The Automotive Thread

[Road Guy]

should I be scared of this? This is the "simple connect" wiring harness to keep my radio controls on the steering wheel..

Should I try and use some type of heat gun /solder for these?  I have ordered it but haven't got the instructions yet. the reviews on crutch filed say its easy but this looks like a PIA to me??

 

[MetsFan]

You just have to match up the colors per the instructions. It's not too bad at all. I used butt connectors and a crimping tool followed by some electrical tape to secure the connections.

 

[SNAPE/SMOTT PE]

^ is not electrically inclined.

Looks intimidating to me...some of those colors look way too similar.

 

[Flyer_PE]

It's only a PITA if your color blind.  The instructions Crutchfield supplies spell out which wires get connected together.  I soldered the last one I did.  Insulated the connections with heat-shrink tubing.

 

[MA_PE]

It's only a PITA if your color blind.  The instructions Crutchfield supplies spell out which wires get connected together.  I soldered the last one I did.  Insulated the connections with heat-shrink tubing.

x2.  Solder is definitely the preferred way to go.  Hopefully all the loose leads go to the radio and not under or in the dash.  That way you can solder everything on a benchtop and then just go plug it in.  If the conenction are made under dahs, I might opt for the crimping option.

 

[Road Guy]

Im hoping that the factory wiring harness stays "in tact" & the connections are just to the radio like you said.. I just don't want to cut the factory wiring harness...

Haven't soldered in a long time....

 

[mudpuppy]

It's only a PITA if your color blind.  The instructions Crutchfield supplies spell out which wires get connected together.  I soldered the last one I did.  Insulated the connections with heat-shrink tubing.

This, but thankfully I'm not colorblind.  All the solder connections should be to the head unit, so you can do it on a bench rather than on your back on the floor of the car.  This is the huge plus of using Crutchfield.  You may have some leftover wires that aren't connected, but the instructions usually are good at telling you what to do.

You can try using crimp connectors, but (1) they can take up a lot of space that may not be available in your dash, and (2) they're not as reliable as a good solder job.

 

[Supe]

I wouldn't even bother soldering.  Use the "cap" style crimp connectors.  They offer a more positive crimp than butt connectors do, and you're never going to see them anyways.  

Side note - you will probably not need/use all of those wires.  

 

[Flyer_PE]

This, but thankfully I'm not colorblind.

I use the caveat because I'm red-green colorblind.  My wife has helped with the wire colors a time or two.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Just be sure to not confuse the blue w/ white stripes with the white w/ blue stripes...

 

[matt267 PE]

I use the caveat because I'm red-green colorblind.  My wife has helped with the wire colors a time or two.

Christmas must be a very gray time for you.

 

[Road Guy]

I should have picked up some of these, this looks like my kind of "simple" yet effective solution..

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_669PP500/Posi-Products-Car-Stereo-Connectors.html

 

[csb]

Is it marketing that the "Quicker-Safer-Easier" packaging is pink? 

 

[snickerd3]

since it is pink packaging , the price is probably higher too than a more gender neutral package of the same thing.  

 

[Flyer_PE]

Is it marketing that the "Quicker-Safer-Easier" packaging is pink? 

Electrical connectors for girls?  Check your Man Card at the door.

 

[jeb6294]

I had to get some connectors to install my tuner the other day....although, I ended up not even needing them because the wire the directions said I was supposed to connect to under the dash didn't work the way it was supposed to so I ended up having to fish the wire up to one of the fuses under the hood.  Advance Auto had one pack of "audio" butt connectors that were like $6 for a pack of 5.  A few racks over, they had "regular" butt connectors that were $3 for a pack of 8.  A butt connector either connects the wire or it doesn't.  How can one be sooo much better than another?

 

[knight1fox3]

How can one be sooo much better than another?

Made in China....

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

You will throw out at least 4 of that 8-pack because they fell off after crimping. I can never seem to get the cheaper ones to actually stay on.

 

[Supe]

The "audio" ones typically have a gold or nickel plating on them.  They all tend to work fine with a decent crimp tool, though the tolerances are night and day between a good one and a shitty one.  The jacket materials are different, too.  

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

You will throw out at least 4 of that 8-pack because they fell off after crimping. I can never seem to get the cheaper ones to actually stay on.

You need a good crimping tool.

This is the one I have used for years.