Help. Electrical Problem After IP Change.

[dagsurplus]

Could you post a picture of the crimper you used?

There are no manufacturer or other identification marks on this. It is probably the 20th crimper I've owned; by far, the best. It's a ratcheting type; results in a lot of crimping power. I think I got it online through an electronics supply house; about $50 I think. Money very well spent.

 

[ridingshotgun]

Doghead,
That kinda looks like a Belden compression crimp tool (or a knock-off). They make some really good crimpers that don't damage the connector during the crimp process.

 

[doghead]

A couple points to be noted.

The battery cables on your truck have been modified from the original cables(the ends have been terminated with rings)

An original set would have the lead batter terminals molded to the wires.

So, that bad crimp was a modification(who knows by whom).

Also of great importance(in learning from this) is the fact that there WAS voltage loss under no load. That was a key indication that there was a problem.

Glad you found it!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Glad you got it fixed!

A couple of points:

There are no manufacturer or other identification marks on this. It is probably the 20th crimper I've owned; by far, the best. It's a ratcheting type; results in a lot of crimping power. I think I got it online through an electronics supply house; about $50 I think. Money very well spent.

That crimper is not intended for use on such large connections. See the colored dots? Those correspond to the standard crimp connectors like these:

http://www.delcity.net/store/Butt-Connectors/p_801793


Using that crimper for battery cables will greatly shorten the life of that crimper, and will give you a less than adequate crimp. It might seem fine now, but it's just not going to hold like it should. That crimper just isn't capable of applying enough force. It's not made for that job.


Your cables look a bit on the wimpy side, to me, and those connectors are not the latest and greatest. You should give some thought to re-doing the whole shebang with adequate cables and decent terminals.

With these old vehicles, pulling and tugging on connections is a good way to break things. That's good, because you want it to break when you are looking for problems, not when you are toodling down the road on your way to a hot date or a job interview.


A volt meter will give you good voltage readings when there's no load on a circuit, even if there's bad corrosion or loose connection (or both) upstream of a measurement point. A test light would have shown you the problem. Meters AND test lights are good tools to have and use.

 

[dagsurplus]

So what crimpers would you recommend for this size connection?

I agree that all the battery cables should be changed to OEM for the CUCV; will do this. That said, this truck came from GL; thus, it was presumably the military that installed the non-original, wimpy cable.

Thanks for the tip on the test light.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

For battery cables, you need SERIOUS power! Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Terminal-Batt...974391&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+cable+crimpers

BTW, I used to have a crimper like yours. Really nice for its intended purpose!

 

[dagsurplus]

For battery cables, you need SERIOUS power! Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Terminal-Batt...974391&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+cable+crimpers

BTW, I used to have a crimper like yours. Really nice for its intended purpose!

I went to Amazon and looked; had no idea that there are so many crimping tool options for large wire sizes. Many seem to be knock offs of Greenlee and other name brand companies with prices in the multiple 100s or 1000s. I'm curious if any member of Steel Soldiers can vouch for a specific battery size hydraulic crimpers with removable heads.