How to Solder Two Auto Electrical Wires
Soldering is an essential skill for anyone working with electrical wiring. The basic skills are the same whether you are soldering electric wires in the home or on your automobile's electrical system, with one exception. When making soldered connections on a car's electrical system, the connection must also be weatherproof. Making a soldered connection weatherproof requires a few extra steps. To the basic skills needed to make a reliable solder joint, you need to add the skills of using heat shrink tubing to make the connections impervious to water.
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Things You'll Need
- Soldering gun
- Soldering sponge
- Rosin core solder
- Wire strippers/wire cutters
- Heat shrink tubing
- Industrial hot-air gun
Instructions
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1
Clean and "tin" the soldering gun's soldering tip. Plug the soldering gun power cord into a 110-volt receptacle. Press the trigger and wipe the tip clean of dirt and oxidation using the wet soldering sponge. Immediately coat the freshly cleaned soldering gun tip with a light coating of Rosin core solder. A properly tinned soldering tip will appear bright silver in color. Making a decent solder connection begins with a properly cleaned and tinned soldering gun.
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2
Select a piece of heat shrink tubing with an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the two wires to be spliced by soldering. Cut a 2-inch length of the heat shrink tubing and slip it over one of the wires. You must put the heat shrink tubing over the wires before splicing and soldering the wires together.
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3
Strip 1 inch of insulation from the ends of the two wires to be spliced together. Be careful to use the right stripping notch on the wire strippers so you do not cut into the wire itself. When splicing two wires together, the best splice to use is the Western Union splice.
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4
Place the two stripped ends of the wires side by side so they cross one another at a 45-degree angle. Twist the stripped ends of the wires around one another in opposite directions. This is essential because every reliable solder joint begins with a strong mechanical joint.
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5
Place the hot soldering tip on the underside of the splice. Wait a few seconds for the splice to get hot, then touch the Rosin core solder to the topside of the splice. The capillary action set up by the heat will suck the molten solder through and around the splice. Never touch the solder to the soldering gun's tip. An acceptable solder joint will appear bright silver in color. If the joint is dull gray, you need to redo the solder joint.
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6
Plug the hot-air gun into a 110-volt receptacle. Center the heat shrink tubing over the soldered splice. Using the hot-air gun, apply heat evenly around and along the length of the tubing until it shrinks down tightly on the wire. Do not apply too much heat or the heat shrink tubing will crack over the hard solder connection.
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References
- Photo Credit Soldering iron image by Gudellaphoto from Fotolia.com
