do butt connections become loose?
Printed From: the12volt.comForum Name: Car Security and Convenience
Forum Discription: Car Alarms, Keyless Entries, Remote Starters, Immobilizer Bypasses, Sensors, Door Locks, Window Modules, Heated Mirrors, Heated Seats, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=129750
Printed Date: September 11, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Topic: do butt connections become loose?
Posted By: dlstech
Subject: do butt connections become loose?
Date Posted: December 19, 2011 at 12:39 AM
I've seen a lot of posts with people really not liking butt/crimp connections and the main thing they talk about is the strength. I can see how they are bad if you use these cheap crimpers:
But what about good ratcheting crimpers? The ones I have crimp perfectly every time. And not just that, they crimp TIGHT. I take a piece of 18 gauge wire and crimp both sides together to make a circle. Then I try to break it apart. I usually can't with the hands and have to step on it and pull up to break. 90% of the time, the wiring rips somewhere but doesn't slide out of the crimped butt connector. Isn't that good enough for installs? I can't think of any situation where the wire would be pulled that hard under normal driving and operation. And this was done with good Metra Install Bay connectors, not cheap generic ones. Cheap ones use softer metal or something and the wiring pulls out easy.
So why do so many people seem to hate them. most people in the marine industry use crimp connections only. Solder corrodes and/or fails over time. I work in aviation maintenance and all I see are crimped connections because they are good with vibration and it's easier to calculate resistance with crimped connections since with solder there's human error(too much/too little) that can affect performance or signal.
So is it ok to make good crimp connections for alarms or is solder still better for some reason? Keep in mind that I use a good ratcheting crimp tool, not the cheap ones that flex and bend all over the place.
But what about good ratcheting crimpers? The ones I have crimp perfectly every time. And not just that, they crimp TIGHT. I take a piece of 18 gauge wire and crimp both sides together to make a circle. Then I try to break it apart. I usually can't with the hands and have to step on it and pull up to break. 90% of the time, the wiring rips somewhere but doesn't slide out of the crimped butt connector. Isn't that good enough for installs? I can't think of any situation where the wire would be pulled that hard under normal driving and operation. And this was done with good Metra Install Bay connectors, not cheap generic ones. Cheap ones use softer metal or something and the wiring pulls out easy.
So why do so many people seem to hate them. most people in the marine industry use crimp connections only. Solder corrodes and/or fails over time. I work in aviation maintenance and all I see are crimped connections because they are good with vibration and it's easier to calculate resistance with crimped connections since with solder there's human error(too much/too little) that can affect performance or signal.
So is it ok to make good crimp connections for alarms or is solder still better for some reason? Keep in mind that I use a good ratcheting crimp tool, not the cheap ones that flex and bend all over the place.
Replies:
Posted By: dlstech
Date Posted: December 19, 2011 at 12:52 AM
Here's the ratcheting crimpers I was talking about (top ones):
Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: December 19, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Posted By: howie ll
Date Posted: December 19, 2011 at 10:44 AM