How to Repair a Telephone Cord

A telephone patch cord has an RJ-11 connector on each end.

A single-line telephone, as traditionally used in most homes, uses a telephone cord to connect from the base of the telephone to the wall jack. The cord has a plastic RJ-11 connector on each end of the cord. If the plastic connector is disconnected from the end of the cord, or if the cord is damaged, you can crimp a new connector onto the end of the cord by using a specialized crimping tool.

Things You'll Need

• Wire cutters
• Telephone wire stripping tool
• RJ-11 crimping tool
• RJ-11 connectors

Instructions

1. Cut off the damaged end of the telephone cord squarely with a pair of wire cutters.

2. Slip the end of the telephone cord into the wire stripper. Squeeze the handles of the stripper to strip off the outer sheath of the end of the telephone cord.

3. Hold a new RJ-11 connector in your left hand with the clip facing upwards. Insert the exposed ends of the phone cable into RJ-11 connector with your right hand. The green wire should be on the left as you look down at the clip side of the connector.

4. Click the connector into the crimping tool. Hold the telephone cord to keep it in the connector and tightly squeeze the handles of the crimping tool.

5. Remove the RJ-11 connector from the crimping tool. Attach the cable to the telephone and the wall outlet and check the phone for dial tone.

References

• Leviton: Telephone Crimping Tool Instructions
• SmartHome: Telephone Crimping Tool