Connectors or Solder

Hey, why can't I vote in this pole?Certified Security Specialist

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At the shop that I work at we are supposed to solder all of our connections. Most of the time I do. Sometimes a wire is just to hard to reach to be able to solder it. Every now and then a t-tap comes in real handy. I don't think that t-taps are bad if used correctly. I personally would never use them for higher current connections. (Such as in a remote start)

Just a thought, if solder is the "best" way, why don't the car manufactures use it?

Time = Money . . . Regards EVIL Teken

They don't use it because all their connections are in Molex plugs. You don't see them use T-Taps  . If you get a cold solder, it's probably because the installer didn't allow the solder tip to heat up the wire or the sodler he was using was not the proper type. Speaking of solder, DO NOT use the lead free stuff, it's crap and take forever to heat up properly to the wire. By the time the sodler has melted, so has all the insulation around the connection.Jeff

Velocity Custom Home Theater

Mobile Audio/Video Specialist

Morden, Manitoba CANADA

I think what he means is that why do they not solder the ends of the connectors. Everything we do at work, regardless if it is crimped the ends of the connector is soldered on as well. This process is not done at the automotive level, because the time and material costs would be too great. They also have invested into millions of dollars in equipment which applies enough equal pressure onto the insulator to ensure proper termination of the harness. This is something the average person cannot do on a consistent bassis. You will see that the many more companies are using a combination of crimping and Ultra-sonic welding which uses extremely precise increments of heat and pressure to fuse the two objects together, which makes a bond almost as stroung as soldering. Regards EVIL Teken . . .

Well from other discussions you probably have seen I go with the poke, wrap, and tape method most of the time..Strip the wire, poke a hole in the middle with an awl or something similar, put your wire through the hole, wrap it around tight, then tape. Also on top of that I always double tape all ignition wires and put a wire tie on each wire, then a wire tie on the complete bundle of wires. Another tip I use is to use a pair of pliers to "crimp" the connection after I wrap the wire around, or just after you put the wire through the hole. This helps to ensure a good connection. I would say this method is reliable as any when done correctly. Bottom line is a bad installer will make bad connections regardless of what method he uses to connect. I have checked and repaired bad soldered connections, bad poke/wrap/tape connections, bad t-taps, etc..If done correctly, I think there are a lot of different methods out there to use, soldering still being number 1. Mike

Solder, all the way, and i highly agree with Velocity Motors, the lead free crap sucks so bad, BEWARE THE CRAPY STUFF