Hey /diy/ I'm installing this after market radio into my car. The wires I need to connect have these plastic caps on them. Is is safe to just pull them off to soder them to the other wires. Also is it acceptable to just use electric tape instead of soldering? Many thanks
The plastic caps are crimp connectors, you can just pull them off. Don't use electrical tape, it'll fall apart when the weather gets warm and your stereo will either short out or have strange issues. You should either solder and heatshrink or just get some more crimp connectors.
Just order a piggy back connector from your new radios manufacturer for your car. Plug and play.
>>916919
Still gotta connect the wires somehowbro
>>916987
Not that anon, but yeah you're right. Though connecting the car stereo harness to the car harness adapter is a lot easier. Plus reversible in the future if you need it.
>>916880
Is that your actual picture?
Those are crimp connectors, not as good as soldering but much much better than taping it. They are a few bucks at the hardware store. You dont want your battery to slowly drain, or a fire to start from tape falling off.
The wires on the right, are those straight wires that go all the way into the dash, or is there a big ass plug on it?
People telling you to get a special harness arent paying attention.
If there are already crimps on it it has an aftermarket radio, it either has a universal harness that he can reuse, or someone has already lopped the stock harness off which the harness sentiment would be moot.
>>917010
Yes its my photo, I already ordered additional parts needed to connect this radio to my car. I took off the crimps without damaging them, I can re use them right? They worked just fine in the other car. Everything else i have figured out, and thanks for the help guys
>>917037
>I can re use them right
definitely not.
solder that shit and heat-shrink
unless you want it wiggleing loose once you hit a bumpy road
>>917042
Okay thanks, that's a mistake avoided. I found out they are really cheap so I'll just pick up some new ones.
>>917010
>>People telling you to get a special harness arent paying attention.
OP told us that he has "this stereo" no where does it say that it was installed into the car in question yet. The car its going into might still have the stock harness, which then it would be a good idea to have the harness adapter.
>>916887
This. I bought a beat up work truck for $450 to haul wood, it had an aftermarket radio in it but no speakers and no dash panels. One day driving down the freeway I noticed the smell of burning plastic, I look down at the floor board just in time to see flaming globs start dropping from behind the exposed metal dash. I pulled over to the shoulder and ripped that radio out with the quickness. Flaming plastic everywhere. One final tug separates the radio from the from the wires, throw it in the truckbed, pop the hood, pull the battery, grab fire extinguisher from bed, spray down the inside of the truck. Had to scrape soot off the inside of the windshield.
My gauge cluster didn't work anymore(except the Speedo), heat and cool didn't work, turn signals, I was lucky it was an old carbureated truck because I could still drive. I would have had to pay $100 for a tow. I was thankful the guy never put the truck back together after putting the radio in, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to put it out.
And the root cause? The mother fucker twisted the wires and taped them(poorly I might add). It got hot out and the tape fell off, and one of the hots must have arced to the metal chassis. The fuse blew eventually, but the fire was already going.
It's too easy and cheap not to crimp the wires. You can get everything you need for about $10 at harbor freight.
>>917010
>Those are crimp connectors, not as good as soldering
Can I question your mental condition???
Jet fighters use crimp connectors throughout their wiring harnesses. You can find lesser grade but perfectly usable connectors at your local auto store.
You can also find harnesses from Metra and Scoshe which will adapt most stereos to most vehicles without splicing, but you need to be SURE of what your harness and stereo connections look like. Walmart carries a lot of the Scoshe parts.
>>917270
>crimp connectors aren't as good as soldering
There's a reason many boating and automotive organizations, as well as just about every mechanic, instructs people to crimp instead of solder.
>>916987
No it's a sub harness, you plug one end on your factory connector on your cars harness, and the other end into the radio. No cutting, or soldering required.
>>917000
And this guy is right too. It's a quick swap out, if you want to sell your car and keep that new radio and put the factory one back in.
>>917394
Can I question your mental condition too??
Read what I replied to.
Where do I say Crimping terminations are worse than soldering terminations??
You think about it, power distribution and transmission ONLY uses crimped cable terminations. Solder should remain on circuit boards where it belongs.
>>917744
Can I question yours? I was agreeing with you, you sperg.
>>916880
Solder joints suck unless done perfectly, which is somewhat hard in a car. Crimping is far more fail proof.
No sticky shit, if you ever have to take it off, it leaves a discusting sticky layer on everything. Also, PVC tape lets go when hot.
Heatshrink or the plastic crimpy things.
>>917010
>Those are crimp connectors, not as good as soldering but much much better than taping it
Crimping is better than soldering when it comes to joining wires.
Why? Because solder has almost no fatigue life. Solder should ONLY be used on things that don't move at all or with tons of strain relief. If there's any chance your electrical contact can move or flex, crimp or use a connector...
