the wire side, or not enough insulation under the insulation side.
A similar idea works for both non-insulated and insulated crimp terminals; you just line the wire up with the crimp dies or jaws again in the right orientation using fingers as a gauge. It works surprisingly well.
eric thanks for the help im trying to extend some cords on a car connector so this information helps tremendously have a good day
This is a fantastic video that shows the subtle intricacies of something that seems simple, but can have a few pitfalls. You're so right about having the right tool. Great work as always. A minor nitpick: I can see the benefit of having Cameraman Brian. On some of the shots here I needed to pop a Dramamine. I kid, I kid! Have a good 4th, Eric.
Yea, I miss Brian too. It's lonely in the shop these days, but the Fairmont is keeping me company.
I love those terminals with the heat-shrink tubing pre-installed. And I hate the ones with the hard plastic. I also tend to use non-insulated terminals for ground connections. Almost everything on the car grounds to the chassis, anyway. So there's no need to worry about short-circuits.
For connections that will be exposed to the elements, I like to use "fully insulated" terminals or weather-pack terminals. On the fully insulated terminals, I put a dab of grease into them before connecting them, to keep moisture out.
eric, there are different strand counts for wire. higher strand counts are more flexible.
there's also tinned wire, i believe for corrosion resistance, however that is done to the individual strands from the wire manufacturer. i don't think it's a good idea to solder the wire before crimping as it doesn't allow the wire to flair to increase pull out resistance.
I agree with you. I used to work with small gauge solid and stranded wire. It seemed to me that crimping terminal lugs on to solid wire did not make a good connection because I think the crimp style connectors were designed for use with stranded wire where the stranded wire would be crushed in the crimp whereas solid wire will not crush, thus a poor connection.
In my automotive class they taught me the crimping and soldering of the wires but they say it's better to just crimp because a crimp is metal on metal where solder is the same essentially but the type of solder is essential too. They also showed me that in time the solder can go bad in essence and creates a corrosion called electrolysis and modern tech on a car is sensitive to even the slightest drop in voltage that could be dropped in that solder. In theory you could have caused a problem by soldering in the long run than just crimping it and calling it there I hope my point is clear if not my bad but I can elaborate on that but in short they said crimping is better
the bigger isue the vibration, the hard point solder creates makes the copper more likely to break from work hardening. With electronics if it moves or the user is in contact with it you probably want a crimp/compression connector. Some reason you will see lots of glue on pcbs in electronics where vibration is expected(or over built).
Reason 2 solder dosen't crip like copper, its not nearly as squishable, It will break down with vibration and chip like an over hardened steel blade.
Side note if you have to solder in a car make sure you have a long bit of heat shrink to keep the flex away from the solder joint to prevent bending. Still avoid it if you can on critical stuff.
Broken joints aside, if you have a voltage issue the connection isn't good period. Solder can go bad, but you SHOULD be heat shrinking to help prevent that.
Realistically, unless you have a very special application, both are the same.
photondebuger45 Corrosion between solder and copper? Never heard of such silliness. Solder forms an alloy with the copper. The solder making the connection brittle should be an actual concern. The second concern would be these type of connectors that just squish. Try to find oem terminals and get a good crimper that actually folds the wings of the terminal down into the wire, and the insulation.
+Tim Ramich those connectors you mention are the strongest , you can pull out on the wire. I'm waiting for someone who fabricate clips to clip on for more strenght
Solder is more reliable for the DIY; for aerospace and mil applications, crimp connections are required in cable harnesses subjected to vibration because they're not brittle as a solder connection would be when the solder wicks up the wires.
However, the crimpers used there are very different from the DIY crimpers, because the specialized crimpers actually bond the wires together from the very high compression forces, essentially creating a pressure weld. That won't be happening with the generic crimps.
Solder and heat shrink is best for reliability, and won't be as prone to degraded connections over time from corrosion with exposure to humid conditions in the environment. Generic crimp tools will leave some air channels that can allow internal corrosion to happen over time; soldering after the crimp would help fill the gaps. Just need to take care not to overheat the insulating sleeve if using cheap quality crimp terminals though, causing them open up and just slide off.
I'm an electrician in Queensland, Australia, and I specialise in industrial work (kind of similar to auto-electrical) and we don't solder anything. Not really sure why, we just dont solder unless doing printed circuit boards. Oh, and I've never heard of over-crimping. The jaws on your crimpers shouldn't go past the ideal amount of force. Everything else seems fine.
Thanks for your input. Funny you mention that about the crimpers, I noticed it did something similar to a torque wrench when it gets to a certain point. Honestly, after wiring this car with crimp connections, I'm not sure I'll be soldering again in the future.
Soldering's arguably a better choice, but from a practical point crimping is the way to go. It's faster, doesn't require power like a soldering iron, a lot harder to get injured from a crimp tool than an iron, no fumes from the solder and can be done from a non-optimal location ie in a car trunk. You can go over your crimps with a heat gun or lighter (prefer a candle) after you're done all your crimps.
Good info. I was wondering that myself. The time savings has to be incredible.
The proper tool shouldn't over crimp. Over crimping usually damages the connector and feels like your over doing it just like tightening a bolt.
canmore0001 solder is not great in vehicles, or any place under heavy constant vibration, it fails. A lot more readily than a crimp.
The idea of crimping stranded wire is that there's a slight springiness in the wire that allows it to maintain a tight crimp regardless of temperature changes. When you solder the stranded wire, you, in effect, create a solid conductor. A solid wire has no springiness and can loosen over time. Also, because the solder will wick up under the insulation, it creates a stress point if the wire moves; the soldered part won't flex so the stress is at the point where the solder ends.
Great video! I didn't see it in this video, but I've used some electrical connectors that have a male and female connection which can be disconnected if needed. I've used this connecting wires to my side turn signal mirrors.
the wife is gonna be mad I'm on my phone again but I had to get my fairmont fix. loving the change of scenery in this video.
hay its good your passing on good information and I used to work as a quality assurance manager and your crimpers that click they should not over crimp on the job we had a lot of them and we got the best over a $100 and they are mad almost full proof and their is a bimba cylinder fixture for those tools with a foot pedal control they are nice, and your right, the right tools make the difference and wire striping in the industrial market and military grade you cant even have one strand missing because the crimp wont be as strong its a proper mechanical crimp, and solder is only a electrical connection not used as a weld not strong enough and their is a term about how clean everything is, they say is it sanitary. but I'm glade someone is not putting bullshit out their for once, hey good luck and if your installing amps and doing repairs if your interested I could tell you how it enhance amps I mean louder clear not distorting everyone I have done for people say its the best amp they ever owned and wont give it up big difference
Excellent timing, I've recently picked up a 1998 GMC C2500 with the 6.5L diesel and she's got quite a few electrical problems that I've traced back to harness damage in multiple spots. Currently have the intake out so I can get better access to where the bulk of the damage is.
TY, I really needed to know this. To know ur tools is to have a peace of mind.
Some workplaces I've learned prefer that you take the time to do it right. That means taking the time to Tin the connection because you'll know you have all the wires to conduct with, where as just crimping it without Tinning the wire means some of the wire could not be in use or the pinch could just separate the wires, not pinching them hard enough and over time will turn into a loose connection(this could cause the lights to flicker for example as the vehicle drives down the road/bumpy roads..)
That being said, when I work I'm usually under pressure to do the job in a certain amount of time, so I just skip the Tinning step as that can add an extra 15/20 minutes to a job depending on how much crimping you have to do.
All in all, it really depends on the mechanic's skill. If the mechanic is skilled enough, and takes his time to get it right the first time, then it's no big deal to skip the tinning step. If you have a rushing/corner cutting/half ass accident prone idiot doing the crimping, you're probably going to find something wrong/loose in the post-check before the equipment even leaves the shop.
I've learned from my granddad to put Vaseline in those crimp/shrink connectors. The excess pulls out when heat is applied.
13:04 Aren't those jaws your using on an insulated terminal, meant for NON insulated terminals? The jaws for insulated will have blue, red, or yellow, so you can match it up with the color of the insulation.
I believe that soldering is a must where there is a connection leading to a measurement, for example, a sensor (digital and analogue), a read out (like a speedo or taco) or an audio connection. These types of connection require solid uninterrupted power. If its a simple binary (on/off) power signal then a male/female connection should suffice, as if there is a fault in the connection you will see it instantly.
I'm not big on the use of a lighter on heat shrink, but sometimes it's the only available option. My only addition to what you do with the splice connectors is that I put a light coat of a di-electric (non-conductive) grease on the insulation before insertion. That way, if there are imperfections in the sealing of the heat shrink, the grease helps to keep water out.
Hi Eric! Im building my car and I am in the wiring step. I moved battery to the trunk. I didnt use the solder with those crimp connectors, but when I did the connections for the big powercable from trunk to front, I used little solder just because my tool was too little for the connector.IMO solder is not necessary If you have good tools and It also makes the wire too stiff to crimp for no reason.
Those Kline crimpers were all there was way back. Good for insulated and non-insulated connectors. I like those crimpers you are using. Like Ethernet crimpers.
Never heard of over-crimping, the tools i use bottom out and release after the right amount of force have been applied, much like a torque wrench.
Mine does too, I just discovered that the day after I shot this video. Douh!
klein makes an ergonomic set (blue handle white ring) very good.
I'm also led to believe that the reason that the gauge number goes up as size goes down is something to do with the number of drawing processes necessary to get the wire down to size. I also recall that it's not as easy as a 1:1 correlation to the awg number.
Hi Eric Nice video, clear information on connectors and tools, and mostly good advice on procedures. But there is a but, never tin a wire before crimping, tin is a mechanically weak metal, and it creeps, if you tin a wire before crimping, you just made a connection that will get loose and fail, so ONLY crimp bare wire. You can solder UN-insulated connectors AFTER crimping, I do not do it myself, but some people do, I would NEVER solder an insulated connector. You should NEVER have to use the release on your crimping tool, guessing when the crimp is done correctly, is NOT the way to go, the ratchet is there to insure that you go to the correct max. pressure, and that you do NOT release the tool prematurely! There should be an adjustment instruction included with your ratcheting crimping tool. Keep up the good work
Fantastic video, it helps when your camera can pick up on the details!
Solder, or sodder as you Americans seem to say :), adds resistance. Wire to wire is always the best option.
There's a scarcity of good how-tos on this subject so thanks a bunch for this.
I like the crimping as appose the soldering. When done with the proper tools it makes a great connection that anyone can make.
@7:00 and 12:45, I believe you are using non-insulated connector die (with spike) to an insulated connector. This is probably OK, but there is a risk the insulation may get ripped and may not give you waterproofing it was designed for with heat shrink butt connectors. You probably want to use the die with smooth contour from the red die storage box.
I'd also like to add that it's good to get QUALITY crimp connectors. In my experience, the most durable ones have built-in sealant that will ooze out of the insulation when you apply heat. Not only is the connection sealed from moisture and dust ingress, the copper inside is mechanically supported to prevent work-hardening and breakage of the wire inside the insulation.
That is the exact type of connector I'm using and they work great. Thanks for the comment.
Eric, the first stripper’s , the blue and yellow one, have a tensioning screw on it , so if you set it up right you won’t pull out any strands of copper.. 🤙🏼🇦🇺
Agreed proper tool is very important. I have the same problem. The crimp tool I was using is awful. I don't solder before. I will solder after in some cases, like on my old tractor where the connects will be exposed to moisture, high humidity, higher stresses (vibrations, etc), but that is mostly to keep out corrosion and added security. I would expect it to be a problem soldering before crimping as the solder would make the wires harder and less willing to form but that would also have been using a cheap awful crimping tool. Knowing how to properly crimp is also important. I made crimps incorrectly for a while because someone showed me how to crimp and they were also doing it wrong.
Great video thank you. This may be a silly question. When you are joining 4 wires (Neg to Neg and Positive Positive)to power one item Eg: cord from a fan to the cord of a cigarette adapter plug, I am assuming you will have two different connectors to crimp?
Great video automotive wiring is very complex with many different types of signals and power connections. I would like to add know the circuit your working on. If it is a 12-volt power circuit where is it fused, what is the fuse rating is the wire size and connector rated for the circuit. Again this is a great video covering the physical connectors and wires. I have a 1964 C10 pickup that was owned by an industrial electrician. He rewired the truck with solid conductor 14 and 10 gauge wire. I chased broken conductors for hours. I have purchased a painless harness to rewire the truck. Thanks for the great videos and all the hard work.
Painless makes great kits. Thanks for the comment.
Do you add an anti oxidation paste to the wires before you crimp?
I solder any connections that don't demand removal and sometimes even those. Always a better connection especially in cases where exposed to environment. Shrink tube And/or electrical tape over connection. For extreme weather exposure we use tar tape.
Ratcheted crimper tools usually have a auto release which allows you to set the correct crimp force, then you just crimp it down and it lets go automatically without you having to manually release the tool and worry about over crimping.
This tool does that. Unfortunately I figured that out the day after I shot this video. Thanks for your input.
Nice man! I just did my painless harness on my Bronco, I wish you had this video before that. I learned a lot through the process but this video would have helped. Good job!
4:20 the wire on the right looks to me to have more strands, than the one on the left.
more strands means more redundancy if one of the strands breaks, also that more strands means it's better to send a signal (really only applies to the 750mhz+ range).
So the thinner strands, as far as automotive is concerned are used more in areas where it is likely to flex due to vibration and movement.
The quality of wire connections depends on the tools, wire, connectors and skill. Used to build relay control cabinets using nickel plated teflon wire and gold plated connectors. For automobiles I usually solder all connectors and use heat shrink but don't use a torch or soldering iron. Instead of a conventional soldering Iron I use a carbon rod (welders gouging rod) and 6V battery because it is quick and only heats the terminal. Easy to solder extremely large connectors using this method even in the wind.
Great info. Thanks!
Great videos Eric and cant wait to see the first burnout!
Thanks.
Kyle T you want to wake up in bed next to him one day dont ya homo!
fuzzy wuzzy that's not what your mom thinks.
4:10 I think the reason the one on the left has more conductor is because it is CCA and the one on the right is pure copper, but hard to tell from video.
Should've soldered them Eric it keeps thems corrosions out.
But that's really all solder does it keeps connections condensation free.
Godspeed good sir.
I disagree, the shrink tube butt connectors create a 'cold weld' and the shrink tube seals it when you're done. It's just as good as solder if not better and takes a lot less time. Thanks for your input.
great video i agree its all about the tools making the job easier and better. also the connectors do not get the harbor freight ones to save money they dont stay connected or they break
Hey Eric, wire gauge and sheet metal thickness use the same measuring system :)
I did not know that. Thanks!
Eric , this is very good video thx. Let me say however the the other crimper if done correctly will give you a factory connection . Now I will say it has to be done on non insulated connection. I am not trying to correct you in any way . I am saying that there is another way to do this . Oh also you will have to cover the connection with heat shrink to finish the connection
Thanks had a hard time finding a good crimping tool.
As far as insulated/non-insulated, I’ve always been able to slide the insulator off if it’s not necessary. I just keep everything together for future use.
Also his point about heat shrink is dead on. I heat shrink all my crimps, but mainly because of OCD.
Nothing like having a nice connector assortment laying around.
Throughout my life with old car, I've experienced numerous crimp electrical failures. So overall, I don't like crimp joints. That said, the right crimp tool goes a long way toward making a better crimp joint.