zlacker

>>anothe+(OP)
Tangent, but related:

My dad is restoring a 1969 MG Midget. The right turn signal stopped working. Using nothing more than a voltmeter, I found a disconnected wire and a short to the frame.

I replaced the entire length of wire that was failing with $3 worth of wire, solder, and heat shrink tubing.

The lesson here is repairability and simplicity.

We’re constantly lectured to be “environmentally aware” by companies that no longer ensure their products will last a lifetime. There is 0 reason a modern phone couldn’t be used for the rest of your life. My Brother printer is nearing 12 years and is still on the same damn print cartridge. My Neato robotics vacuum has had countless parts replaced and is about the same age.

If you truly want to be a good steward of the earth, stop demanding/consuming latest and greatest, endless product and UI refreshes, and instead demand 30+ years out of a product (with small repairs).

>>exabri+7R
I used to work as an electronics technician.

To do some wiring that'll be bulletproof and last:

1. get wiring rated for under-the-hood heat (the wiring sold at auto parts stores is no good for that)

2. get crimp-on connectors

3. cut the plastic off the crimp-ons

4. put heat shrink tubing on the wire, well away from the end

5. crimp the connector on

6. solder the crimp joint using a thermostat controlled soldering iron

7. move the heat shrink tubing over the joint, and heat it with a bic cigarette lighter to shrink it on

8. voila!

P.S. Crimped connections don't last. After about a year, they'll work loose a bit from vibration, and corrosion will creep in, and you'll get a loose connection that is very frustrating to find. Soldering it prevents that from happening.

>>Walter+Wa2
Soldering a crimp is not good practice, a correctly done crimp will not come loose (OEM connections are mostly crimped), and you risk making a brittle section if the solder wicks past the crimp.

>>double+3m2
A correctly done crimp uses enough force to form a cold weld. Unfortunately, without a calibrated machine to do it, it is pretty hard to determine if enough crimping force has been applied. Without the cold weld, corrosion will compromise the joint after a year or so. The solder will also prevent moisture from getting into the joint.

You're right about not letting the solder wick up past the connector. But that's not an issue if the wire is properly supported with a clamp.

My experience with crimps is electrical gremlins, with soldered crimps, no trouble at all.

OEM crimps also come with a molded housing designed to keep out moisture (and corrosion) and provide mechanical support for the joint. The crimp-on connectors at the auto parts store are vastly inferior.