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Stoo
14-10-08, 10:27 PM
Right, i wanna extend my loom to hide it

Do i need to use any specific cables? crimps etc?

stu

brainsnova
14-10-08, 10:31 PM
soldering and heat shrink is the best way and use the same guage of wires. Easy way is to get another loom an chop out the bit you want to extend :thumb:

L14MNP
14-10-08, 10:46 PM
As above dude, a donor loom is the way to go as it is a mine field of wire gauge when extending! Also this way you get exact colour matches, invaluable if tracing any future faults Be sure to tin up and solder/heatwrap.
I have just finished making one, a total PITA but fly as **** as you know lol

Stoo
14-10-08, 10:52 PM
well its not for a nova, its for the dub

may be able to nick a loom from somewhere else though ;)

what am i doing in between wires? in line splices? Soldered and heatshrinked?

meritlover
14-10-08, 10:53 PM
buy proper ratchet crimp pliers, not the stupid 'halfords styee' plier ones.

better to solder and heat-shrink than crimp anyway, its almost as fast and an iron is cheaper than crimps and pliers

L14MNP
14-10-08, 11:03 PM
Mine wasn't for a Nova, I wish it was lol I must have done hundreds of wires! moving relay box, x2 fuse boxes etc inside the car. No one has done it either so I just winged it lol

Best to tin up the two wires with solder and solder them together parallel mate, then heat shrink. I have been modifying a loom on my mates Mini too and he fits cctv and alarms and says that is the way to solder.

Agreed with Mr ML too, proper ratchet crimpers and proper bullets [insert RAF firearms joke here] - if need be.

meritlover
14-10-08, 11:06 PM
I have been modifying a loom on my mates Mini too and he fits cctv and alarms and says that is the way to solder.

surely he cant be that good or he'd have done it himself?:confused:

im unhappy

L14MNP
14-10-08, 11:10 PM
I missed out the word 'helping'

How is the financial climate in your country at present sir?

meritlover
14-10-08, 11:13 PM
it is drastic, its now 58 chickens for a camel. it used to be 56+3goose eggs

ive now taken to drinking grey-water and selling all my electricity. ive also modified my Dyno to back-feed to the grid. you know, credit crunch and all.....

Stuart
15-10-08, 12:48 PM
Solder is a no no.

google vehicle wiring products for all the groovy gear you need

craig green
15-10-08, 01:20 PM
I've extended numerous looms with solder & encountered no issues tbh.

Lee
15-10-08, 01:25 PM
it is drastic, its now 58 chickens for a camel. it used to be 56+3goose eggs

ive now taken to drinking grey-water and selling all my electricity. ive also modified my Dyno to back-feed to the grid. you know, credit crunch and all.....

Legend lol

The Simps
15-10-08, 01:46 PM
I've extended numerous looms with solder & encountered no issues tbh.


I agree.

Soldered properly it is stuck togther a treat whereas a crimp can come loose.

Other thing you might want to do is make the extension plug n play. Count up how many wires you have to extend the go to the scrappy and cut some block connectors out of car looms then solder them in.

Stuart
15-10-08, 01:57 PM
ahh but on the flip side the solder can flow up inside the insulation casuing a "sharp" edge which with vibration can sheer the cable.

A proper crimp with a £30+ ratchet crimper actually causes cold welding to occur so pull out is hugely reduced (and using proper crimp ends too as opposed to the 100 for 10P you see about).

Solder is nearly tollerable if you destress the cable in a nice big loop so that vibration is damped away.

Adam
15-10-08, 04:50 PM
Ive soldered everything on my car, never once had a wiring fault.
I just dont like crimps lol
Plus crimps just look a bit of a bodge imo

Even though a lot of people do say crimps are better

Stoo
15-10-08, 04:51 PM
interesting reading, cheers chaps!

craig green
15-10-08, 05:19 PM
For the record I don't allow the solder to flow back up the insulation. Jujst neat jobs here. I did my mates Z-LET AFM & theres no issues there either.

jimbob-mcgrew
15-10-08, 06:31 PM
what part of the loom do you need ? i might be shortening mine soon, the main chunk that goes to the dash.

AlexW
15-10-08, 07:39 PM
what part of the loom do you need ? i might be shortening mine soon, the main chunk that goes to the dash.

Its not for a nova he said.

I prefer solding to crimps, my brother who is a auto electrican is the same.

Clean 2.0 nova
15-10-08, 08:27 PM
ahh but on the flip side the solder can flow up inside the insulation casuing a "sharp" edge which with vibration can sheer the cable.


Symptoms of not enough flux and dirt on the conductors if you ask me. Crimps are a bad idea in a car, and I bet most people have never seen a cable crimped properly (not wanting to disrespect anybody that knows what they're on about), not to mention its damn unsightly to see in-line crimps.

Iain

Stuart
15-10-08, 08:51 PM
best tell OEM's that they are wrong then ;) nearly all (99%) OEM looms are crimped

meritlover
15-10-08, 09:03 PM
ye i think i'll fire them an email

John
15-10-08, 09:14 PM
I work for VW, and all wiring repairs carried out under warranty HAVE to be crimped. Whereas when i was at vx, soldering was exceptable.

Adam
15-10-08, 09:37 PM
best tell OEM's that they are wrong then ;) nearly all (99%) OEM looms are crimped
Indeed.
Strip a nova loom down and see how dodgily the ignition/12v live feeds are spliced with crimps into multiple wires,Lol