wire and connections

[srg121]

don't neglect your wiring!!!no matter how good your battery and accessories are without proper wire and connections they won't operate at 100%.i like to use the overkill rule of thumb!100% Oxygen-free Copper, nickel plated wire with high strand count delivers electricity faster and with less signal loss.solid brass connectors with gold or platinum plating deliver optimum signal transfer and won't corrode.always start at battery with large enough wire to handle all your accessaries combined.good idea to have a high amparage anl fuse within 18" of battery. add up all accessory amp ratings and add 20% for anl fuse rating.continue large wire to fused distribution block.i usually run each pair of lights off there own 20 amp fuse,check amp rating on accessories if not sure.never splice wire or twist together with electrical tape,connectors shown here are best but if you use crimp connectors good idea to solder aswell.propper ground is just as important as positive side.always keep ground wire as short as possible,36" or less!!always secure to thickest part of frame you can reach,scrape or grind to get to bare metal and use gold or platinum plated grounding post!although my winch came with pretty heavy duty 8 awg 150 strand count wire it's dwarfed by the 4 awg 1862 strand count wire i'm replacing it with,winch wire good for other accessories.battery isolator switch is a good idea for when not in use or for storage as mice will eat wire casing possibly damaging battery or cause a fire,not really neccesary if you have proper main fuse close to battery.here's a link to ebay store were you can get everything you need,really cool guy,if you ask he will custom cut wire to length and combine shipping. ROCKFORD FOSGATE DELUXE 4 G BATTERY CONNECTION SYSTEM - eBay (item 350007975179 end time Feb-17-08 11:58:04 PST)

[boncrshr]

Good points SRG, all the way around. When I was rebuilding and driving my 72 camaro, I came to the conclusion that crimp connectors are only good for emergency repair. Now I generally will take the plastic off of the crimp connectors, crimp the wire, and then solder over the crimp, and use heat shrink tubing to cover it.

[liflod]

Soldered connections tend to break more in high vibration environments. I prefer crimp connectors crimped with the proper tool. The Sta-kon crimpers just don't do it correctly.

[srg121]

checkout the stereo i wired up in my work truck. that's a 2150 cranking amp dry cell battery recessed in floor behind the 50 farad military grade carbon capacitor,all 1/0 awg power and ground wire.independant amp turn on aircraft switch's and independent amp boost controls in over head console. 15" sub in center cosole,2 10" subs in rear window hole and 3 hidden 6" mid base subs.8 high range woofers and tweeters.panisonic toughbook has gps,14" screen great for watching movies while stuck in traffic and 450 cd's in hard drive.7" upper color monitor for backup camera,7" color monitor on dash for dvd's....all this in a 2 seater cabover izuzu box truck....this caused my last divorce haha!

[GREASEMONKEY]

While were at stereo!

This is all where the rear seat of my 71 VW was! I have been using crimped connectors for years and they will be just fine if crimped right! Use one of these!
PWC14, Wire Stripper/Cutter/Crimper/Bolt Cutter, (AWG 10 to 22), 8 3/4"

[srg121]

nice!!! going with ipod ,amp and marine speakers in sidewinder,3 hours plowing without tunes is just wrong!

[boncrshr]

Ok, maybe I have never crimped with a Snap-On, I have had some bad experiences in the past with crimp connectors.'

BTW, I think ya'll live in my neighborhood, and I want you to move!

[GREASEMONKEY]

BTW, I think ya'll live in my neighborhood, and I want you to move!

Is the vibration's from the bass not soothing to you!
No worries, I think were far enugh apart. That car is toast, and in any case, you would have heard the exhaust long before the system!!!

Funny thing! I had a rather bad motorcycle accident a few years ago. Before the accident I had a big system in my car, I had lowriders, hotrods, ect... It took 6 monthes of recovery, and after that I quickly became a disgruntal, mean old man trapped in a 28yr old's body!

My nephew stopped by a few day's ago, and I could hear the music from a block away. I met him at the driveway, and informed him next time I'll call the police my damned self! BTW: The fine in this town is $1000 for being a neucence, that's any time, and in any way! The town ordanance states that you are guilty just for having the police called on you! If the situation needs police, then you are being a pain in the A**.

OH, back on topic. The snapon crimpers are expensive as the devil. You can get the same ones at lowes or home depot. It's usually the style of crimper people use, not the actual connector! I have two identical sets of crimpers, and have been using them for years now! I install emergency equipment as part of my job as an auto tech. I have literally made more than 2000 crimps using butt splice connectors, in the past 3 monthes of installing. Not one has been faulty, or had bad connection! I have rarely had any trouble with the connectors, and I can assure you I have made many thousands of crimps in my career! It's more often the cheap crimp tool, not the connector or the user!

[Beeman]

As a rule of thumb for me and connectors, along with all the other prework, I personally like to hold the crimp for 4-5 seconds before I release the crimpers. I've seen many a leak with pex pipe, and many a faulty connections with electrical crimps without holding the crimp for a little bit longer than one would expect.

My two cents :P

Beeman

[Robio_8x8]

Check it with an ohm meter after .

What ever connection that you like to do you can always check it with an ohm meter after to see if it causes any unwanted resistance. I would not totally rule out twist connections if you do them right . There is a style of twist connection some times referred to as a western union but is tricky to do . When done properly you can not pull it apart like Chinese finger cuffs it tightens on its self . You can give it a solider coating after but as mentioned above some soiled decomposes. Silver solider is expensive but less likely to decompose and less resistance . Make a good physical connection before applying solider so if the solider comes apart you still have a connection . . Heat shrink is recommended to keep water out but if you want to there is an electrical tape by 3m most car audio guys know about. This stuff works really well and forms the connection water tight but is hard to find and 3m makes other types that do not work as well .

[liflod]

Checking resistance will only show you really bad connections.

The best way to check connections is to measure the voltage drop across connections with the appliance turned on and drawing its full load.

To check starter connections, measure between the battery terminal and the starter terminal with your meter on millivolts or low volts and engage the starter. IF the wire is perfect, you will see no voltage drop across the wire.

[Robio_8x8]

Yes I forgot to mention the load test

A higher output alternator is good too.

If you want to prevent electrical problems in an older ford (13.2 Volt output alternators) put in a GM 14.4 volt alternator.

[srg121]

excellent points ROBIO and LIFLOD there are different ways to crimp, whatever way you choose make sure the connector is positioned perfectly in crimper.if crimping the seem and don't get both ends to fold in properly cut it off and try again!!!use a lot of pressure!!!but don't distort or flatten back of connector. here's some factory crimps from my winch.i dont think i emphasized the importance of the main fuse within 18" of battery.you ABSOLUTLY should install one unless your accessories or fuses for accessories are within 18" of battery!!!!!protects your battery and your aatv as starter wire is heavy enough to do some unwanted welding even start a fire from leaking gas or oil or just kill the battery if the frame rubs a hole in wire casing.a rollover could couse things to move possibly grounding positive lead .gas tends to leak more when your upsidedown too!!!don't say it can't happen to me,we all make mistakes.fuses and fire extinguisher are great insurance policys!!make sure to route your wires inteligently.away from moving parts and sharp edges.use gromets when routing through holes,zip ties to hold in place.i like to put wires in vinal tubing to protect them on long runs and especially when running multiple wires,looks real clean too!heres a battery isolater switch,has cap to seal when not in use and key has rubber seal also,i'm using it between dual batterys so if one dies just turn key to connect them

[GREASEMONKEY]

I have a set just like the old rusty crimpers in your pic. ( mine are rusty too)
I have had better luck ou tof those than any other style. The hold back with them is they have no stripper, and makes the job slow paced. I have to keep the pace up!

[srg121]

As a rule of thumb for me and connectors, along with all the other prework, I personally like to hold the crimp for 4-5 seconds before I release the crimpers. I've seen many a leak with pex pipe, and many a faulty connections with electrical crimps without holding the crimp for a little bit longer than one would expect.

My two cents :P

Beeman

speaking of pex pipe...check out the crimps on this heating manifold I made for my garage...these are before and after shots missing squares of floor insulation are the footprints for the lift .i would recommend radiant floor heat to anyone pouring a shop floor!! I like the old rusty crimpers best also,they are my fathers from 1960 when he had a gas station!