Those plastic clip things for splicing wires together....

[paulrockliffe]

Are they any good? I've fitted a tow-bar to my car and the wiring kit came with those plastic connectors that allow you to splice a pair of wires together, without cutting the original wire. So I used them on what I think are the right wires - checked with wiring diagrams etc - and the only light that now works on my bike rack is the rear fog light.

I don't know if the problem is:

a) The earth
b) The wrong wires
c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

Anyone know if c) is a credible option or if I'm just going to have to faff about with it a lot to get it to work?

Cheers

[jon-]

My track cars electrics are just about held together by them (and the car by cable ties), no problems so far, providing they don't pop open.

[paulrockliffe]

That is annoying. Because I'm pretty sure I've connected all the right wires together! Any idea how you retract the metal bit to try again if they're pushed most of the way through the plastic housing?

[cptsideways]

What car is it? if its old skool fine, if its newer you could be having issues with Canbus wiring & all sorts....

[catso]

paulrockliffe said:

c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

I don't know what your actual problem is but the above statement is true, 'Scotchlock' connectors are OK in theory but have no place on the often 'hostile' environment of automotive wiring - they are indeed crap. Solder & heatshrink is the way to go.

[was8v]

Earth should be OK if the foglight works.

Probably a poor connection due to the scotchblocks.

Time to get the meter out and start probing!

[garethj]

paulrockliffe said:

Any idea how you retract the metal bit to try again if they're pushed most of the way through the plastic housing?

Pull the little plastic tab back and it should show the metal blade which you can almost grip with a pliers

[paulrockliffe]

It's a 2000 Nissan Primera, no Canbus, just a simple set of wires running down the side of the boot. Multimeter is in the boot, so will have a play later. What a pain!

[Sixpackpert]

catso said:

paulrockliffe said:

c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

I don't know what your actual problem is but the above statement is true, 'Scotchlock' connectors are OK in theory but have no place on the often 'hostile' environment of automotive wiring - they are indeed crap. Solder & heatshrink is the way to go.

This.

ETA: Adhesive heatshrink if the connections are open to the elements.

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 13th April 10:49

[paulrockliffe]

So how would I solder that together without cutting the wires? The instructions reckon you shouldn't cut the wires? I'd also say the amount of working room available precludes cutting and soldering; I don't think I'd be able to do a good enough job in the space available.

What about those standard electrical connectors that you screw closed?

[mrmr96]

Sixpackpert said:

catso said:

paulrockliffe said:

c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

I don't know what your actual problem is but the above statement is true, 'Scotchlock' connectors are OK in theory but have no place on the often 'hostile' environment of automotive wiring - they are indeed crap. Solder & heatshrink is the way to go.

This.

ETA: Adhesive heatshrink if the connections are open to the elements.

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 13th April 10:49

I have had numerous problems with these scotch lock connections providing intermittent connections, or just failing. They are crap.

I use terminal block if it's inside the car, or solder and heatshrink if it's outside the car. You can get a gas powered soldering iron for about £10 from maplin, and solder and heatshrink are both cheap too. After using the tip to solder, the heat comming off the burner is enough to shrink the wrap too. It's a good system IMO, just make sure you have space around where you're working!

[Sixpackpert]

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=44094

+

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

Not the best of crimp tools but cheap.

[louismchuge]

I used them to fit a heated motorised wing mirror - still works 6 months later

[paulrockliffe]

Ok, just been for a look, definitely don't have the room to solder the wires individually. I actually have a really good crimper, but I've lent it to my Dad while he converts a van into a campervan. I'm going to use connection blocks, unless anyone can give me a good reason not to?

[mrmr96]

paulrockliffe said:

I'm going to use connection blocks, unless anyone can give me a good reason not to?

Is it protected from the elements? If yes, then terminal block is fine.

[acf8181]

Sixpackpert said:

catso said:

paulrockliffe said:

c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

I don't know what your actual problem is but the above statement is true, 'Scotchlock' connectors are OK in theory but have no place on the often 'hostile' environment of automotive wiring - they are indeed crap. Solder & heatshrink is the way to go.

This.

ETA: Adhesive heatshrink if the connections are open to the elements.

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 13th April 10:49

Just to add....crimp not solder, as solder can go brittle which isnt god when in a high vibration environment

[paulrockliffe]

Connection is in the cavity between the outerskin of the boot and the boot lining, 6 inches behind the rear light cluster, so is well protected. Should be fine.

[Morningside]

Is the trailer lightboard OK? Have you checked this fully first, reason I ask is that I have seen caravans / trailers that are NOT wired to the correct standard - ie Mr Bodgeit got there first and just wired it up any old how 'as long as it worked' method.

Else, check your earthing and check again. I did have a small festoon bulb on a couple of crock clips for testing as well as a meter - Got an old analogue one as well - So much easier to read without all that number flicking.

[Sixpackpert]

acf8181 said:

Sixpackpert said:

catso said:

paulrockliffe said:

c) Those connectors are a bit crap.

I don't know what your actual problem is but the above statement is true, 'Scotchlock' connectors are OK in theory but have no place on the often 'hostile' environment of automotive wiring - they are indeed crap. Solder & heatshrink is the way to go.

This.

ETA: Adhesive heatshrink if the connections are open to the elements.

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 13th April 10:49

Just to add....crimp not solder, as solder can go brittle which isnt god when in a high vibration environment

I used to prototype and then test printers that we produced for the military.

These has soldered connections for the mil spec multi-pin connectors on the back of the units. After 8 hours of testing on a vibration table in one plain and then 8 hours in another plain we never had a solder joint fail. These were tested to military specification (DEF STAN) so are probably some of the harshest tests a product can have. The vibration tests were carried out throughout the range from very low to extremely high resonance using one of these babies...



I suppose it's all down to quality of solder and operator? Although I do agree it can become brittle, if you 'loom' the wires together to try and minimise the movement then this would help.

Edited by Sixpackpert on Tuesday 13th April 11:28

[paulrockliffe]

Ok, swapped all the connectors over now. All the lights work. Well, I say all, I don't know about the reverse light, how can one man test that in the daylight? Record a video on my phone maybe, I dunno?

Anyway, so this happens:

Left indicator = Left brake light
Right indicator = Right brake light
Fog Light = Fog Light
Brakes = rear lights
Rear Lights = Nothing
Reverse light = Probably right.

Now, the fact that the indicators both do the same thing, but the wrong lights suggests that the fault lies in the light board wiring somewhere doesn't it?