Summary

00:00 - So Shred and Destroy has asked can we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of soldering and crimping? So the first thing I think to note here is that when we're talking about crimping being superior, we often get asked well yeah what about my mate crimped this wire using some crimp tool that he found at his local garage and it fell apart.
00:19 Well yeah if you're not using the right crimp tools and the right techniques, of course you're going to end up with an inferior crimp.
00:25 When we're comparing soldering to crimping, we're comparing a well soldered joint, to one that has been correctly crimped using the correct tools and industry best practice.
00:35 When we do that, undeniably the crimp is more reliable.
00:39 And for this reason you'll also see that OE manufacturers don't use any soldering in their production harnesses either.
00:47 So the advantage with a properly crimped joint is that the crimp, as I've mentioned earlier in the webinar, is actually stronger than the parent material.
00:55 So what this will mean is that the conductors will actually fail before that crimp fails.
01:00 The problem that we see with even a well soldered joint is that we do end up with that brittle point where the solder has wicked up the wire and finishes.
01:09 And that is generally where the wire's going to work hard and if it vibrates and it's going to fail.
01:15 Now of course that is not to say that it will fail and this is the argument that we always come up against.
01:20 I've had a soldered joint in my wiring harness for 20 years and it's been fine.
01:23 Yeah absolutely that may be the case, and good for you.
01:27 The problem is that it does provide the potential for failure.
01:31 So if it's well strain relieved and it's well supported, it may lead a long and healthy life but it does have the potential to fail if it is worked hard and if it vibrates, that's why we prefer crimping over soldering.
01:46 That question was taken from one of our free live lessons.
01:50 If you like free stuff, and you're the type of guy that likes to expand his knowledge, click the link in the description to claim your free spot to our next live lesson.
01:58 You'll learn about tidily bundling a section of wiring harness, correctly splicing a single wire out to multiple wires that might need to head to the various sensors in your engine bay, and the materials and tools suitable for use in a motorsport environment.
02:12 You'll also have the chance to ask your own questions which I’ll be answering live.
02:17 Remember it's 100% free so follow the link to claim your spot.