Still no spark fix

[black 82xj1100]

Well i finally figured out what my problem was. When the previous owner had her
the sidestand switch had gone bad so instead of replacing it they cut and twisted the wires together and put very small amount of electrical tape on them. To top it off they zip tied the wires along the bottom frame crossmember leaving the taped end less than 1/16" from the muffler! So the dirty + corroded connections along with the heat of the muffler was killing the power to the TCI.
I have been riding her for 2 weeks now with no problems
Thanks for the websites with shop manual and owners manual guys it was a big help!!
Mike

[Ivan]

Twist and tape is the single most evil thing anyone can do to a pair of wires. After chipping your teeth trying to strip the insulation, which tastes very bad BTW, the little known property of human saliva comes to a head. It corrodes copper and is 100% resistant to the adhesive put on PVC tape. Lets not even think what 12V at 10A does to a nice juicy pink tongue.

Weather proof crimp connectors are cheap, easy and highly effective. Why people commit the blasphemous sin of twist and tape is beyond me.

The only place twist and tape is acceptable is in a ratty ass looking sub compact import car with seven different colors of primer and a big gay looking spoiler on the back, and a set of spinners that cost three times more per wheel than the car is worth. In this case, twist and tape can be used on the 5000 gigawatt amp leading to the speaker wires such that it will cause fuses to blow. A suitable "emergency" remedy for a blown fuse in this case is a piece of aluminum foil, or an empty casing from "youz gat" which will heat up the twist and tape connection to the point of incinerating the entire vehicle, and thereby saving hundreds of people from hearing gangsta rap from 45 blocks away. This way, the launch detection satellites don't loose calibration from the excessive vibration and thermonuclear war is averted without the help of Mathew Broderick, who is now old, and probably still uses a modem that the handset of his phone fits into, and speaks in baud rate.

Other than that, JUST DON'T TWIST AND TAPE! EVER!


















EVER!

[fredintoon]

Twist and tape is the single most evil thing anyone can do to a pair of wires. After chipping your teeth trying to strip the insulation, which tastes very bad BTW, the little known property of human saliva comes to a head. It corrodes copper and is 100% resistant to the adhesive put on PVC tape. Lets not even think what 12V at 10A does to a nice juicy pink tongue.

Hi Ivan,
I tried to raise him right, honest I did, but my eldest boy used twist and masking tape on wires. OK, he was hooking up his car sub-woofers so that a circuit failure would be a good thing, but still - - -
I'm a solder and shrink-sleeve man myself.

[Ivan]

I used to be a big proponent of solder and heat shrink. It truly is the best way to go if impeadance is a critical issue. But for most automotive wiring repairs weather proof crimp connectors are just so much easier. Weather proof crimp connectors have a sleeve that is heat shrinkable and has a waxy substance in there as well that makes a watertight seal. It is difficult to find heatshrink tube with the sealant in it, but it is what I prefer when doing solder connections.

And for all that may wonder, I was at one time certificated in all the "big Three" automakers electrical diag and repair. Ford liked the solder and heatshrink, GM liked the whole wire replaced while installing new terminals. Elegant but a PITA, and Chrysler said "just fix it".

I really do take pride in electrical repairs, and is probably why I am so critical of half azz repairs.

Also, the 12V at 10A on the tongue is from personal experiance, It took a couple weeks before I could taste anything other than charcoal tasting burnt flesh. Luckily the tongue is the quickest regenerating part of the human body apart from the Cornea.

[BigDick]

The only place twist and tape is acceptable is in a ratty ass looking sub compact import car with seven different colors of primer and a big gay looking spoiler on the back, and a set of spinners that cost three times more per wheel than the car is worth. In this case, twist and tape can be used on the 5000 gigawatt amp leading to the speaker wires such that it will cause fuses to blow. A suitable "emergency" remedy for a blown fuse in this case is a piece of aluminum foil, or an empty casing from "youz gat" which will heat up the twist and tape connection to the point of incinerating the entire vehicle, and thereby saving hundreds of people from hearing gangsta rap from 45 blocks away. This way, the launch detection satellites don't loose calibration from the excessive vibration and thermonuclear war is averted without the help of Mathew Broderick, who is now old, and probably still uses a modem that the handset of his phone fits into, and speaks in baud rate.

wonderful rant, A+, complete post should be in JOTD thread, It's 100% true which makes it all the funnier.

[boyat68]

One other plus with crimp vs solder is that the solder joint makes a heat related stress point right at the solder/wire junction that will not take a lot of flexing before it breaks at that point, where as the crimp joint is highly flexible. I try to access the probable flexing characteristics before I decide to solder or crimp.

[oldyam80sg]

I do a;lot of wiring at my full time job and its mostly crimp-on connectors.I only pick-up a soldering iron for small wires but most of the time crimp connectors are so much easier and faster.

[black 82xj1100]

Twist and tape is the single most evil thing anyone can do to a pair of wires. After chipping your teeth trying to strip the insulation, which tastes very bad BTW, the little known property of human saliva comes to a head. It corrodes copper and is 100% resistant to the adhesive put on PVC tape. Lets not even think what 12V at 10A does to a nice juicy pink tongue.
Weather proof crimp connectors are cheap, easy and highly effective. Why people commit the blasphemous sin of twist and tape is beyond me.

Other than that, JUST DON'T TWIST AND TAPE! EVER!
EVER!

Oh I agree totally !
My Dad was an electrician and I probably would have gotten smacked in the head for doing a quick fix like the previous owner did.
I used a water tight connector on it then for extra measure I coated the whole thing with liquid electrical tape.
Have any of you guys tried this stuff? It comes in different colors.I got the basic black and it holds up to heat very well. I brushed it on my carb boots and it looks like i have new ones on there now! Also i had a small crack in the back corner of my seat and coated the crack with it and you have to really look close to find it. It's flexible and seems to be holding up quite well.
Mike