Solderless Wiring Repair

Solderless wiring repair can be accomplished by the use of crimp and seal splice sleeves. Crimp and seal splice sleeves may be used on all types of insulation except tefzel and coaxial to form a one-to-one splice. They are to be used where there are special requirements such as moisture sealing. Crimp and seal splice sleeves are included in the J 38125 Terminal Repair Kit. Use the following procedure for solderless wiring repair:

1. Open the Harness
If the harness is taped, remove the tape. To avoid wire insulation damage, use a sewing "seam ripper" to cut open the harness (available from sewing supply stores). The crimp and seal splice sleeves may be used on all types of insulation except tefzel and coaxial and may only be used to form a one-to-one splice.

2. Cut the Wire
Begin cutting as little wire off the harness as possible. You may need the extra length of wire later if you decide to cut more wire to change the location of the splice. You may have to adjust splice locations to make certain that each splice is 40 mm (1.5 in) away from other splices, harness branches, or connectors. This will help prevent moisture from bridging adjacent splices and causing damage.

3. Strip the Insulation
If it is necessary to add length of wire to the existing harness, be certain to use the same size as the original wire.

To find the correct wire size either find the wire on the schematic page and convert the metric size to the equivalent AWG size or use an AWG wire gage. If unsure about the wire size, begin with the largest opening in your wire stripper and work down until you get a clean strip of the insulation. Strip approximately 7.5 mm (5/16 in) of insulation from each wire to be splices. Be careful to avoid nicking or cutting any of the wires. Check the stripped wire for nicks or cut strands. If the wire is damaged, repeat this procedure after removing the damaged section.

Crimp And Seal Splice Sleeve Chart:

4. Select and Position the Splice Sleeve
Select the proper splice sleeve according to wire size. The splice sleeves and tool nests are color coded. Refer above to determine the correct splice sleeve.

Hand Crimp Tool:

Using the J 38125-8 splice crimp tool, position the splice sleeve in the proper color nest of the hand crimp tool. Place the splice sleeve in the nest so that the crimp falls midway between the end of the barrel and the stop.

Seal Splice Sequence:

The splice sleeve has a stop in the middle of the barrel to prevent the wire from going further. Close the handles slightly to hold the splice sleeve firmly in the proper nest.

Seal Splice Sequence:

5. Insert the Wires into the Splice Sleeve and Crimp
Insert the wire into the splice sleeve until it hits the barrel stop and close the handles of the crimp tool tightly until the crimper handles open when released. The crimper handles will not open until the proper amount of pressure has been applied to the splice sleeve. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the opposite end of the splice. Figure shows the condition of the splice sleeve after crimping.

Seal Splice Sequence:

6. Shrink the Insulation Around the Splice
Using a heat torch, apply heat to the center of the splice sleeve. Gradually move the heat to the open end of the tubing, shrinking the tubing as the heat is moved along the insulation. A small amount of sealant will come out of the end of the tubing when sufficient shrinking has been achieved. Figure shows the condition of the splice when the tubing is completely shrunk.