Sorry -- Someone please tell me this isn't, or hasn't been, common knowledge for like -- YEARS.... :bitchslap: :lol:


Most Pros use the uninsulated butt connectors, they're readily available - and heat shrink it. I personally have about half a zillion feet of various sizes of shrink tube in all the colors so that you don't even see the splice.

I'm glad that others are discovering this because there's nothing uglier than a bunch of sore thumb looking splices...

yep started using them about 15 years ago. Before that I'd solder the wires and shrink wrap them.

me too but i still drop in a pinch of solder then shrink. I need to befriend a Canadian so I can score some more ES2000.

Same here. Crimped only connections, can be problematic long term, but dab of solder fixes it.

I have been buying the non-insulated butt splices at the local Radio Shack for years. Not as cheap as ordering on line, but they are local and can be picked up when needed.

These are also a very nice product and you will never have to worry about them coming apart. I've tried to pull them apart and you end ripping the insulation on the wire the glue is so strong. They make them in many different sizes as well as ring terminals.

http://www.waytekwire.com/item/30980...RMA-SEAL-BUTT/

I think for an install that maybe seen John's method a much more attractive and professional way of doing a buttsplice though.

I've not had any long term trouble going without solder, but I'm curious what kind of trouble you have run into and in what applications.

We mention these in the blog post. You're right, they are quite nice but 10x the price of the non-insulated method. You do get a better crimp than the hardware store type, but you still run the risk of damaging the insulation during crimping.

As far as pull-out goes, it really pays to have quality crimpers.

GM training specified a solder with shrink wrap or a butt connector that self sealed with heat. I personally feel a cheap butt connector and shrink wrap could be problematic in a moisture area. I just don't think shrink wrap seals that well and the connection patch is small and could be problematic with a small amount of corrosion vs. a solder. I'd use a weather tight butt connector in any area that could see water or a solder connection. Keep in mind, this is something you won't have a problem with in a few years. It would need to get wet a few times and could take 10, 15, 20 years the way these cars get driven.

I can't answer for RocketRod, but I work for a company that manufactures harnesses and electrical products for the aftermarket. We see problems a lot when people don't provide the wire with any type of strain relief. Where the bare copper wire goes into the butt splice it gets flexed until it fatigues and fails. Heat shrinking the splice as you showed will provide the needed strain relief. We use the method you showed as well as the perma-seal splices in a production environment, and I'd be surprised if I've had more than 4 returns for this type of failure in the last 3 years. We don't soldier our splices, but we do have the proper tools which helps a lot.

Completely agree. I guess I'm spoiled and never took price into account. We buy the perma-seals in such bulk quantities I just grab them off the shelve when I need them for personal use.

From the GM Upfitter Guide (Page D-17)discusses electrical best practices for crimping and splicing.

3. Crimp the splice sleeve on each end. Each wire must be crimped individually. For proper placement, see Figure 28. (Note: Use the appropriate crimp tool designed specifically to use with both crimp-and-seal and butt-splice sleeves.)

The method we discuss in the blog uses a high quality 3M splice with marine type heat shrink to seal the joint.