The Best Wire Repair Method. Or Is It!
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Date: 2024-05-29
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Comments and reviews: 20
athhud
I quit using insulated crimp connectors years ago (with the exception of the ones with heat shrink insulation. If I run out of uninsulated connectors, I cut the vinyl/nylon insulation off of the remainder of my insulated stock and use it as an uninsulated connector. In my opinion it is by far the cleanest/best way to repair wires that wiggle. My only criticism of your technique is that you don’t have a stash of Sharpies/paint pens to color match the wires. If you only use white wire, you can always have matching wires! Hold the side of the pen tip to the wire and drag down for stripes. Throw some clear shrink tube over the painted portion and it won’t wear off. I do insist on covering the solder joint/crimp connector with white shrink tube prior to paint and clear tube though. .. Keep in mind that I am just a cattle rancher with a touch of OCD. I don’t get paid by the hour (or at all really lol) and work at my own pace. Just because I go to absurd lengths to make it pretty though, doesn’t mean that I didn’t do a twist and tape patch months earlier, until I had some free time to do it right. :D I do expect every mechanic/technician to do it the same as me or better. Which is exactly why I never grace the door of a shop anymore. I know I am a bit loony and finally realized that I shouldn’t expect the rest of the world to join in on the disease.
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I quit using insulated crimp connectors years ago (with the exception of the ones with heat shrink insulation. If I run out of uninsulated connectors, I cut the vinyl/nylon insulation off of the remainder of my insulated stock and use it as an uninsulated connector. In my opinion it is by far the cleanest/best way to repair wires that wiggle. My only criticism of your technique is that you don’t have a stash of Sharpies/paint pens to color match the wires. If you only use white wire, you can always have matching wires! Hold the side of the pen tip to the wire and drag down for stripes. Throw some clear shrink tube over the painted portion and it won’t wear off. I do insist on covering the solder joint/crimp connector with white shrink tube prior to paint and clear tube though. .. Keep in mind that I am just a cattle rancher with a touch of OCD. I don’t get paid by the hour (or at all really lol) and work at my own pace. Just because I go to absurd lengths to make it pretty though, doesn’t mean that I didn’t do a twist and tape patch months earlier, until I had some free time to do it right. :D I do expect every mechanic/technician to do it the same as me or better. Which is exactly why I never grace the door of a shop anymore. I know I am a bit loony and finally realized that I shouldn’t expect the rest of the world to join in on the disease.
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kylefowler5082
I've tried the liquid electrical tape on naked wires and it's not a long term fix. When I first got my previous truck I quickly found that someone had made a complete mess of the trailer wiring. They had tried to use vampire connectors on an aftermarket four pin towing harness to connect another aftermarket five pin harness onto the four pin harness of course with the whole mess just dangling up behind the bumper. The four pin harness was actually the nicer style that plugs into your tailight harness with no splicing of wires so I wanted to keep it and used the liquid electrical tape to cover up where they had removed the wire insulation and then installed the vampire. I covered the whole harness in wire loom and it looked spiffy. Two years later and I go to plug up the harness to a trailer and the taillights act all weird even when I unplug the connector. I had a feeling what the problem was and sure enough the liquid electrical tape had cracked and fallen off. Hope this post helps someone out!
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I've tried the liquid electrical tape on naked wires and it's not a long term fix. When I first got my previous truck I quickly found that someone had made a complete mess of the trailer wiring. They had tried to use vampire connectors on an aftermarket four pin towing harness to connect another aftermarket five pin harness onto the four pin harness of course with the whole mess just dangling up behind the bumper. The four pin harness was actually the nicer style that plugs into your tailight harness with no splicing of wires so I wanted to keep it and used the liquid electrical tape to cover up where they had removed the wire insulation and then installed the vampire. I covered the whole harness in wire loom and it looked spiffy. Two years later and I go to plug up the harness to a trailer and the taillights act all weird even when I unplug the connector. I had a feeling what the problem was and sure enough the liquid electrical tape had cracked and fallen off. Hope this post helps someone out!
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danhnguyen-fn9eb
I always preferred the crimp and seal type connectors. However and unfortunately not all repairs can be done in the comfort of a shop. I've had people(mostly relatives) who were stuck on the side of a highway or a parking lot or random people I've come across who seemed to be in dire straights. In those cases I used whatever I had at hand to get them going and with a strong recommendation that they get to a shop to get a proper repair. I'm embarrassed to say what some of those temporary fixes were but they involve bubble gum, Band-Aids, fingernail polish(cherry red, and Nike shoelaces. Only once or twice did a tow truck have to be called and all got home safely(thank God) and then to a shop for a proper repair. I can't even imagine what I would of given to have a fraction of the repair tools you have available to you. The way I look at it different situations determine which repair technique you use. So let the haters hate and you keep doing you.
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I always preferred the crimp and seal type connectors. However and unfortunately not all repairs can be done in the comfort of a shop. I've had people(mostly relatives) who were stuck on the side of a highway or a parking lot or random people I've come across who seemed to be in dire straights. In those cases I used whatever I had at hand to get them going and with a strong recommendation that they get to a shop to get a proper repair. I'm embarrassed to say what some of those temporary fixes were but they involve bubble gum, Band-Aids, fingernail polish(cherry red, and Nike shoelaces. Only once or twice did a tow truck have to be called and all got home safely(thank God) and then to a shop for a proper repair. I can't even imagine what I would of given to have a fraction of the repair tools you have available to you. The way I look at it different situations determine which repair technique you use. So let the haters hate and you keep doing you.
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athhud
My favorite stripper was Sapphire. She wasn’t the hottest girl on the pole, but she had a nerdy girl next door look, great personality, and would have a conversation that wasn’t a desperate attempt to milk me for cash. Last time I saw her she was only waiting the tables because she was 7-8 months pregnant with kid number 4 or 5. I got married a year later, so haven’t seen her in nearly a decade, but every time I think of a stripper, I wonder how life turned out for her.
Once I bought the Klein Katapults over a decade ago, I haven’t had any reason to try any other strippers for automotive wiring. I picked up the Carlisle version of your Snappy’s but honestly don’t think I’ve stripped a single wire with them yet. For residential wiring my Southwires with the NM sheath strippers are the bee’s knees.
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My favorite stripper was Sapphire. She wasn’t the hottest girl on the pole, but she had a nerdy girl next door look, great personality, and would have a conversation that wasn’t a desperate attempt to milk me for cash. Last time I saw her she was only waiting the tables because she was 7-8 months pregnant with kid number 4 or 5. I got married a year later, so haven’t seen her in nearly a decade, but every time I think of a stripper, I wonder how life turned out for her.
Once I bought the Klein Katapults over a decade ago, I haven’t had any reason to try any other strippers for automotive wiring. I picked up the Carlisle version of your Snappy’s but honestly don’t think I’ve stripped a single wire with them yet. For residential wiring my Southwires with the NM sheath strippers are the bee’s knees.
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johncooper4637
I use the non insulated butt connectors with heat shrink that has glue. I cannot remember making any connections that were not inside the vehicle. But I do not have a small hand held torch to heat the tubing instead I use a heat gun that has a wrap around fitting for the nozzle that solves the heating two sides issue. It depends on what wire I am working with as to stripping method. I have automatic strippers that are not as good as yours, wire strippers that have separate tools for stranded or solid wire and some very special strippers for stripping wire wrap wire (old timey circuit board connections) that are a single size. In race cars teflon coated wire is sometimes used and that is hard to strip.
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I use the non insulated butt connectors with heat shrink that has glue. I cannot remember making any connections that were not inside the vehicle. But I do not have a small hand held torch to heat the tubing instead I use a heat gun that has a wrap around fitting for the nozzle that solves the heating two sides issue. It depends on what wire I am working with as to stripping method. I have automatic strippers that are not as good as yours, wire strippers that have separate tools for stranded or solid wire and some very special strippers for stripping wire wrap wire (old timey circuit board connections) that are a single size. In race cars teflon coated wire is sometimes used and that is hard to strip.
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jeffjankiewicz5100
The only thing liquid electric tape is good for is covering piercings you make probing wires. I use the older style strippers to cut the insulation so I can twist it off. Wire is now ready with a tight twist for open barrel crimp. I do it the same as you after that on my 1991 Chevy 1500. Most of the connectors on the engine harness have been replaced the same way due to age. Little guys were falling apart causing havoc with the money light. Good visual inspection told me to replace the little guys and the money light went out. Yay Chevy Thunder! Thanks Eric, I learned it from you, no more soldering and good heat shrink, just non-insulated crimps and good heat shrink.
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The only thing liquid electric tape is good for is covering piercings you make probing wires. I use the older style strippers to cut the insulation so I can twist it off. Wire is now ready with a tight twist for open barrel crimp. I do it the same as you after that on my 1991 Chevy 1500. Most of the connectors on the engine harness have been replaced the same way due to age. Little guys were falling apart causing havoc with the money light. Good visual inspection told me to replace the little guys and the money light went out. Yay Chevy Thunder! Thanks Eric, I learned it from you, no more soldering and good heat shrink, just non-insulated crimps and good heat shrink.
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thatguyb3rt
I'm gonna have to get me those Knipex auto strippers, I have an auto set but like you said, they're finicky at best and I often run into them either pulling strands or them not getting a clean cut. The set I use the most though is my snap on crimper/stripper combo, same ones you just got, they work pretty well for most stuff and they crimp well.
As for the liquid electrical tape, I have used it in a pinch with normal heat shrink when I was out of adhesive lined heat shrink. I dab a bit all around the joint and slide the heat shrink over, usually get a bit of squeeze out on either side and it seals up the joint well.
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I'm gonna have to get me those Knipex auto strippers, I have an auto set but like you said, they're finicky at best and I often run into them either pulling strands or them not getting a clean cut. The set I use the most though is my snap on crimper/stripper combo, same ones you just got, they work pretty well for most stuff and they crimp well.
As for the liquid electrical tape, I have used it in a pinch with normal heat shrink when I was out of adhesive lined heat shrink. I dab a bit all around the joint and slide the heat shrink over, usually get a bit of squeeze out on either side and it seals up the joint well.
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truracer20
It ain't rocket science. If you can't successfully crimp a connection I can't fathom how you could manage to successfully solder one. But I will say I have seen solder joints fail in automotive wiring repairs and it doesn't have anything to do with how it was done. Vibration causes the wire to fatigue at the point where the solder ends. Heat shrink gets soft and pliable when it gets warm and allows for easy flexing. There's a reason why crimping is still the gold standard of factory wiring connectors. The manufacturers could easily automate soldering of connectors.
I know GM soldered splices at least into the 80's.
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It ain't rocket science. If you can't successfully crimp a connection I can't fathom how you could manage to successfully solder one. But I will say I have seen solder joints fail in automotive wiring repairs and it doesn't have anything to do with how it was done. Vibration causes the wire to fatigue at the point where the solder ends. Heat shrink gets soft and pliable when it gets warm and allows for easy flexing. There's a reason why crimping is still the gold standard of factory wiring connectors. The manufacturers could easily automate soldering of connectors.
I know GM soldered splices at least into the 80's.
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jamesford7182
Do you actually realize that marine grade crap almost never can meet automotive standards They do meet certain ASME, SAE, and other referenced standards but they are often ranked lower in the scale against automotive ratings. My installs were individually inspected and certified by third party inspectors to UL and NFPA standards. I seriously doubt that I will change my ways because of this video. As a repair Eh. not even close to how I would have handled it but, it'll do, I guess. The end result was not all that bad but I would have gone about it quite differently, mainly be cause it was in convoluted loom.
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Do you actually realize that marine grade crap almost never can meet automotive standards They do meet certain ASME, SAE, and other referenced standards but they are often ranked lower in the scale against automotive ratings. My installs were individually inspected and certified by third party inspectors to UL and NFPA standards. I seriously doubt that I will change my ways because of this video. As a repair Eh. not even close to how I would have handled it but, it'll do, I guess. The end result was not all that bad but I would have gone about it quite differently, mainly be cause it was in convoluted loom.
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davidbaldwin2729
hi Eric, you helped me out today. all the lights on the wife's golf cart went out and so I used many lessons that you have taught to fix it. Found power going out of the battery but none on that color wire at the other end of the harness. Confirmed no OHM continuity between the ends. so then began opening up the harness, there are no connectors, and halfway along found the broken wire. Curiously it was at the site of a non insulated barrel crimp which had just come loose. I repaired with solder and 33 tape and stuffed everything back into the loom and Bobs your uncle. many thanks.
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hi Eric, you helped me out today. all the lights on the wife's golf cart went out and so I used many lessons that you have taught to fix it. Found power going out of the battery but none on that color wire at the other end of the harness. Confirmed no OHM continuity between the ends. so then began opening up the harness, there are no connectors, and halfway along found the broken wire. Curiously it was at the site of a non insulated barrel crimp which had just come loose. I repaired with solder and 33 tape and stuffed everything back into the loom and Bobs your uncle. many thanks.
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318ishonk
Naaah, Eric, that's not up to Industry Standards (what you did there.
Professionals (i. e. some builders I know) do it the following way:
- Strip the wire ends for at least an inch or two (with a knife or teeth)
- Fiddle the wire ends together manually (wire colors don't matter)
- Tear off strips of Gaffer tape with dirty, oily hands (don't use scissors. That avoids them sticking together too strongly.
- Isolate the exposed copper wires / strands with those strips of Gaffer tape
- Ideally the end result looks like a tree with lots of flags coming out of it
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Naaah, Eric, that's not up to Industry Standards (what you did there.
Professionals (i. e. some builders I know) do it the following way:
- Strip the wire ends for at least an inch or two (with a knife or teeth)
- Fiddle the wire ends together manually (wire colors don't matter)
- Tear off strips of Gaffer tape with dirty, oily hands (don't use scissors. That avoids them sticking together too strongly.
- Isolate the exposed copper wires / strands with those strips of Gaffer tape
- Ideally the end result looks like a tree with lots of flags coming out of it
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zakuraayame5091
I would like the experts to show me a video with a temperature sensor implanted inside the wire where they think it is getting damaged so they can see the temperature of the wire nor its insulation doesn't get much heat into it.
They have no life experience and presume their assumptions are correct without experimentation. They can't even contemplate there is a reality outside their own thought bubbles; what they think is their supposed reality despite evidence they take the stance of 'hear nothing, see nothing, speak nothing' (that contradicts their head canon.
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I would like the experts to show me a video with a temperature sensor implanted inside the wire where they think it is getting damaged so they can see the temperature of the wire nor its insulation doesn't get much heat into it.
They have no life experience and presume their assumptions are correct without experimentation. They can't even contemplate there is a reality outside their own thought bubbles; what they think is their supposed reality despite evidence they take the stance of 'hear nothing, see nothing, speak nothing' (that contradicts their head canon.
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autorepair
Eric, I’m not judging, but there are people that tend to hold connectors in their mouth/lips while they’re working. Which means you’re getting a little bit of saliva on the fittings that will, after a few months corrode. This is a real life story, as I once worked in the telecommunications (Cable)industry, and we had a new guy whose work always seem to fail after two or three months. So I rode along with him to see what he was doing, and when he popped two or three fittings in his mouth and blew through them whistling as he worked I knew exactly what was going on.
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Eric, I’m not judging, but there are people that tend to hold connectors in their mouth/lips while they’re working. Which means you’re getting a little bit of saliva on the fittings that will, after a few months corrode. This is a real life story, as I once worked in the telecommunications (Cable)industry, and we had a new guy whose work always seem to fail after two or three months. So I rode along with him to see what he was doing, and when he popped two or three fittings in his mouth and blew through them whistling as he worked I knew exactly what was going on.
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davidsawyer1599
Liquid tape Not clue if it works or not. Paul Danner likes to put a dab where he pierces the wire. If Paul Danner does it, it's probably the right product for the job.
Open flame! Walk right over to the plumber. Barrow his stinkin' torch, don't cha know. Works great, thank you.
Stripping wire. Two schools. The school you went to. Twist conductors before install terminal. The school I went to. Don't twist the conductors prior to installing said terminals. Obviously either method works.
Ahhh. does Mrs. O know you're drinking a sodie It's a joke!
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Liquid tape Not clue if it works or not. Paul Danner likes to put a dab where he pierces the wire. If Paul Danner does it, it's probably the right product for the job.
Open flame! Walk right over to the plumber. Barrow his stinkin' torch, don't cha know. Works great, thank you.
Stripping wire. Two schools. The school you went to. Twist conductors before install terminal. The school I went to. Don't twist the conductors prior to installing said terminals. Obviously either method works.
Ahhh. does Mrs. O know you're drinking a sodie It's a joke!
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philipfoster373
I do not have any problems with using crimp connectors except for one the wires have the tendency to pull loose so I use the uninsulated crimp connectors and then I’ll give them a dab of soilder or I just butt the ends together and solder after I’ve slipped a piece of shrink tube over the wire then I shrink the tube over the joint I do not like my repairs coming apart while they are in the middle of a harness then a tape big bundle of wires together and recover with the convoluted tube protection. that is just my way of doing it.
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I do not have any problems with using crimp connectors except for one the wires have the tendency to pull loose so I use the uninsulated crimp connectors and then I’ll give them a dab of soilder or I just butt the ends together and solder after I’ve slipped a piece of shrink tube over the wire then I shrink the tube over the joint I do not like my repairs coming apart while they are in the middle of a harness then a tape big bundle of wires together and recover with the convoluted tube protection. that is just my way of doing it.
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-tr0n
Barrel and shrink, crimp and seal, barrel then solder and shrink. they all work. I've used every style under the sun a thousand times and never had an issue.
I've seen more wiring failures from properly soldered repairs than anything. A pokey bit ends up rubbing through the shrink, the wire was overheated and breaks, the solder wicks 6 up the wire and now the whole thing is stiff and fragile, or the solder was cold and causes an intermittent open when rattled.
Also I'm terrible at soldering.
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Barrel and shrink, crimp and seal, barrel then solder and shrink. they all work. I've used every style under the sun a thousand times and never had an issue.
I've seen more wiring failures from properly soldered repairs than anything. A pokey bit ends up rubbing through the shrink, the wire was overheated and breaks, the solder wicks 6 up the wire and now the whole thing is stiff and fragile, or the solder was cold and causes an intermittent open when rattled.
Also I'm terrible at soldering.
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PeterTrimboli
My favorite strippers are my Klein blue handle fish tape pulling linesman pliers. It works from wire size from about # 4 to the smallest wires I've run into, but I'm just a knuckle dragging electrician. PS We electricians also crimp on solderless connectors whenever we use THHN and wire your outlet, so if you don't like that maybe you should check all your outside connections anywhere there might be THHN or sell your house too. Idk it's up to you to do with that info as you will.
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My favorite strippers are my Klein blue handle fish tape pulling linesman pliers. It works from wire size from about # 4 to the smallest wires I've run into, but I'm just a knuckle dragging electrician. PS We electricians also crimp on solderless connectors whenever we use THHN and wire your outlet, so if you don't like that maybe you should check all your outside connections anywhere there might be THHN or sell your house too. Idk it's up to you to do with that info as you will.
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schifoso
We're real.
The offsetting of the connectors is just so it'll fit without a big bulge inside a loom. Otherwise it's not an issue.
That crimp connector is fine. There's little current going through there and there's negligible voltage drop or signal loss. A good, waterproof seal is over the connection is really important for obvious reasons.
Thanks for showing us the various methods so that we don't have to go out an by the products and test them ourselves.
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We're real.
The offsetting of the connectors is just so it'll fit without a big bulge inside a loom. Otherwise it's not an issue.
That crimp connector is fine. There's little current going through there and there's negligible voltage drop or signal loss. A good, waterproof seal is over the connection is really important for obvious reasons.
Thanks for showing us the various methods so that we don't have to go out an by the products and test them ourselves.
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whaler9955
Was in the communications business for 45 years. Early on in my career, I learned how to strip wire from an old Bell Telephone engineer. He used a small pair of dikes (diagonal cutters for the PC crowd. He would pinch the jacket and make a small nip. then flip the dikes over and pull the jacket away. He had done tons of these procedures over his career and he made it look easy. I still do this today for small signal wires. I use a Klein auto stripper for bigger stuff.
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Was in the communications business for 45 years. Early on in my career, I learned how to strip wire from an old Bell Telephone engineer. He used a small pair of dikes (diagonal cutters for the PC crowd. He would pinch the jacket and make a small nip. then flip the dikes over and pull the jacket away. He had done tons of these procedures over his career and he made it look easy. I still do this today for small signal wires. I use a Klein auto stripper for bigger stuff.
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Mytwistedvoices
Why don't you rodent tape on the wires after repair The rodents clearly are interested in that area.
I used to solder connections, now I use crimp bullet connectors with seals. The crimp bullets come with seals that protect it from the environment. They are different than the crimp style you showed on the video. The crimps can be inspected for conformity to the standards in which they follow (Like IPC/WHMA-A-620. Used them for years without fail.
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Why don't you rodent tape on the wires after repair The rodents clearly are interested in that area.
I used to solder connections, now I use crimp bullet connectors with seals. The crimp bullets come with seals that protect it from the environment. They are different than the crimp style you showed on the video. The crimps can be inspected for conformity to the standards in which they follow (Like IPC/WHMA-A-620. Used them for years without fail.
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