Wiring Splice?

[knattrass]

Adding turn signals and change the rears to the 4 wire light - 21/23/24/460 design. My question is what to do for a splice? Like 460 make the run down the right side of the truck, then needs a splice into a wire to run to the light and a wire over to the trailer. I've seen some where the home run wire has been bared for 1/4 inch and then the splice wire soldered to it. Have seen the cheap blue plastic trailer light splices. Have seen the packard rubber female "y"?

I was thinking to do a solder splice and then coat the joint with liquid tape and then tape over it. Only concern is corrosion over time. I tore apart a donor harness from an old truck and had seen corrision.

[DaveO]

IMHO, I'd have to say the Packard "Y" will probably be your best bet. It will offer the greatest protection against moisture intrusion. That's what it was designed for.

If you are going to solder, and it's a good alternative if done correctly, I suggest that you use the bare barrel-type splice. Be careful not to scorch the insulation. Then cover the splice with heatshrink tubing.

The crimp-on blue plastic sleeved splices are not watertight, they make for an unecessarily bulky connection, and I think they look like crap. I do, however, keep a couple in the tool bag for emergency repairs.

I haven't used liquid tape, so I can't comment on it's effectiveness.

I would stay completely away from electrical tape in this application (the area you are working in is frequently exposed to water, mud, road salt, chafing, etc). It will not provide you with a watertight connection as it ages. I would use the proper size heatshrink tubing instead. Overlap your splice a good half-inch on either side with the tubing. A hot air gun is the best way to shrink the tubing.

The best way to fight corrosion in your harness is to make sure that no wire strands are exposed to moisture. You have to have clean (meaning neat) connections, and your insulation has to be in good shape, i.e. pliable, as close to the splice as possible, and sealed (heatshrink). Moisture will wick up the strands of the wire and start to corrode the wire where you can't see it.

We use Raychem enviromental splices at work, but they are pretty spendy, and we are not working on aircraft here.

Pardon the long-winded reply. Can you tell that I'm an avionics and electrical tech by trade?

Good luck...

Dave

[knattrass]

Thanks - the only problem with using the Packard Y is that it is a triple female. That means a male at the end of the run, into the Y (splits), then 2 more males coming out. My right turn lamp is a 4 wire female, so I either make a short male:male connector (lamp to Y) or snip the female off the lamp and make it a male. Just in the rear harness alone that would mean 4-Ys for the rh, 4-Ys for the lh, plus the 24 males to make it all plug together - RH lamp, LH lamp, and trailer splits. Yikes.

That's why I was thinking of solder for the Y.

[DaveO]

Yep, I agree; the fewer connectors you have, the better off you will be.

Did you check Saturn Surplus? They may have a workable adapter for you.

Good luck...

Dave

[peter e mark]

Hey Knattrass, I coincidentally spoke to John Bizal just today about connecting wires for my as yet unfinnished previous owner rear light upgrade (whew)Well he suggested those soldering and heat schrink methods too. Think I'll do just that. Knattras, are you local to The Big City ?

[ELBUFO]

If you have a bunch of the blue but connectors, use a propane torch or the gas kitchen stove to heat up the plastic. Remove it and you now have a bare but connector. I tin my wire ends, crimp the connector, then solder. Heat shrink comes in different stiles. It is available with a sealing compound in addition to the plastic shell. Does a better job of waterproofing. Make shure you use rosin core solder only, as acid core will corrode your wires.

[peter e mark]

Hello ELBUFO, And what are BUT connectors?

[knattrass]

Those are the cheap blue plastic ones, where you butt the wire w/o stripping into the plastic cavity on one side, and then pass the thru wire on the other side, close the plastic clasp, and press the metal clip into the wires.

You may be thinking of an outdoor outhouse in the feezing winter resulting in "blue butt"?

[peter e mark]

HHmmm, not sure I recognize that connector. You know what Confusious says...But lacking a picture, it's off to the hardware store . Any excuse to drive my truck will do !