Soldering Wire
Discussion
ks but just thought I'd check. I'll unplug the battery to be on the safe side.The preferred method for car wiring is normally crimp and heat shrink. Some people are into some solder reinforcement but only within the crimp. You can get some nice insulated butt connectors with glue inside which make a good waterproof joint too.
Solder tends to be less preferred as it stiffens the wire where it stops being wicked along and caused a stress raiser when the wire moves. Depends how much you want to spend if you don't have the crimp tools and how fussy you want to be. I'm sure it will last a while either way.
Solder tends to be less preferred as it stiffens the wire where it stops being wicked along and caused a stress raiser when the wire moves. Depends how much you want to spend if you don't have the crimp tools and how fussy you want to be. I'm sure it will last a while either way.
Buzz word said:
The preferred method for car wiring is normally crimp and heat shrink. Some people are into some solder reinforcement but only within the crimp. You can get some nice insulated butt connectors with glue inside which make a good waterproof joint too.
Solder tends to be less preferred as it stiffens the wire where it stops being wicked along and caused a stress raiser when the wire moves. Depends how much you want to spend if you don't have the crimp tools and how fussy you want to be. I'm sure it will last a while either way.
Indeed - for wire that'll move / hinge, I'd crimp it.Solder tends to be less preferred as it stiffens the wire where it stops being wicked along and caused a stress raiser when the wire moves. Depends how much you want to spend if you don't have the crimp tools and how fussy you want to be. I'm sure it will last a while either way.
I use the crimps that have heat shrink covering with adhesive inside. They are great. A crimping tool coesn't cosat much off ebay / amazon.
shorturl.at/rAHR5
LeeHabbers said:
I have been told that soldering wires together can mess up the ECU cause of the voltages or something, how true is this?
It's most unlikely to be a problem.If you were using a 12V soldering iron which was badly designed and had a tip which was electrically connected to the supply, it could be a problem when soldering on circuits connected to electronics. Using a mains voltage soldering iron that's much less likely although still remotely possible in very contrived situations. For a gas / hot air soldering gun, obviously irrelevant since there's no electrical connection between the heat source and the joint.
Chris32345 said:
I don't see how crimp connectors are any less flexible the solder
Id cut the bad section out and add a new section of wire slightly longer then what was removed then push the excess into the door/frame out the way
Correct, you know the jobId cut the bad section out and add a new section of wire slightly longer then what was removed then push the excess into the door/frame out the way
Crimped or soldered connections are both covered with adhesive type or standard heat-shrink and it's the heat shrink that takes vibration loads of the joints
When I was a lad...................
Chris32345 said:
I don't see how crimp connectors are any less flexible the solder
The issue is that the solder can wick an indeterminate distance down the core. If it gets beyond whatever strain relief the cable has, that can lead to failure where the flexible wire meets the end of the soldered section. How likely that is would depend on how the joint was soldered. If you're experienced, use the appropriate amount of solder and don't overheat the wire, it's unlikely to be a problem. A novice could easily get it wrong. (Same goes for a crimped connection.)GreenV8S said:
The issue is that the solder can wick an indeterminate distance down the core. If it gets beyond whatever strain relief the cable has, that can lead to failure where the flexible wire meets the end of the soldered section. How likely that is would depend on how the joint was soldered. If you're experienced, use the appropriate amount of solder and don't overheat the wire, it's unlikely to be a problem. A novice could easily get it wrong. (Same goes for a crimped connection.)
Unlikely to happen as you'd have to get quite a large area of the cable hot for the solder to bond any distance down the cable especially under the InsulationChris32345 said:
Unlikely to happen as you'd have to get quite a large area of the cable hot for the solder to bond any distance down the cable especially under the Insulation
I'm not saying it's impossible to create a good soldered joint, just pointing out the possible pitfalls. Crimping is almost universally recognised as superior to soldering when done right, and part of the reason for that is the potential for wiring damage due to solder wicking beyond the joint.Gassing Station | Home Mechanics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff