Splicing wires in car heater...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And those horrid things are even more likely to cause a poor connection on a car at high power than anything else.

Use a correct car connector properly crimped.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

Adrian said it would start a holy war :-) But I've never had them fail since I learned to prepare them in a particular way. Like I say, I only mentioned them because he seemed to be considering them - I wouldn't suggest them otherwise. I was just sort of saying that you have to prepare them carefully if you are going to try it.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I did say as a last resort. It sounded like the OP was unable to use the 'correct' connector.

[alan_m]

Maybe, but its the same type of connector technology used in most peoples homes for telephone connections and used a lot to join ribbon cable to connectors in computers etc. - albeit mainly low power connections.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Dan S. MacAbre submitted this idea :

Sorry, but I would not advise that. The plastic insulation can migrate under the constant pressure and leave you with a loose poor connection.

I would not disagree particularly with the use of choc-blocks to make the joint. What I would suggest though is use a choc-block large enough to allow the strands to fully over lap, so the strands from both sides are caught by both screws. Current does not then have to pass through the metal part of the connector, it can pass straight from copper to copper via the over-lap.

[tabbypurr]

With goggles & tinfoil on face it should be pretty quick.

NT

[Dan S. MacAbre]

Yes, I suppose you have to get it just right, with enough of the wire in there to stop it backing out. I started doing it with mains plugs (in the days when you regularly fitted them yourself, and had to occasionally attend to them), because I often found them with frayed wire inside. Bending the wires down, and screwing down onto the sheath was something I always found reliable. Hard to describe exactly, though.

Yes, I'll do that if I can. Not always easy with thin stranded wire, but it means you have two screws holding the wire, instead of just one, and maybe don't need to crush so much. I once did an emergency repair on a car clutch cable with one of these, and it allowed us to finish a touring holiday. So you might say I have a bit of a soft spot for them :-)

[tabbypurr]

It's a fire risk

NT

[Adrian Brentnall]

Following up my original post about replacing a failed wiring loom which prevents the heater fan from operating on a Peugeot 307sw - the new speed control resistor & loom end arrived today. RS hadn't delivered the Wago connectors by lunchtime - so I ended up using some heavy-duty blue crimp-on bullet connectors instead.

If any poor soul is going to attempt this repair, it's made a tiny bit easier by unclipping the wiring loom that connects to the speed control switch, and unplugging the two wires that go to the heater fan - but tape something on to them so you can retrieve them later. Gently easing the resistor end of the loom down will give you just enough room to get a crimp tool onto the cut-back ends of the loom. It's then relatively easy to feed the whole lot back up through the 'recirculation' air vent, and give it a quarter-twist to lock it into position.

If you don;t have arms like a gibbon and hands the size of a five-year-old then it's not quite so easy. Grr!

I think my local mechanic must have been getting a bit tired when he gave up on the job, 'cos after reassembly the fan was spinning but not blowing a lot. Swapping the polarity on the connections to the fan resulted in a fan that blows rather than sucks!

Apart from a bit of a 'hot' smell for the first 10 mins while the new resistor baked itself clean - all now seems good!

Now for the air-con! Adrian

[tony sayer]

You are of course using Ratchet crimpers not those cheapie ones?...

[Adrian Brentnall]

(Krimpit make - not sure how high-end they are - but they're not the cheapie 'squeeze & pray' variety)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Have you ever made one of these pre-insulated crimps - then carefully cut off the insulation to look at the crimp itself? You should. ;-)