TOPIC:

wrote:

Looks like you have corrosion between the cable and the crimp, if there is enough slack cut the cable back to clean copper and replace the crimp but before you shrink wrap, solder the crimped connector. Once the corrosion takes hold the problem will only get worse as the resistance increases 

I have no first hand experience with this so I will bring it up for discussion. I read where solder isn’t recommended as it can make the connection brittle and has a potential to crack due to the vibration. I’ll hang up know and listen.

wrote:

wrote:

Looks like you have corrosion between the cable and the crimp, if there is enough slack cut the cable back to clean copper and replace the crimp but before you shrink wrap, solder the crimped connector. Once the corrosion takes hold the problem will only get worse as the resistance increases 

I have no first hand experience with this so I will bring it up for discussion. I read where solder isn’t recommended as it can make the connection brittle and has a potential to crack due to the vibration. I’ll hang up know and listen.

If you only use solder to connect a wire to a crimp connector than yes. Soldering a crimped connector is like to fill the gaps, making a solid electric connection and a corrosion protection layer against moisture.

wrote:

If you only use solder to connect a wire to a crimp connector than yes. Soldering a crimped connector is like to fill the gaps, making a solid electric connection and a corrosion protection layer against moisture.

I was always told that soldering crimps was bad practice. Just at Mikaw said, that it could make the wire less flexible and cause the wire to fatigue and break at the edge of the solder joint, or at least make it more fatigue prone than it would be otherwise.

However, I was recently talking to a friend who at a past job responsible for designing wiring harness at Honda. He said that some early production harnesses are crimped, and then the bit of the wire that is clamped inside the crimp is also soldered. Which is pretty much exactly what Scirocco described.

He said they do this if they have not had a chance to thoroughly validate the quality of the crimp joint on the wire (pull strength, vibration testing, corrosion testing, life testing, all that). But soldering is a lot of extra work so they only do it when they really need to. But apparently Honda thinks it improves the reliability of the harness as opposed to decreasing it.

I figure if Honda is cool with shipping soldered crimps out to customers, it must be ok as long as it's done right.

 figure if Honda is cool with shipping soldered crimps out to customers, it must be ok as long as it's done right.

that is exactly it, soldering if often not done correctly ( people melt the solder with the iron onto the joint which simply "sticks it on top" )
The correct way is to heat the crimp connector from underneath with your iron (purple arrow) then dab the solder onto the end of the cable (green arrow) if it is hot enough the solder will be drawn into the joint. This is where you can have the issue Mikaw mentioned, if you over do the solder or keep the heat on too long the solder will be drawn up the cable by capillary action and you will end up with a rigid cable at the entrance to the connector (red arrow) this will then become a potential point of failure due to vibration.
Soldering is like everything else, it's got to be done right to work correctly 

 

wrote:

 figure if Honda is cool with shipping soldered crimps out to customers, it must be ok as long as it's done right.

that is exactly it, soldering if often not done correctly ( people melt the solder with the iron onto the joint which simply "sticks it on top" )
The correct way is to heat the crimp connector from underneath with your iron (purple arrow) then dab the solder onto the end of the cable (green arrow) if it is hot enough the solder will be drawn into the joint. This is where you can have the issue Mikaw mentioned, if you over do the solder or keep the heat on too long the solder will be drawn up the cable by capillary action and you will end up with a rigid cable at the entrance to the connector (red arrow) this will then become a potential point of failure due to vibration.
Soldering is like everything else, it's got to be done right to work correctly 

 

For "FLUX SAKES" guys...
By adding a tiny amount of flux, especially when soldering brass, guarantees a good result. 
I use plumbers flux paste. Rosin (flux) cored solder is ok for copper to copper, but for anything else... use an additional flux.

H.

 

Would a potential alternative to soldering it be some sort of potting, or marine-grade heatshrink? I've got soldering skills, just curious on behalf of those who may not. 

wrote:

 figure if Honda is cool with shipping soldered crimps out to customers, it must be ok as long as it's done right.

that is exactly it, soldering if often not done correctly ( people melt the solder with the iron onto the joint which simply "sticks it on top" )
The correct way is to heat the crimp connector from underneath with your iron (purple arrow) then dab the solder onto the end of the cable (green arrow) if it is hot enough the solder will be drawn into the joint. This is where you can have the issue Mikaw mentioned, if you over do the solder or keep the heat on too long the solder will be drawn up the cable by capillary action and you will end up with a rigid cable at the entrance to the connector (red arrow) this will then become a potential point of failure due to vibration.
Soldering is like everything else, it's got to be done right to work correctly 

 

This makes perfect sense. Not understanding the actual consequences or where the damage would occur. This clears it up. It’s not the connection from terminal to wire that’s in peril. It’s the potential of the wire strands to crack by loss of flexibility. Thank you. 

Also make sure anything being soldered  is real clean and I use silver solder with the proper flux on any electrical  connection .
 

wrote:

Would a potential alternative to soldering it be some sort of potting, or marine-grade heatshrink? I've got soldering skills, just curious on behalf of those who may not. 

Ghostdive ultimately you are trying to prevent air/moisture getting between the cable and connector. Soldering is the "gold standard" for longevity but good heatshrink will do a pretty good job ( you could put a dab of silicone on the exposed cable end that heatshrink won't cover to seal it up)

Solder is best    Just cost more money for manufactures who count pennies 
Mechanical connections are ok   ( Look at the way all houses twist wires  and use wire nuts and tape sometime in junction boxes  )   Seen lots of fires if poorly done as a retired fire chief
Dont like tape  or shrink tubes only to fasnten wires    Maybe that's just me 
Mother Kaw built some fine machines , But I dont buy into how they did something is the only / best way to make something  last. 
KHI always struck a balance between what designers wanted and got blessed in prototype. 
Then the manufacturing and cost engineers  made changes to fit corporate  expectations and profit. 
  Some think Im blasphamist  , but I have never been afraid to evolve and upgrade specs on my LTD for  power  and, durability,
Look at high end audio equipment . Lots of silver solder  to be seen and recievers see heat but not near the vibration  our bikes endure
​​​​​​​Dave
 

Depends on how far you want to take this.
If you are going to the salt flats, then you might want to look at this webpage.

www.rbracing-rsr.com/wiring_ecu.html#wire

Certainly in the UK with the amount of rain we get combined with salted roads for 3 or 4 months of the year corrosion is always an issue