splice wires

[green 95 firebird]

hey,
what do you all use to splice the wires when installing a alarm system or keyless entry?

thx

--pete

[nda0602v6]

I like to solder all my wiring connections and cover them up with heat shrink tubing. I don't trust those crimp type connectors.

[user1101]

solder and heat shrink. if you do it right, the connection will outlast your car.

[96firebird311]

Solder and heat shrink is by far the best, but is gonna more then double your install time. If it's your car and you're working on it in your spare time, cool, but if time matters in the least...... butt connectors should last years. Yeah, it would suck if one wire came loose and you had to spend hours trouble shooting why your alarm won't work, but in years I've never had it happen. Use the correct gauge butt connector for the wire, crimp hella hard and you'll be good. I wouldn't hesitate to use butt connectors for an alarm install. Audio install? There should be no need to connect any two wires except behind the headunit.

[nda0602v6]

Like 96firebird pointed out, if one is going to use butt connectors then using the correct one is very important. I also think its just as important that one uses the correct type of crimping tool. I wouldn't recommend those cheap yellow handle type (all in one stripper/crimper) crimpers you see at places like Walmart. The handles bend very easy and they don't crimp worth a damn. Investing in a decent pair of crimpers will only save you in the long run.

Crimping tool at Parts Express.com

[Javelin3o4]

I have a similar tool like the one above, made by Blue Point cost me 60 bucks, but i use it everyday at work so its worth the money, as for splicing the wiring how i do it is,

I take my automatic wire strippers and stick the wire i want to tap into, in the strippers then slowing (slow so you dont break the wire)squeeze the handle seperating the wires outter sheet exposing the wire. Then i take my pick and poke it through the wire but not breaking the wire, then i feed the wiring that im hooking up through the hole like if you were threading a needle then wrap the excess wire around the wire. Then i solder then tape the connection. It may seen like a little excessive but you dont wanna be away from home and have a wire that wasnt connected properly come undone.

[CaLiJeRk]

the blue point ones are expensive, ive been using the same kind for years that are made by channellock ($18). when I install alarms n such all I do is strip the wire, make a hole in it with a pick tool, take the wire i'm splicing and run it through the hole and wrap it around a couple of times. electrical tape it and then put a zip tie on it. so much faster than solder and it will last just as long.

[slow]

solder and heatshrink.

when i can, i like to use OEM style packard watehrpack, and metripack connectors, but thats is a little overkill for most people

[nda0602v6]

Originally posted by Javelin3o4:


I take my automatic wire strippers and stick the wire i want to tap into, in the strippers then slowing (slow so you dont break the wire)squeeze the handle seperating the wires outter sheet exposing the wire. Then i take my pick and poke it through the wire but not breaking the wire, then i feed the wiring that im hooking up through the hole like if you were threading a needle then wrap the excess wire around the wire. Then i solder then tape the connection. It may seen like a little excessive but you dont wanna be away from home and have a wire that wasnt connected properly come undone.

Yeah I've used that method before to, it works good. They make special wire strippers that expose the bare wire without actually cutting it in half. I use the fine tip of my air bag safe test light to make the hole in the wire and feed it through like you say. On top of wrapping the black tape around the connection, I also use some tiny zip ties to keep the tape from ever coming un done. I also like using those portable butane soldering irons, those things work awesome.

[green 95 firebird]

hmm.
id like to get some more info on this threading the wire through a hole. any one have any pix of this? also, i cant use butt connectoer because the other wire(in the car) is attached and i dont want to cut it in half or anything like that.

thx all

--pete

[nda0602v6]

yeah I'll snap a few pictures here in a few of what we're talking about.

[CAMAROWIDBASS]

be carefull when doing an alarm install, its easy to mess up due to the fact thats there a lot of wires involved. Also be sure to hide the brain somewhere other than by the steering column.

you can have a $300 alarm but if the theive finds the brain all he has to do is rip it out and the whole alarm is disabled.

[nda0602v6]

Here are some pics I slapped together to show how you can splice into a wire without actually cutting it in two. I've used this method before installing alarms and it makes a good connection. Once the wire is wrapped around the other, apply a little solder and wrap it with black tape and apply a couple tiny zip ties like the others suggested.

I find this method to work good in places where you can't get much slack out of a wire which would make it very difficult to cut and use a butt connector. In a case where you have to cut a wire, I just use the solder and heat shrink instead.

[green 95 firebird]

thx 4 the information all. i appreciate it very much. and thx for the pix as well

thx

--pete