We've all used crimp-style...
We've all used crimp-style electrical connectors, and we've all wondered if one day they would come apart, leaving us stranded. This month we've found a cool product that eliminates the common problems with electrical connectors.
If there's one thing most of us dread when driving our old cars around, it's an electrical problem. More than simply an inconvenience, electrical problems can cause safety issues like lights failing to work, the charging system not performing properly, and can even cause ignition problems that will leave the engine inoperable. In the worst cases, electrical issues can even start fires, and we don't need to tell you how badly that can damage your classic Mopar. While electrical troubles can have many sources, we've found a way to fix one of the most common electrical problems, the crimped "butt-splice" connector.
Crimp-style electrical connectors, commonly called "butt-connectors," have always been prone to failure. While easy to install, there are two basic problems with the butt-connector. First, since these connections are simply crimped in place using electrical pliers, there's always the chance that the connector isn't crimped tightly enough and will come loose. Or, even if the connector is crimped properly, the wires may still work themselves loose due to the normal vibrations associated with driving the car. Either way, the electrical connection is lost, causing the circuit to become dead, and rendering whatever electric component fed by that circuit inoperable. Even worse, the exposed wire may ground, leading to electric arcing or even a fire.
The second problem with butt-connectors is that they are not weatherproof. So if the wiring is in an area exposed to the elements, like under the hood, the connection has no real protection from corrosion. Worse yet, the design of the butt-connector can actually trap water, accelerating the corrosion process. Once enough corrosion is in the connector, the conductivity is lost, and again, we have electrical component failure.
Fortunately, SpliSeal has developed a tool kit to address both issues with electrical butt-connectors. Their kit contains a hot sealant gun, sealant, and an aluminum mold, which are used together to seal the butt-splice with sealant that will both strengthen and weatherproof the connection. Follow along and we'll show you how it works.
We've all used crimp-style...
We've all used crimp-style electrical connectors at some point while working on our cars. Though easy to install, these connectors are prone to corrosion and failure.
Thanks to SpliSeal, a kit...
Thanks to SpliSeal, a kit is available that addresses and corrects the problems with crimp-style electrical butt-connectors.
After being crimped together,...
After being crimped together, the connector is placed in the provided aluminum mold.
The top of the mold is then...
The top of the mold is then installed and held in place with the small C-clamp provided with the kit.
After loading the sealant...
After loading the sealant gun with a provided stick of sealant and plugging it into a 110V wall socket, the gun is used to fill the mold with sealant, surrounding the butt-splice.
When enough sealant is injected...
When enough sealant is injected into the mold, some resistance will be felt. Also, sealant will begin to seep from the ends of the mold, indicating it is full.
Once the sealant cools, about...
Once the sealant cools, about 60 seconds, the mold can be disassembled to reveal a much stronger connection that is sealed from the elements.
After removing the sealed...
After removing the sealed connection from the mold, the excess sealant is simply broken away. What's left is a more secure butt-spice that not only looks better, but will be impervious to corrosion as it is completely sealed. This process is inexpensive and only takes a few minutes to perform, so we feel it's well worth the effort.