|
|
Mar 19, 2019 10:08:48 GMT
|
Dragging up the subject of tape from a few days back where I've only just noticed it, I was told (I forget where) to never use insulation tape to hold looms together, and especially not in the engine bay where the heat will result in a nasty sticky mess.
I've always used loom tape (well, since I've been fixing things "properly") but I always have trouble getting the end to stay in place. It's supposed to be possible by stretching it and holding it against the preceding "turn", but I've always had to use a spot of glue. Is it just me? I did notice that some of the ends on my original loom tape are actually knotted, though I have no way to know whether they're really, truly original.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2019 15:21:15 GMT
|
If you can get to it at the end, just put a ring of heatshrink over to secure it? That's all I do with overbraiding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2019 15:33:26 GMT
|
Ratchet tool. Yup, I was pretty curse word off when they were still falling out, and that was still using the red sized crimps. It really annoyed me how people kept on going on about "crimping or nothing". After all, I've repaired previously crimped wires with solder on LPG systems, and taken those cars up to 300k from 100k without a single fault. I did ask a friend who is an advocate of crimping and told him the above. He did come back with something interesting. In short, I've almost always used to Halfords crimps. They're curse word. When you look at their design, they are a pretty curse word crimp, even if you do use the best crimpers ; the connection part is too small, and the plastic will always be too weak to hold the wire in place, thus they will fall out. Since I've gone with the 'OE' style crimps with different feet, and the normal crimps but from a different supplier, I must admit I've seen an improvement in the connections. Will they last as long as my previously soldered connections? Time will tell but I'll say yes for now . Yes, if your experience of crimping is shoddy chinese ratchets and halfords pre-insulated crimps, you're going to have a bad time - there's a reason they're only sold as repair crimps, they're curse word. You want proper double crimps that grab the wire insulation and use an F-type crimper where it folds the terminal over tight and will cold weld the joint together, the same type you see on OE looms with superseal plugs, etc, on - you can go even further to circular deutch types and the like with fancy hex crimpers, etc, but the AMP F-style crimpers are still cheap enough for most people where as the others are eye watering. Put these: In the bin, along with scotchlocks. They're a quick repair in emergencies only (or knock the barrel out and crimp and heatshrink over it if you must). One of these cheap econo/superseal crimpers will do the majority of automotive plugs - even the round fold over ones you find in a lot of ecus so long as you don't mind manually finishing the insulation side: You can get a good one for about £30. If you're doing other wiring, inline splices, spade connectors, ring terminals, etc - just buy the uninsulated ones with the double crimp for the wire insulation too, and the superseal crimps will do a damn good job on those as well: Then heatshrink over for extra strain relief.
|
|
Last Edit: Mar 19, 2019 15:38:50 GMT by phillipm
|
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2019 20:25:15 GMT
|
at work we have the superseal crimps, and ive used them a bit on teh engine loom on the bmw, to be fair , they do a properly good conection, and have never thought of using them on lucar type conections too! thats ace, ill get myself a set of crimps!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I always use solder sleeves, have done for a while, if its good enough for aircraft wiring applications, it's good enough for my badly judged wiring bodges on cars
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you can get to it at the end, just put a ring of heatshrink over to secure it? That's all I do with overbraiding. That requires me to think about it before I crimp the connectors on, which I somehow never manage to do. Thinking about it, though, the whole job would probably be neater if I did that, as I could get the ends cut off level more easily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2019 15:44:31 GMT
|
Maybe get soe of the huge expansion ratio stuff - 4:1 or 6:1 - just for putting over end that are already on? Although it can end up a bit thick when shrunk
|
|
|
|