electrical connectors

[fordguy]

what is a good source for connectors and what type the cheap crimp ons i buy at the parts store are not what i am looking for

 

[Skiddy]

here's about the best place that I know of http://www.delcitywire.com/delcity/servlet/catalog?category=Terminals&page=1

 

[broncow72]

www.waytekwire.com
click on products, go down and click on connectors-multipin, now click on packard weatherpak.
I have been using these and love 'em

 

[fordguy]

broncow72, skiddy, do you buy those locally somewhere or online

 

[Aloha Mr Hand]

Those Waytek connectors look cool. Very similar to the ones I'm planning on using when I reconstruct my harness. The key thing is that they crimp on to the wire and have a separate crimp on the insulation of the wire so it's really strong. You can also drop a little solder on there too for good measure.

Here's what I'm going to use. http://www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=KPEL0

They are the same basic idea. These are exactly like the ones used in Japanese motorcycles. I have an old Kawasaki and wanted to have everything look like it belonged there. This guy Jeff is a good guy to deal with. They aren't on the web site but they do have the plastic blocks to build up multi-pin connectors, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 pin blocks are available.

They also have bullet connectors for single wire connections and they have the vinyl sleeves that make them water tight. I believe the order qtys are a little lower, everything is about $2 for a 10 pack.

 

[broncow72]

broncow72, skiddy, do you buy those locally somewhere or online

I order mine from waytek. There is a $5 minimum on individual items being ordered. Summit also has started carrying them. What I did was just buy a bunch of different connectors I think I will need and am sure I will have plenty of extras I can sell off. I just can't sell them off yet.

 

[Skiddy]

not sure where your at but here is the local places, other than online. I think some of the speed shops carry some decent ones also.

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

You are more likely to find one of these dealers locally:
http://www.quickcable.com/23.html

 

[Solar Aviator]

Insulated crimp on connectors suck! I have seen more electrical failures and problems caused by them in aircraft, machinery, and vehicles than about anything else. You can not really see the quality of the crimp on the wire. I have had very good luck with bare connectors, the correct crimping die, and shrink wrap for inslulation. I makes a very neat and professional looking connection. Solder might seem like a good idea but actually can cause a brittle area where the lead wicks up the wire. I've seen failures in areas where soldered connectors are used where the wires flex or vibarate.

 

[Pa PITT]

chrysler only lets us solder and heat srink ...that's all they will pay a warrainty claim for
so I've started to heat srink my stuff...

 

[antnykk]

wow, does solder really cause a weak spot. I always thought solder was a better connection since is can not vibrate loose. also, isn't crimping onto the wire fatiguing the strands more than soldering would?

 

[Aloha Mr Hand]

The insulated crimp-on connectors you get at 99.9% of auto parts stores DO suck. The connectors I was referring to are bare and have separate tight fitting male/female vinyl sleeves. You could heat shrink instead I suppose. It might even be a little cheaper. What I forgot to mention about the connectors from Z1 Enterprises is that they take a special set of crimping pliers that they also sell. They have a heart-shaped die to roll the crimp over very clean and consistent, not like the others that just sort of smash the crimp flat on the wire only. These connectors have been used on motorcycles for years, which is a much more exposed environment than the interior of a Bronco... (most Broncos) ...

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

No offense, but solder does not cause any more of a weak spot than crimping. The thought that this was true was circulating on some electrical tech boards last year. It however is not.

Solder does wick up the wire. It does make the wire stiff. This however does not make the wire brittle. It will create a pivot point for the wire, but so does crimping it. As does bolting or wire tying it to the body.

What soldering a connection does do however, is not allow the crimped connection to become loose, or to become contaminated by oxygen. So the very best connection you can have is one that has a mechanical connection, which is crimping, as there is virtual no resistance in this type connection.

Once crimped it should be soldered with silver solder to hold the mechanical connection and to keep it sealed. Then a layer of minimum double wall heat shrink to keep moisture out and protect the connection. This is tried tested and proven a thousand times over to be better than a crimped connection. The only issue with this way of doing it is that the connection is permanent, so if you need to disconnect it, you have to cut it out.

 

[Solar Aviator]

No offense, but several faliures in wires that are subjected to movement or viberation were attributed to the junction of solder and stranded wire. AC43-13 (The FAA Maintenance Standards and Practices Manual) dictates approved crimp on connectors for most applications. I had my nose rubbed in it after doing a beautiful job and had to redo about 100 connections that I had crimped, soldered, and shrinkwrapped. But on a truck, anything other than a cheap squash on will probably work just fine. I recomend a good quality connector and the proper crimp die.

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

That had to suck. I won't disput what the FAA says in their manual, but unless they were talking about wires 22ga or smaller, I think they need to give their heads a shake. The junctions they had issues with were probably on a flex or pivot point in the loom, and would have broke whether crimped or soldered. If they would have used quad wall heat shrink, the wires would have broke at one of the ends instead.

I just finished a Lancaster generator that had 5 of its 20+ mounting bolts sheered off due to vibration. The welded and soldered connections internally survived. The crimped connection on the brush leads didn't on one of the six brushes. More ironically is this was what I attributed the majority of the extra vibration in the generator to. But anyway..........

An automotive application is far more severe than an airplane. Wire is exposed to salt, grease, oil, gas, extreme temperatures, acidic fumes, etc, etc. The last time I was near a plane its wiring was fairly well protected. Far better than an automobiles. The planes certainly didn't have computers hanging from them.

The harmonic vibrations a Detriot 60 series motor gives off are what legends are made of. Until they made a pad mount alternator for them, an alternator would last less than year before most of its mounting holes were severely out of round and loose. Electrical it survived, but the housings were always junk. They literally shake themselves apart.

Hope I don't seem like I am trying to start an arguement, I am not. (This answered a question I had, as i wonder why the brush leads were only soldered on the one end, and just crimped on the other) The FAA likely had good reason to adopt the policy it did. Without seeing the data personally, I can't say I agree or disagree with it. Just my personal experience and plain logic suggests that I should suspect their findings.