Repairing / installing wire ends

[Wolvenar]

Well I tried it the crimped on way, and got burned.
It seems with crimped on connectors, it just does not work well in these conditions with high strand welding cable.
That ball looking thing is the corroded wire expanding the surrounding insulation


So I figured I will try another route.
I am cutting back the insulation to give some room to solder on these ends, heated and let it take flux, and then as much solder as the wire would wick.




Solder on the end,,



Add some silicone that's not (supposed to be) corrosive to copper


Put on a couple layers of heat shrink tubing.



Finished,, move onto the next.


The trouble with soldering  on and doing all this is, its very time consuming!!

[bj]

  Time consuming for sure, but so is a failed connection.  I have been doing smaller stuff with
solder for a few years, and heat shrinking, but haven't tried the silicone trick.  I use the shrink
with the inner soft flow layer.  The silicone should provide a fool proof seal.
   I also would like to try that hydraulic crimper, but haven't ordered it yet.
   Time will tell, but it looks bullet proof.
   Thanks for the idea Wolv

[Wolvenar]

My failed one had been done with a hydraulic crimper at a parts store in town.
Maybe the silicone and heat shrink could work with that method also?

The interesting thing is, every cable connection on the bank that was isolated because of this failed connection had corrosion.
None of the rest had any worth calling corrosion.

[bj]

   It should, but after careful consideration of about 1 hour, I think I will stick with the solder
method.  I will however try the silicone on a cable that needs replacing on my tractor.  This
should be a torture test, as the alt gets overzealous, and boils the battery a bit on occasion.
   Never eats the solder, just the copper beyond it.  Silicone, and long shrink might just do it.
   Previous history says it will only take about a year to find out.

[ghurd]

That is about what I do.
I crimp the end onto the solder-wicked wire (no fancy crimper, just the big hole in standard pliars), then solder the end.  Probably doesn't help at all, but I do it anyway.

For the inexperienced, silicone and 'liquid tape' are flamable when wet.   
G-

[tomw]

For the inexperienced, silicone and 'liquid tape' are flamable when wet.   
G-

G-;

Care to elaborate on how you know this? 

Tom

[Cornelius]

Wolvenar; no matter how you connect your cables, it seems that moisture in the air are your problem... If you crimp or solder, i'd say; take a heat shrink tube, and position it over your connection and spray it full of acid-free vaseline (or whatever your poison), and crimp it.

[ghurd]

For the inexperienced, silicone and 'liquid tape' are flamable when wet.   
G-

G-;

Care to elaborate on how you know this? 

Tom

Nope, not really, except to say I do have a LOT of experience with it. 
G-

[DBCollen]

I use my big adjustable hex crimper, then heat the ends and submerge in a tub of vaseline and let the vaseline wick into the strands, then I shrink wrap them, never had a failure or even external corrosion on the connectors. My battery connections still look clean after 5 years.

[rossw]

Here is how I did mine 8 years ago - still no signs of any degradation.