I do it the same way mattva described. If you want to go above and beyond put a little silicone around the splice after you solder and then shrink wrap. Probably not necessary tho. Matt are posi-locs the one with solder in the middle and two seals on the outer part? You just have to heat them up? Those things are nice I've been wanting to pick up a box of those. I wouldn't recommend using crimp connectors... I don't even use them in a car where they would be dry

Edit: I just looked up posi locks, that's not what I was thinking of

 

Re: crimps and heat shrink. I've been using crimp connectors "butt connectors" for years on my boats. Never had one fail.

IF... You use the right ones. I only use Ancor Marine heat shrink and connectors w/adhesive lining. Once crimped (or soldered) and heated, the glue in the tube melts and seals the joint 100%.

Best stuff out there.

 

Well, I've already "invested" in a soldering iron and such so I think I'll just follow Matt's advice. Hope to do this sometime this week! Weather is finally nice in our neck of the woods so prefer to ride when possible.

 

You will be good with the solder.

 

Monster the positap is nice for tapping into a wire you don't want to cut up. They're vibration proof and I believe water proof don't quote me. I ran one exposed with electrical tape around it when I had a side mount lighted plate for over a year no issues. Clever little connectors they create a dead simple and strong joint. If permanent though I just solder.

 

I use these connectors. Easy to use, strong, never failed yet, and reliably waterproof (so no corrosion etc). It has heat shrink, solder and hot-melt glue all ready-to-go in the one unit. The white ones should be the right size for your job.

Another tip: stabilise your wires in position on your work surface with blu-tack (or whatever USAmericans call that blobby stuff for sticking posters to walls). An easy way to keep everything steady while soldering.

 

^^^ these are what I was thinking of.. I need to get some of these

 

Thanks Dave!

I think I'm past the point of no return

 

this is acceptable IF you are using solid core wire not stranded...

below is from IPC-WHMA-A-620 Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.



single stranded wire





multiple stranded wire

just make sure to shrink wrap the joints in both situations and that there is no wire poking out of the shrink tube.

class 3 is what we use at work, and if it is acceptable for black boxes for drones, bradley tanks, and NASA then i think a harley will be just fine!!


Class 1 – General Electronic Products
Includes products suitable for applications where the major requirement is the function of the completed assembly.

Class 2 – Dedicated Service Electronic Products
Includes products where continued performance and extended life is required, and for which uninterrupted service is desired but not critical. Typically, the end-use environment would not cause failures.

Class 3 – High Performance Electronic Products
Includes products where continued performance or performance-on-demand is critical, equipment downtime can- not be tolerated, end-use environment may be uncommonly harsh, and the equipment must function when required, such as life support systems and other critical systems.

 

About 15 years ago a buddy helped me extend the wiring harness of a 3.5L BMW motor, and had to cut and extend about 24 wires. The lap splice illustrated above wan what he used. It worked perfectly for about 8 years before I sold the car. He made a living soldering pc boards and the like, so he was good at soldering to say the least... I, on the other hand, make a horrible mess every time I try and solder something away from a bench, so I'd probably use connectors lol.