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Old 2011-01-18, 07:56 AM   #18
Dean
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Real Name: Dean
Join Date: May 2003
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Deal, did somebody say Deal? Oh, Dean, yeah that's me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by khail19 View Post
As far as the best way to make connections, I've always been taught that a proper crimped connection is superior to soldering. This assumes using the proper size connector for the wire, using a quality connector, and using the proper tool to make the crimp. Soldering is harder to do properly (for most people), less flexible and less resistant to vibration. I'm not saying a proper solder joint wouldn't work, and the crimp vs. solder debate can go on forever.

In the case of external wiring on a vehicle, I would use crimp connectors with heatshrink over them to protect from the elements. A properly done crimp will have no appreciable voltage drop on a 12v automotive electrical system.
This is almost as much of a religious war as springs vs. sway bars in Interwebland.

The real answer is using the right connection and the right tools for the situation.

Cheap crimp connectors crimped with a $6 crimp tool are likely going to be a problem over time. These are a common failure in automotive arena from car stereo to engine harness and don't get me started on trailer wiring. I can't tell you how many of those I have had to repair over the years on all the trailers I have had. The only way I have ever seen a proper solder joint fail is when it was improperly supported and flexed, fatigued and broke. Solder joints do not bend and have to be handled as such and just like a crimp have to be done correctly.

Any joint or connection can be enough of a change in a sensor circuit to cause issues depending on the sensor. Every inch of wire and connection has a certain amount of loss inherent in it and/or will act as an antenna in some manner.

In these days of sensor controlled engines, some of the days of shade tree wiring harness repair are over. If a sensor is accurate to the millivolt, milliamp, ohm or digital in nature and susceptible to RF they will have a fixed length cable with a spec wire and connector. Thinking about my wide band 02 sensor, I recall them strongly discouraging any cable modifications.
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