Battery cable lugs: solder or crimp?

[Bonnewagon]

Nothing is as bad as Jeep OEM cables. They are ridiculously thin, corrode, suffer breaks mid-cable, and have crappy cast lead top terminal ends that fail. My SOP is to junk them and replace with stock GM cables. The average GM cable is roughly twice heavier gauge. My Firebird project will have a lot of better wiring systems than stock. The OEM wiring may have been OK for 1968, but is prehistoric today. Starting with proper gauge battery cables is just the beginning. My many years working with boats has given me a great appreciation for marine grade wiring and components.

 

[nawlins-tim]

I need some new battery cables. Store cables are cheap and thin. I usually buy bulk lengths of marine grade tinned copper to make cables for outboard motors. I figured I would do the same for the Bonnewagon. The issue is that I read on electrical sites that crimping is the best way to attach the lugs. Normally I solder them. Every outboard cable I have seen was soldered. Some were even crimped AND soldered. I may do that. But why would crimping be better than soldering? That doesn't make sense. Solder would encapsulate every strand of wire. The soldered surface area of contact has to be better than crimping. I have a TEMco hammer crimper that I can use in a big vise or my 12 ton press so crimping is do-able. I am leaning to crimp-then solder.

When I made mine I used the compression type. Neither solder nor crimp. Check 'em outhttps://remybattery.com/cable-conne...s/4-gauge-compression-lug-connector.html#347=

 

[Bonnewagon]

I never saw that before. Awesome. Thanks!!!

 

[jiho]

Confusingly, and as per usual, there are different standards for wire gauge. GM naturally used SAE, but what you find is AWG. The two sometimes equate, but at some gauge numbers AWG is considerably fatter.

That's the copper. Then there's the insulation, where there aren't any real standards for how fat, only values for electrical isolation.

Meanwhile, each terminal manufacturer has his own ideas about barrel sizing.

The hydraulic crimping tools work great. But they're all from China, and sometimes the die numbers are keyed to some mysterious metric standard, that doesn't match either SAE or AWG.

I can't swear it's true, but I've heard that marine standards actually forbid soldering because it weakens things mechanically.

 

[Rocknrod]

Confusingly, and as per usual, there are different standards for wire gauge. GM naturally used SAE, but what you find is AWG. The two sometimes equate, but at some gauge numbers AWG is considerably fatter.

That's the copper. Then there's the insulation, where there aren't any real standards for how fat, only values for electrical isolation.

Meanwhile, each terminal manufacturer has his own ideas about barrel sizing.

The hydraulic crimping tools work great. But they're all from China, and sometimes the die numbers are keyed to some mysterious metric standard, that doesn't match either SAE or AWG.

I can't swear it's true, but I've heard that marine standards actually forbid soldering because it weakens things mechanically.

Thats why I like to buy everything from one place such as this - https://www.batterycablesusa.com/0-gauge-1-0-awg-extreme-battery-cable-with-ends

 

[SoFloG]

20+ years working with 12 vdc from car audio to hydraulics in half a dozen shops and all large gauge wire terminals are best crimped, even with a sledge hammer on the floor. I have some 0awg wire that I've used in 3 or 4 vehicles with sledge crimped ring terminals that is 10 years old and going to be used again.

Solder can compromise the wire with the heat especially CCA(copper clad aluminum) and lends to oxidation/corrosion and failed contact. It makes the OFC (oxygen free copper) wire brittle as well and less tolerant of vibration or movement. As mentioned also the current transfer can build up heat in high amperage wires at the connections like starter, alternator, amplifiers, fuel pumps, fans, etc. Solder loses it's integrity after exposure to high enough heat for too long or too many hot/cool cycles(situationally dependent). This is why it is taboo in marine industry and really has no place under the hood of a car in my opinon. Leave the solder for circuit boards and low amperage electronic connections or plumbing. Good crimp connectors and crimping tool with some quality heat shrink and you're good.