Battery connectors

[Ddubya]

I am installing a battery disconnect on my new 2013 290RLT and discovered several crimp terminals that are improperly crimped and loose. There were also two wires in a single terminal which attached to the battery which was also loose. I will use two terminals to replace the single one which should have been done by the installer.
I would advise everyone to check all12vdc crimp connectors for proper installation.

[wmcclay]

Solder and heat shrink only way to go. Those connections in the battery box are exposed to highly corrosive gases. I make up a pigtail and make my secondary connections outside the battery box. Even a few 10ths of a volts greatly increases amp draw which equals heat.

[BarryD0706]

Originally Posted by wmcclay

... Even a few 10ths of a volts greatly increases amp draw which equals heat.

Wayne,
I often make solder connections too, but as you probably know, a "properly crimped" connection is gas-tight, so the corrosive gases don't get in.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but your statement I quoted above is incorrect. Resistance in the connection will actually cause a slight decrease in the amperage (proportional to the voltage drop). The heat is caused by the normal high current flowing in those circuits passing thru the resistive connection. P = I*I*R

[Ddubya]

I replaced and soldered several terminals today.

You would think that as many connections as are made on these RV's they would use the correct crimp tools.

[J_KHawthorne]

Originally Posted by Ddubya

I am installing a battery disconnect on my new 2013 290RLT and discovered several crimp terminals that are improperly crimped and loose. There were also two wires in a single terminal which attached to the battery which was also loose. I will use two terminals to replace the single one which should have been done by the installer.
I would advise everyone to check all12vdc crimp connectors for proper installation.

Thanks for the heads-up, Ddubya! Going to check this out first thing in the AM!

[J_KHawthorne]

Originally Posted by Ddubya

I replaced and soldered several terminals today.

You would think that as many connections as are made on these RV's they would use the correct crimp tools.

BTW, I hope you passed this info on to the good folks at Prime Time!

[PopBeavers]

I took 3 years of electric shop in high school plus 2 more years of college when I thought I wanted to be an electronic engineer.

I was taught to make a good physical (load bearing) connection first (twisted wires, crimped connection, etc.) and make a good electrical connection second (solder).

So that is what I have been doing since 1972 and I have never been disappointed.

[Ddubya]

While soldering the connectors is an excellent hedge against current loss it is not practical in the type of assembly used by RV manufacturers. The use of a proper crimp tool and good electrical practices would aid in decreasing installation time.

[joelek]

Good tight crimp on left, bad loose crimp in right



Cheap crimp tools on left, excellent ratcheting style crimper - the two on the right.



Then you have the skill level of the "professional" staff that wired up your camper.

Now you know why some wiring jobs last 30+ years and some fail 1st year. Even at the same company, it's a crapshoot with the quality of the wiring jobs. It really came down to who did the work. Some guys were good and some guys not so much. I used to be a traveling field service tech. One of my first questions back to the factory was........who wired it?