Wire Crimping set

[Phog Allen]

Fantastic thread. This interests me since I do industrial electrical maintenance ans we are ALWAYS looking for a better way. We certainly do not run into salt spray and only occasionally the truly wet area or soaking from damaged water lines or steam leaks. I use a Thomas and Betts ratcheting crimper for uninsulated terminals. We buy the high temp, nickel/chrome looking terminals and boy are they tough. You have to really crank down on that crimper to get them started. It does a good job from my experiences with it.

I would agree completely with those who say their is no universal "best" for terminations in automotive applications as far as solder vs crimp is concerned. I am consistently impressed with the performance and life expectancy of GM Weather Pack and Metri Pack connectors. I have opened up a few of these on rear lights on trucks that were ten years old. Pretty clean inside with only minimal dust intrusion and no real water corrosion. I would love to have the proper terminals, bodies, and crimpers to put some of these together. It would be a great thing for upgrading rear lighting harnesses on old pickups which have usually been hacked up for trailer lighting, etc.

One thing I would add to the thread. Please, if at all possible, avoid the open flames for the heat shrink. We use a heat gun almost exclusively and it is superb for the task. It also doesn't soot up the shrink which I take as damage to the product. That may be wrong but it just doesn't seem right to have blackened shrink wrap. Anyway, heat guns are dirt cheap so use them. Oh yeah, you guys who lay around in sea water would have to be a bit careful with an electrical tool or appliance plugged in nearby! Again, thanks for the great post guys.

 

[RickP330]

I had the Tool aid crimping set in my shopping cart at amazon and while buying a non-related book, I seen a note showing the price had been reduced to 75 bucks plus free super saving shipping. I thought it was a deal so I pulled the trigger. I'll report back after I use it.
RickP

 

[redsky49]

To jump back in this thread, a couple of final thoughts:

For 90% of wire connections, a good crimped terminal is all you need. Much of what has been discussed here is overkill for most applications. That includes most of the water-proofing including heat shrink tubing, etc.

For those doing marine wiring however, things might be a little different. If you have been watching the bow of your boat disappear below the waves for the last three days, you will be glad to have spent a little more time on the wire connections up front.

One item I have used to seal larger terminal connections is Burndy Penetrox, an anti-oxidant to seal over any exposed wire strands such as may be found at a battery cable or windlass wire. Salt water/air is a far more demanding environment that any automobile may face unless it's an Amphicar

Rather than using a propane torch to activate heat shrink tubing, buy a heat gun. I have used a Milwaukee brand heat gun for 4 or 5 years and have been real happy with it. Also the heat guns have many more uses such as loosening glue joints, removing paint/varnish, etc. Lets you make the connection without setting anything on fire.

 

[mdoolittle]

Mac has a "Master Electrical Tool Set" that will be a March special for $170. Comes with crimper, 6 dies, 2300 degree torch, and auto wire strippers (they throw in a bunch of shrink tubing too). I got this set last time it went on special and use it all the time. Best crimper I have ever used. Auto wire strippers .............well there really isn't a good pair of those anywhere.

 

[mkdive]

Mac has a "Master Electrical Tool Set" that will be a March special for $170. Comes with crimper, 6 dies, 2300 degree torch, and auto wire strippers (they throw in a bunch of shrink tubing too). I got this set last time it went on special and use it all the time. Best crimper I have ever used. Auto wire strippers .............well there really isn't a good pair of those anywhere.

is there a part# for the kit?

 

[mdoolittle]

The part number is TCT801-MS It is a limited quantity item and it does not appear in the search yet. Sunday the new monthly flyer will be viewable online and it will be on page 6.

 

[mdoolittle]

these will be the items in the kit


http://www.mactools.com/SearchResults/tabid/79/Default.aspx?Search=st230

http://www.mactools.com/SearchResults/tabid/79/Default.aspx?Search=tct747

http://www.mactools.com/SearchResults/tabid/79/Default.aspx?Search=wsc665

 

[Bull]

Two questions.

1. Does anyone use these connectors? I love them. http://www.posi-lock.com/

2. Does anyone like this type of stripper? I've wanted to try one out. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004WLKZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Garage_Mahal]

I love posi-locks too. But my pro electrician buddies deride them. Too slow, they say.

 

[mdoolittle]

Never saw a pair of auto strippers that worked all that well. They definately take more time to use than my Kleins.
https://www.kleinconnection.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_10001_10001_-1_13001

 

[johnny1290]

I just did a rewire of my '51 Ford with a rebel wire kit. It was the first rewire I've ever done and I read probably half a dozen books and a million posts on the subject before I did it.

I ended up using a pair of klein black handled crimpers(for non - insulated terminals) and that pair of klein strippers - seen above- for most of the work.

I also got a pair of red handled klein strippers and they only went to 16 ga, so weren't that versatile, and I got the red handled crimpers by mistake, not realizing they were for both insulated and non insulated terminals.

I bought my wire and heatshrink tubing from delcity.net, a good place I thought.

The glue heatshrink stuff shrinks 3-1 vs. 2-1 for the cheapo stuff, it's just way, way better.

I used the MAD electrical method, I crimped first, then soldered, then heat shrunkusing a heatgun. I paid $10 for it from a swapmeet, and it works fine and I use it for other stuff as well. I would bubble and melt the heatshrink when I used a torch on it.

I was paranoid about solder wicking in to the wire. An EE friend of mine showed me how to do it, basically you're just doing a tack weld to hold the wire in the crimp, don't go too heavy on the solder and its no big deal.

Between the solder, heatshrink, and crimping, done right that connector is never coming loose. Never.

I bought mil surplus connectors, kinda expensive but fan-fing tastic quality. I got a bunch of surplus bolts at hte same time, some of those guys come with individual sleeves to protect the threads, just amazing quality stuff. Next to chi-com junk the difference is unbelieveable. Expensive though.

Anyway I still had to fill in the blanks connnector wise,. so I used the best stuff I could find locally, which was thomas and betts usually at the home depot. Sometimes I'd grab stuff offf the shelf at autozone if I had to, and I actually bought some expensive connectors at HF that were made in taiwan, which as far as I can tell is about the best you can do with some of this electrical stuff(at a price I can afford anyway).

Those connectors with the solder and heatshrink built in are bad *** but more than I need.


I looked at an american autowire kit at the GNRS a few months ago...man that is a beautiful kit! You're really gonna be happy.

Best of luck!

 

[Mike F]

I have been in the market for a crimper and have been poring through all the threads here about the advantages and disadvantages of various styles (ratcheting vs. non, plier-type, $ vs. $$$$, etc.) and was siding towards the tool-aid model. I did a search on the ancor brand and came up with this thread, which really gets into the anatomy of both the tool and the crimp itself. The poster even takes a dremel and cuts away the crimp for analysis. It makes for a good read.

 

[NSXSOON]

I have been in the market for a crimper and have been poring through all the threads here about the advantages and disadvantages of various styles (ratcheting vs. non, plier-type, $ vs. $$$$, etc.) and was siding towards the tool-aid model. I did a search on the ancor brand and came up with this thread, which really gets into the anatomy of both the tool and the crimp itself. The poster even takes a dremel and cuts away the crimp for analysis. It makes for a good read.

Thanks for the link! The link was definitely a good read. The Tool Aid has sold dies like the Ancor brand with more dies and less money. The link thread sure points out how poor a design the Harbor Freight tool is so I guess I'm going to buy the new Tool Aid that comes with 7 dies.

 

[george4]

so I guess I'm going to buy the new Tool Aid that comes with 7 dies.

Are any of the dies in the 7 piece set specific for use with the waterproof terminals that come pre covered with adhesive shrink tubing? The only problem I have with my 5 jaw set is that none of the jaws are so designed and all will often tear the shrink tube defeating the waterproof element. I would like to find a set of jaws specific for those terminals.
BTW, the Tool Aid ratcheting crimper really looks like the Ancor one tho the jaws are slightly diffent.

 

[NSXSOON]

Are any of the dies in the 7 piece set specific for use with the waterproof terminals that come pre covered with adhesive shrink tubing? The only problem I have with my 5 jaw set is that none of the jaws are so designed and all will often tear the shrink tube defeating the waterproof element. I would like to find a set of jaws specific for those terminals.
BTW, the Tool Aid ratcheting crimper really looks like the Ancor one tho the jaws are slightly diffent.

I know the 7 die set also does plug wire crimps that the 5 die set does not. The importers description just says:
"Includes 7 Die Sets for the most popular automotive terminal crimping applications"
Unfortunately they don't supply the details of what each die can do.
Here is the importers web site: http://www.toolaid.com/products.htm
They have a "contact" link to email them questions so they may be able to give you a better answer.

 

[george4]

Unfortunately they don't supply the details of what each die can do.
Here is the importers web site: http://www.toolaid.com/products.htm
They have a "contact" link to email them questions so they may be able to give you a better answer.

Exchanged a few emails with Tool Aid and it does not appear that they have a set of jaws specific to the waterproof terminals that come covered with shrink tubing. I may have to get something like this
http://www.sailorssolutions.com/index.asp?page=ProductDetails&Item=WP042
that is specific for such terminals.

 

[Tanker]

many of the big headache intermittent failures i've had to dg in the past have been due to good and bad solder joints failing. GOOD AND bad ones. the problem isn't the solder, it's the wire. most everything important on a car was designed to survive 100kmi. nothing wire-wire on a car comes from the factory soldered because the joint won't handle the environment. people think they're so smart soldering TYCO/AMP/, molex, weatherpacks either because they think solder is the best or they don't have the crimper for it. they all fail. the only thing solder is really good at is pipe and PCB- ideally niether are allowed to flex at all

I was searching for a small/mini/micro crimper for the tyco amp airbag connectors on my car and I came upon this post. I'm not sure of the wire size but they're too small for any of the auto crimpers that I have. Is there a reasonably priced crimper for these smaller applications? I only need it for 4 crimps.

 

[alex71]

Mercedes Benz provides solder-filled **** connectors, connectors with lots of our replacement pig-tails, etc. Work very nicely - crimp and heat. Takes care of the shrink wrap as well as the solder inside. Have seen them elsewhere online, but $$$$.

If this kind of posting is against the rules, mods, please delete...It is definitely commercial, but seemed on topic.

FYI I have the above connectors for 29 cents each in 16-14AWG size, as well as every other imaginable kind of crimp connector... click link in my sig. Thanks.