I have most of my smaller wires soldered, but some of hte larger ones 8/10 guage I am having trouble doing a good solder job. These wires are primarily coming from the alternator, so would butt connectors be completely out of the question?

My other question is about the same style of connectors. I have heard many bad things about crimp style connectors, but then theres always people who swear by it. I dont want to suffer signal loss, but on a certain section of my harness, it would be a god send if I could put in insulated male/female quick disconnects, because of the location, and how frequent they may be moved in the future.

These are all wires going to the ECU, and again, I dont want to suffer any extreme attenuation, because im sure that kind of problem is hard to diagnose, so if anyone experienced in this could chime in and share thier opinions I would greatly appreciate it.

 

From a signal integrity/attenuation standpoint, I would seriously advise against using crimps on any sensor. Any output that's not ignition or injection could be crimped. When using male-female crimps, I always solder the wire to the terminal after smashing it. For the larger wires, it just takes a long time with the soldering iron. I have an adjustable one that I crank up to 800*F and use a large tip with, and it still takes a while. I wouldn't crimp the alternator wire. The main problem with crimps on an automotive installation is the inevitable vibration it will have to endure. It is only a matter of time before the connection will fail.

 

I think a line carrying nothing but 12V is "ok" to crimp I.E. relays, power on/off, etc.(always better to solder)...but if it sends an alternating current, like all of your sensors...those HAVE to be soldered, or the readings may differ and your car won't run as well. the battery relocation can be crimped into the harness. Main thing is don't use too small of a gauge wire...its better to use a 10 gauge if you're not sure a 12 will carry the current without burning up. if you crimp a wire and bundle it tight...it should last forever. Use dialectric grease so corrosion doesn't ruin you're solderless connections.

A soldering tip, if you don't already know...hold the iron at the bottom of the wire, and the solder at the top...wait till the wire is hot enough so that when the solder hits it, it liquifies...thats worked for years of electrical repairs for me.

 

I guess a need a better iron, cause no matter how long i heat up the wires, i can only get the 20 guage wires hot enough to melt the solder through them like that, anything larger nothing happens

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6151688/

I want to get one of these for my next soldering project. Apparently heats to 800* and can buy it at AutoZone or any other store in the article.

My dad uses one of those portable propane torches for soldering really thick stuff like 8 guage an up. It works quickly but working in a tight spot near other wires is not an option or very tricky.

 

I've never used one of those, but on the infomercial, it looked like it was dumping out a lot of cold joints, which is what he's currently getting with his 30w unit. And cold joints are fine in a circuit board or wire that won't move, like a lamp, or house fixture. But not fine for the car.

Go pick up a 50-80 watt unit for the 16gauge or larger wire.
-Jeff

 

Dude that cold heat looks like the biggest POS. I dont think there is anyway u could solder any decently sized wire with that thing, but i could be wrong. Anyone have one of those?

 

I have a cold heat...it works awesome for what its intended for...small circuit board repairs, and stuff like that, but if you want to solder an 8ga. wire...you're screwed. But for like 20ga. and smaller stuff...its awesome!

 

i'd like to know, if anyone already knows, where you can buy the OEM style electrical plugs and pins used in the connectors, in case you wanted to do a custom style OEM harness? i know JECS makes most of the connectors, but can't find online any dealer that sells them.

 

Where can i buy a quality soldering iron, and jeff you need to teach me