Thread: Rita left me sitting along the road today

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Took it for a ride to my BIL and sisters house about 45 minutes away, we pulled off the interstate to the stop sign, I turned and hit the gas and it said vroom-kaput! I coasted to the side and after a brief diagnosis it was confirmed that the fuel pump croaked. My BIL came with a tow rope and brought me to his place and after dinner we checked it out a bit more and I found a butt connector broke off of the fuel pump wire underneath. I butt connected it back together again and will recheck all the wiring underneath, eliminating butt connectors and soldering and heat shrink stuff together instead. My decision of driving the crap out of this thing before our cross country trip is paying off, finding the weak spots is a good thing. I wonder who wired it anyway

There's another one of those "Hot Topics", Butt connectors or solder joints? I've chased quite a few broken solder joints. I think folks overheat the wire when melting in the solder, this hardens the metal and I've found the wires broken right at the solder joint. But the same deal can happen with a butt connector, if the wires moves the flexing can work harden the wire and it breaks right at the connector.

I always use a brand name heat shrink tubing to help act as a strain relief and keep the connection clean. Jegs had some butt connectors with the heat shrink already installed, I liked those and I still went over them with more heat shrink tubing.

I hear you on the overheated wires. Now I'm not sure what I'll do. I could buy those heat shrink connectors with solder in them, they were pretty good. For now I put a zip tie on each side of the butt connector, in all reality I'll probably forget all about it and it'll never get fixed right.

The biggest issue with crimping is not to over crimp it. It takes experience and time (time to see what fails and what doesn't). I use LOBSTER AK 17 with the ratchet removed, so I have full control of the crimp. They are rated for non insulated, but I use them on everything because I have not yet found a crimper which is rated for insulated terminals which does a satisfactory job.

I recently got an assortment of wire fly non crimp connectors with the eutectic solder but haven't had much chance to use them. Of course, I tested a couple as soon as I got them, and with the mini crack torch they seem to work well.

I guess my mom took a video of it LOLhttp://https://www.facebook.com/linda.devries.794/videos/2278623675587462/

I use a lot of the butt connectors that are heat shrink. Like Firebird said, the key is to not over crimp them. At work 95% of the wiring problems I fix are due to an inadequate crimp. Most of the time the crimp was done with so much force it cut the strands of wire and over time the wire will vibrate out or break. It can make it real fun to find some times. Glad to hear you got it fixed.

I think it is just Karma getting you from your spinning a rod comment personally! LMAO!

I'd take a butt connector over a spun rod, I hope you really didn't spin a rod did you?

I'm not too proud to owe up to it, I'm sure I crimed the ship out of it. All in all I think Rita is doing pretty well, after the build I could have driven it from NY to LA and back with 400 miles to spare before it broke. I would have had several inconveniences but it did kept moving

No, I didn't. But if I do I will still kick you in the jimmy!

I've over crimped my fair share. Usually you know you did it. I gently tug my wires after crimping sometimes just to check them.

I think a break down once in a few years on a hot rod that is driven a lot is not bad. IMO.

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