Emergency! Please help now!!!!!

[dacantu]

Guys. So I just got my alternator changed and finally got my car back on the road today, then.........

Somehow the little metal arm that holds the hood up touched my positive battery post while I was driving and totally killed my car on instant. My ground from the valve cover to the chassis is toast. For whatever reason... my gas pedal bacame hard the way the brake pedal does if pumped while the car is off. While the gas pedal did this I pressed on it really hard and it seems to have jammed in now (so now the gas is pushed in rather than out and the pedal really loose). So I fixed the ground with amplifier cable and some tools in my trunk. But when i turned on the car the gas pedal was stuck and almost blew my motor because it revved so high.

Has this ever happened to you? Or do you have any idea whats happening? Im stuck on the side of the road writing this on my iphone. Please help.

[Civic Accord Honda]

this happened to me!! i thought i was the only one!! in my case i was running without an engine ground.. and it was causing everything to freak out and barely idle... next thing i know my gas pedal was jammed i was like WTF!! turns out the throttle cable melted!! so yeah you need to get a new throttle cable for sure..

[dacantu]

CAH where is this throttle cable you speak of? Is it difficult to replace? And in your opinion do you think id be able to run to auto zone pick one up and install it on the side of the road?

And thanks for the speedy response man!

[lostforawhile]

CAH where is this throttle cable you speak of? Is it difficult to replace? And in your opinion do you think id be able to run to auto zone pick one up and install it on the side of the road?

And thanks for the speedy response man!dealer, I've tried every auto parts here and no one sells them. they aren't really that bad in price. spare throttle cable is one of those parts you should keep in the car for emergency's

[Bluntman]

It is connected to the throttle body ( the red line) See if you can do something to maybe free it up and limp home.:dunno:
http://i89.servimg.com/u/f89/12/59/29/63/th10.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=671&u=12592963)

[dacantu]

Thanks lost.

By chance would you guys be able to give me an idea of how to repair this? And where the the throttle cable is located? Im assuming it attaches to the gas pedal?

Edit: thanks bluntman. I actually did mess with this but it did not affect my gas pedal at all my pedal is jammed full throttle and as soon as i turn on te car it just revs up like a mother

[Bluntman]

Thanks lost.

By chance would you guys be able to give me an idea of how to repair this? And where the the throttle cable is located? Im assuming it attaches to the gas pedal?

Edit: thanks bluntman. I actually did mess with this but it did not affect my gas pedal at all my pedal is jammed full throttle and as soon as i turn on te car it just revs up like a mother

It should be in the same position as in the pic.So it is stuck in an open position. You cannot move that lever at all to close it? But that will just stop the revving problem if you can. Hope you can get home somehow.

[dacantu]

Damn bluntman i hadnt thought of that lol. Im just going to completely remove the cable from the throttle body. The good thing is im not very far from home so limping home shouldnt be a problem. I really appreciate the help and concern.

-Dan

[lostforawhile]

It should be in the same position as in the pic.So it is stuck in an open position. You cannot move that lever at all to close it? But that will just stop the revving problem if you can. Hope you can get home somehow. if the positive grounded out, all that current tried to return through the body in any way it could, the throttle cable is probably melted inside and welded together. We had this happen to someone else on here and the entire cable caught fire. if the battery to body ground was bad, the current would have tried to flow through the engine ground strap,and back to the body through anything it could,such as the throttle cable.

[Civic Accord Honda]

yeah mine completely melted and welded together inside was not fixable my 3gee sat for a month until i could make the trip the junkyard and grab another cable... it was pretty easy for me... if you have a intake it will make it easier hardest part is connecting it to the pedal under the dash still not that hard to do tho...
and yeah its ether the junkyard or Honda to get the part... mine was stuck half thouttel but my 3g was only running on 2 cylinders so driving it without being floored was not possable LOL

[dacantu]

if the positive grounded out, all that current tried to return through the body in any way it could, the throttle cable is probably melted inside and welded together. We had this happen to someone else on here and the entire cable caught fire.

Thank god that did not happen to me. As soon as I noticed that all of the lights whent out I immediately turned off the car before i had even stopped rolling n parked. I did have ton of smoke coming out from under the hood but it was from the valve cover ground


Either way guys im on my way home doing like 4 or 5 mph lol.
I hope its okay to ask you guy some more questions when i go to replace the cable this weekend.

Thank all of you guys soooooooooo much i wouldnt have known what to do without your guys' help!

[lostforawhile]

here's the thread on the one that caught fire http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63205

[Civic Accord Honda]

what happened to mine is here on post 26 lol
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65821
i had a bad anger problem and my spelling was worse as you can see LOL

[dacantu]

Alright guys i just want to let you all know i made it home safely not too long after my last post. Before i took off I made sure to loosen the screw on the TB so that it would rev up to like 1500 rpm :) (much better than 900 rpm) I made sure to stay out of the major streets and didnt have a problem. Thank you all for your help.

Like i mentioned earlier i will be on here asking a couple of questions over the weekend so please stay posted guys. Once again thanks :)

-Dan

[itzdave]

yea dude, crawl under the dash and look at the gas pedal, then look at the cable that it pulls when u step (or press) on the pedal. unhook it from where its hooked up.
then on the side of the carb ull see, similar to what was in that picture, the cable looks like a wire with a 'pill' (or something similar) at the end. turn the throttle to get some slack on the cable and slide the little 'pill' part out of it.
then just pull the whole cable out!
installation is the same but in reverse order.
good luck!

[dacantu]

Thanks Dave,

This is what I did in order to make it home, I just coasted at idle speed pretty much.

Thanks for the heads up on what to do at the pedal though I definitely did not know what to do there.

[Bluntman]

I am glad you made it home. I was thinking exactly what you did, to unhook the cable at the TB and limp home if you were close enough. Good job, you are good under pressure.

[dacantu]

I am glad you made it home. I was thinking exactly what you did, to unhook the cable at the TB and limp home if you were close enough. Good job, you are good under pressure.

Haha thanks Bluntman.

I worked well only because I knew that if I posted my situation here, you guys would be kind enough to assist me when I most needed it. Your tip on loosening the cable really helped me start thinking of what I needed to do.

I'm also glad I've replaced my throttle body before other wise I would have never figured out what to do!

[markmdz89hatch]

awesome. glad to see you made it home ok. Now get a ride to the junkyard or Honda dealer and get yourself a new throttle cable. See, this is just yet another testament to the fact that it truly is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to kill these cars.

...and btw, change out your ground wires from battery to chassis, and make sure you wirebrush the area on the chassis that you're bolting the ring terminal at the end of the wire to. Consider a few additional ground wires too so you can avoid your engine being the route to complete the circuit. Shit even put a bug on the pivot end of the hood prop and ground it to the chassis down near the crossmember to avoid this from happening again. ...also, go to the junkyard and get yourself a new hood-prop clip too. That's really there for a reason.

Awesome work man. Now you can add "works well under pressure" to your resume and know it's true.

[Civic Accord Honda]

if you replace the ground and want a good ground id run your new valve cover ground to the strut bolt! it made a pretty good difference for me just make sure u sand off the paint behind it so it gets a grade a connection.

the hood props on theses cars can be annoying when the clips break aye? i remember once when going down the street i here a CLANK then a dragging sound so im like WTF IS THAT! pull over and see my hood prop is hanging out under the car and the other end is stuck on the cooling fan LOL i was so glad it didn't pop a fat hole in my radiator! LOL after that my hood prop stayed in the trunk haha (then i forgot and left it under again and now its somewhere off the side of the 58 LOL )

[dacantu]

awesome. glad to see you made it home ok. Now get a ride to the junkyard or Honda dealer and get yourself a new throttle cable. See, this is just yet another testament to the fact that it truly is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to kill these cars.

...and btw, change out your ground wires from battery to chassis, and make sure you wirebrush the area on the chassis that you're bolting the ring terminal at the end of the wire to. Consider a few additional ground wires too so you can avoid your engine being the route to complete the circuit. Shit even put a bug on the pivot end of the hood prop and ground it to the chassis down near the crossmember to avoid this from happening again. ...also, go to the junkyard and get yourself a new hood-prop clip too. That's really there for a reason.

Awesome work man. Now you can add "works well under pressure" to your resume and know it's true.

Lol thanks Mark. I'll make sure to also include you guys on my resume as my inspiration to work well under pressure lol

Im definitely going to change out the grounds on the battery and valve cover. I have to find a place to get some brand new nice thick battery cable. Do you have any recommendations as where to install some more grounds?

Also what do you mean by bug on the hood prop? What is that?


if you replace the ground and want a good ground id run your new valve cover ground to the strut bolt! it made a pretty good difference for me just make sure u sand off the paint behind it so it gets a grade a connection.

the hood props on theses cars can be annoying when the clips break aye? i remember once when going down the street i here a CLANK then a dragging sound so im like WTF IS THAT! pull over and see my hood prop is hanging out under the car and the other end is stuck on the cooling fan LOL i was so glad it didn't pop a fat hole in my radiator! LOL after that my hood prop stayed in the trunk haha (then i forgot and left it under again and now its somewhere off the side of the 58 LOL )

You know what, maybe I will just remove the hood prop also. Thats a good idea because it interferes with the position of my battery after I installed my CAI. (My battery had to be shifted slightly closer to the drivers side.)

[markmdz89hatch]

That's an awesome how-to on a DIY grounding kit.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55980

As for that bug, sorry, I just mean a grounding clip.

On the note of making the cables. I'd consider (if you can) to solder the wire to the terminals as you'll get less resistance. ...that's not imperative though. ...but you might find yourself cursing the shit out the ring terminal because you can't crimp it very well. I know I did. I ended up just positioning the terminal on the wire, then squishing it (carefully) in my vise.

HomeDepot has some decent stranded 0, 2, and 4 gauge wire that's not like the crap 9-million strand junk in the car audio stores. I used that and was pissed when I stripped back the coating and saw copper strands no thicker than a hair.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

Glad to hear you made it home alright... That would be super sketchy to have happen. Good luck getting it back up and running.

[dacantu]

That's an awesome how-to on a DIY grounding kit.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55980

As for that bug, sorry, I just mean a grounding clip.

On the note of making the cables. I'd consider (if you can) to solder the wire to the terminals as you'll get less resistance. ...that's not imperative though. ...but you might find yourself cursing the shit out the ring terminal because you can't crimp it very well. I know I did. I ended up just positioning the terminal on the wire, then squishing it (carefully) in my vise.

HomeDepot has some decent stranded 0, 2, and 4 gauge wire that's not like the crap 9-million strand junk in the car audio stores. I used that and was pissed when I stripped back the coating and saw copper strands no thicker than a hair.

Soldering them would not be a bad idea at all. I'll definitely check out home depot for that wire then because I agree that car audio stuff is pretty much crap, especially if your car depends on it. Thats what I had to use last night though when I regrounded the valve cover to the chassis. (limited resources in my trunk)

When I do this should I use use a 0 gauge or a 2 gauge wire? I want to make sure to do it right but i'm assuming 0 awg wire is not really necessary and a 2 awg wire should be just right? I know the how to uses 4awg but does anybody have input on this?


Glad to hear you made it home alright... That would be super sketchy to have happen. Good luck getting it back up and running.

Thanks hash_man, I'll keep you guys posted with any updates.

[markmdz89hatch]

i used 4 gauge on mine (and yes that red crap car-audio wire, but it's thick and I'm not worried at all).

I'll try and get a pic in the next few days for what it's worth.

[lostforawhile]

if you measure the length and cover the cost of shipping it to you and the ring terminals, i will make one in the exact length you need, i have a lot of 2 gauge aircraft primary wire left. you don't want to solder terminals attached to the engine side, the vibration will eventually crack the solder on a terminal that big. I can use the rotary crimpers to crimp the cables for you.

[markmdz89hatch]

if you measure the length and cover the cost of shipping it to you and the ring terminals, i will make one in the exact length you need, i have a lot of 2 gauge aircraft primary wire left. you don't want to solder terminals attached to the engine side, the vibration will eventually crack the solder on a terminal that big. I can use the rotary crimpers to crimp the cables for you.

ooo ooo ooo, can I see a pic of a rotary crimped terminal?

[lostforawhile]

ooo ooo ooo, can I see a pic of a rotary crimped terminal?
I'll take one later it's basically a terminal crimped on all four sides at once, the tool looks like a set of bolt cutters. it looks like this, the one in the picture is 548 dollars http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/graphics/601075.jpg

[Ichiban]

I'll take one later it's basically a terminal crimped on all four sides at once, the tool looks like a set of bolt cutters. it looks like this, the one in the picture is 548 dollars http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/graphics/601075.jpg

I'll buy two! That looks sweet, I hate trying to solder to dirty (ie oe) wires, because the flux never flows out properly. I can also never get a decent crimp.

[lostforawhile]

I'll buy two! That looks sweet, I hate trying to solder to dirty (ie oe) wires, because the flux never flows out properly. I can also never get a decent crimp.

i've seen them on ebay from time to time,never had the dough to buy one yet, i used the one from work on the battery cables in my car. if you are really lucky you might find one for 150 or so used.

[itzdave]

lol, i use mine at work. aviation electrician!!!

[dacantu]

if you measure the length and cover the cost of shipping it to you and the ring terminals, i will make one in the exact length you need, i have a lot of 2 gauge aircraft primary wire left. you don't want to solder terminals attached to the engine side, the vibration will eventually crack the solder on a terminal that big. I can use the rotary crimpers to crimp the cables for you.

Thanks so much Lost. I'll definitely take those measurements this weekend when I go back to my parents house. Meanwhile I'm stuck at school studying for a psychology exam on Monday. I appreciate the offer Lost. I'll send you a pm this weekend with the info, does that sound good?

[dacantu]

i used 4 gauge on mine (and yes that red crap car-audio wire, but it's thick and I'm not worried at all).

I'll try and get a pic in the next few days for what it's worth.

Thanks Mark, this will help mostly to get an idea of where your grounds are, since Lost will be helping me out with the 2 awg wire he has.

[lostforawhile]

Thanks so much Lost. I'll definitely take those measurements this weekend when I go back to my parents house. Meanwhile I'm stuck at school studying for a psychology exam on Monday. I appreciate the offer Lost. I'll send you a pm this weekend with the info, does that sound good?
thats fine

[Civic Accord Honda]

yeah crimping thoses wires is a real bitch... i used nedle nose plisers and stood on them LOL... Also Mark your lucky as hell they sale good wire at your home depot, all they have at mine is like 8 strand REAL thick ass stuff and its a real bitch to move around becuase when u bend it the caseing cracks LOL was fun rewireing my alt in the civic LOL

[Importordomestic]

this happened to me!! i thought i was the only one!! in my case i was running without an engine ground.. and it was causing everything to freak out and barely idle... next thing i know my gas pedal was jammed i was like WTF!! turns out the throttle cable melted!! so yeah you need to get a new throttle cable for sure..

I had the same thing happen but a little bit differently. my ground strap broke while driving home one day and everytime i pressed in the clutch all the lights in the car would go off, headlights, tails, turn, brake all of it. but the engine would stay running (because it was running off the alternator and the ecu is grounded to the engine itself) i was like WTF???? I am glad i didnt have the issue some of you guys had. welded throttle cable would suck.

i had my windshield wiper arm come off my motor once and had to take my shoe laces tie them together tie one end to each windshield wiper crack both driver and pass windows ran the string through the car and made a loop. God my arm was tired when i got home. Driving 15 miles home in the rain at dusk on a 5 speed and playing windshield wiper motor at the same time was the worst iver ever had it....LOL

[w261w261]

I was going home (700 mi) with some friends from college back in the day, and the windshield wiper motor completely crapped out. One of the passengers was a woman, so we made her take off her pantyhose and hooked it up to the wipers. The driver and the passenger did the same back-and-forth for 500 miles in the rain.

[cygnus x-1]

you don't want to solder terminals attached to the engine side, the vibration will eventually crack the solder on a terminal that big. I can use the rotary crimpers to crimp the cables for you.


Hey lost, I'm glad you mentioned about the solder cracking thing. Every time I see people talking about soldered connections being superior to crimp connections I flinch a little. I usually never say anything though because it will just start a useless flame war, and most of the time it probably won't make much difference anyway. But the bottom line is that crimped connections are actually better in environments where vibration is present. And solder joints are actually more difficult to do (well) and take longer than crimping. I find that the best way to connect wires in an engine bay is to use the weather proof self shrinking crimp connectors. After crimping you just heat with a heat gun and the plastic around the connector shrinks and seals itself with hot glue (embedded in the connector). This makes for mechanically sound and nearly waterproof connections. Inside the cabin the unsealed connectors are fine since the connections won't be exposed to water (hopefully!). The weather proof connectors are available at most auto parts and hardware stores and really aren't that expensive.


C|

[2ndGenGuy]

That's some good info right there. I had no idea. I always thought the solder was superior just because I suck at crimping and my connections have a bad tendency to come apart. The solder just seems like it would make a better electrical connection because of how it flows into the wire...

My auto parts stores must suck, because I can never find that kind of crimp connectors. They have lots of the crappy shrouded connectors that have the plastic that breaks off when you crimp them. That's always been my beef with the connectors, but that hot glue embedded stuff sounds awesome. Any recommendations on a good set of crimpers? I think I'm going to stop soldering so much...

[lostforawhile]

That's some good info right there. I had no idea. I always thought the solder was superior just because I suck at crimping and my connections have a bad tendency to come apart. The solder just seems like it would make a better electrical connection because of how it flows into the wire...

My auto parts stores must suck, because I can never find that kind of crimp connectors. They have lots of the crappy shrouded connectors that have the plastic that breaks off when you crimp them. That's always been my beef with the connectors, but that hot glue embedded stuff sounds awesome. Any recommendations on a good set of crimpers? I think I'm going to stop soldering so much...I haven't had problems with solder inside of the car, and on smaller connections, but the large high current wires are usually the ones where you have solder problems,mostly of because how much solder it takes, and the fact that the solder flows back into the wire because of how much heat it takes. this tends to make the wire brittle and you get cracking problems.

[2ndGenGuy]

Ooh I see.

Also, I just noticed the crimpers above. Are there any that aren't $548? :D

Like these? $24.99 seems like a good price...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66396

[markmdz89hatch]

Ooh I see.

Also, I just noticed the crimpers above. Are there any that aren't $548? :D

Like these? $24.99 seems like a good price...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66396



Holy SHIT John, Gold Star for you my friend. ...damn, for as often as one of us (non aviation electricians) would need these, I'm guessing they'll work just fine.

...alternatively, I still say using the vise still works like a charm when you're on a budget. Screw the stomping on a pair of linesman's. Been there, done that, and as sure as time, they did let go eventually.

I'm sorry, I did just toss the 'solder it' out there without actually thinking about it, or doing my own research. The guy at Radio Shack is a solder junkie and said I should solder AND crimp them (although I didn't solder anything, just crimped).

[lostforawhile]

Ooh I see.

Also, I just noticed the crimpers above. Are there any that aren't $548? :D

Like these? $24.99 seems like a good price...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66396
they might last for a little while, generally when harbor freight sells something for 25 bucks that sells for 4-500 normally, the quality came out somewhere.

[2ndGenGuy]

Oh well they didn't have any in-store when I went in there just now. So it appears 3geez is safe from cheap crimpers... for now :devil:

[Dr_Snooz]

This thread is so cool. So far, I haven't had any wire trouble (apart from random connectors breaking off my engine harness) but this is invaluable info for when it does start happening. Thanks guys!

I went to the junkyard some months ago and scavenged up a hood prop clip. Having the prop rod rattling around in the bay really bugged me. I felt like a real OCD weenie searching around for a clip, but it turns out to have been a really smart idea. I wouldn't want that rod walking over and kissing the battery terminals. For those of you who need clips, which is probably everyone by now, the 4g clips work great and seem to be a little more rugged than the flimsy 3g clips that have all long since disintegrated away.

[lostforawhile]

This thread is so cool. So far, I haven't had any wire trouble (apart from random connectors breaking off my engine harness) but this is invaluable info for when it does start happening. Thanks guys!

I went to the junkyard some months ago and scavenged up a hood prop clip. Having the prop rod rattling around in the bay really bugged me. I felt like a real OCD weenie searching around for a clip, but it turns out to have been a really smart idea. I wouldn't want that rod walking over and kissing the battery terminals. For those of you who need clips, which is probably everyone by now, the 4g clips work great and seem to be a little more rugged than the flimsy 3g clips that have all long since disintegrated away.another useful thing, that positive battery terminal is supposed to have a rubber cover over it just for this reason. you can get them anywhere. just put it on and zip tie the split over the cable,

[dacantu]

This thread is so cool. So far, I haven't had any wire trouble (apart from random connectors breaking off my engine harness) but this is invaluable info for when it does start happening. Thanks guys!

I went to the junkyard some months ago and scavenged up a hood prop clip. Having the prop rod rattling around in the bay really bugged me. I felt like a real OCD weenie searching around for a clip, but it turns out to have been a really smart idea. I wouldn't want that rod walking over and kissing the battery terminals. For those of you who need clips, which is probably everyone by now, the 4g clips work great and seem to be a little more rugged than the flimsy 3g clips that have all long since disintegrated away.

Lol same here man. I feel like everone elses mishaps helped me get my car home that day. Everyone was very helpful with their experiences. By the way im going over to the junk yard tomorrow for my throttle cable and will now be picking up a 4th gen prop clip. Thanks for that :)

[dacantu]

another useful thing, that positive battery terminal is supposed to have a rubber cover over it just for this reason. you can get them anywhere. just put it on and zip tie the split over the cable,

Funny thing Lost, I had only just finished installing my new alternator and messing around with the battery and I guess I completely forgot to reposition the red rubber cover and my car wasnt so happy with that so she decided to remind me of my mistake. unfortunatley. But this is true, it probably would have saved me from this whole problem

[Ichiban]

I went to the junkyard some months ago and scavenged up a hood prop clip. Having the prop rod rattling around in the bay really bugged me. I felt like a real OCD weenie searching around for a clip, but it turns out to have been a really smart idea.

I thought I was the only one. The 2g prop rod clip is unbelievably cheesy, brittle white plastic.

[Accordian88]

sweet info everyone ! i've been wondering what to do about my hood prop thats just been laying there.

[lostforawhile]

Funny thing Lost, I had only just finished installing my new alternator and messing around with the battery and I guess I completely forgot to reposition the red rubber cover and my car wasnt so happy with that so she decided to remind me of my mistake. unfortunatley. But this is true, it probably would have saved me from this whole problem
you'll have to email the info on the grounds, my pm box is full as i ran out of foundation it's [email protected]

[cygnus x-1]

That's some good info right there. I had no idea. I always thought the solder was superior just because I suck at crimping and my connections have a bad tendency to come apart. The solder just seems like it would make a better electrical connection because of how it flows into the wire...

If you don't have a crimping tool then solder is probably better. You just have to heat shrink over everything if you want it to be insulated.



My auto parts stores must suck, because I can never find that kind of crimp connectors. They have lots of the crappy shrouded connectors that have the plastic that breaks off when you crimp them. That's always been my beef with the connectors, but that hot glue embedded stuff sounds awesome. Any recommendations on a good set of crimpers? I think I'm going to stop soldering so much...


Yeah, I've used the crappy ones. They suck hard. Years ago I bought one of those $20 sets from Radio Shack that has the crimp tool and a bunch of terminals. In fact that was what made me think it was better to solder them instead of crimping them. Every time I tried crimping one the insulator would fall apart. Turns out they were just crappy terminals. The crimp tool itself is not that great either but I'm still using it today, and it works fine with halfway decent terminals.

There ought to be somewhere around you that has the weather proof terminals; unless you REALLY live out in the sticks. The bigger chain home stores would have them in the electrical section. Autozone and Advance Auto have them here. Probably Napa too but I've never looked there.

Here we go:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/accessories/accessoriesShelf.jsp?categoryDisplayName=Electrica l+and+Lighting&fromType=accessories&fromString=search&parentId=367-10&filterByKeyWord=weather+proof&currentPage=1&navValue=100670&categoryNValue=100367&fromWhere=&itemId=670-10&displayName=Electrical+Wire+Connector



I haven't had problems with solder inside of the car, and on smaller connections, but the large high current wires are usually the ones where you have solder problems,mostly of because how much solder it takes, and the fact that the solder flows back into the wire because of how much heat it takes. this tends to make the wire brittle and you get cracking problems.


I can't say I've ever had a problem with soldered connections either, and I used to solder everything. On the larger ones it definitely takes a lot of heat and usually some of the insulation gets melted in the process. With a little care a bench vise works reasonably well, or even a pair of vise grips.


C|

[dacantu]

you'll have to email the info on the grounds, my pm box is full as i ran out of foundation it's [email protected]

Lost,
my measurements are going to have to wait until this coming weekend. I had a very busy weekend and didnt have much time to take care of this. Also Lost would you have a rough estimate of what shipping might be for a few wires?

Although I was able to get a used throttle cable from the junkyard and replace my fried one, my starter also decided to burn out i guess as a slow onset result of this whole situation. This set me back some time and $ and was not able to get my car back on the road yet. Hopefully this weekend when im back home.

Also does anybody have any spots off the top of their head where they have placed an extra ground? Pics would also help guys. Please and thank you.

[lostforawhile]

ok no problem, i'll just ship the wires in a flat rate box from USPS, they can be bent to fit without any problems.

[Bones]

HomeDepot has some decent stranded 0, 2, and 4 gauge wire that's not like the crap 9-million strand junk in the car audio stores. I used that and was pissed when I stripped back the coating and saw copper strands no thicker than a hair.

Actually, you would WANT to have lots of small wires on a ground cable.

Electricity flows along the surface of the wire, NOT THROUGH the wire like water in a pipe.

More small wires = more paths for the electrons to flow, and more surface area for them to use! This is why high end audio cables are full of tiny wires. More paths for electrical flow means better transmission of the electrical signal and less chance of distortion.

The drawback to the tiny wires though is that the thinner the wire, the easier it is to break it, so ya gotta balance the need for good electrical flow with the need for a vibration resistant wire. Dont go too thin, and dont hook up a cable that looks like it should be attached to a suspension bridge either.

[markmdz89hatch]

Actually, you would WANT to have lots of small wires on a ground cable.

Electricity flows along the surface of the wire, NOT THROUGH the wire like water in a pipe.

More small wires = more paths for the electrons to flow, and more surface area for them to use! This is why high end audio cables are full of tiny wires. More paths means better transmission of the electical signal and less chance of distortion.

The drawback to the tiny wires though is that the thinner the wire, the easier it is to break it, so ya gotta balance the need for good electrical flow with the need for a vibration resistant wire. Dont go too thin, and dont hook up a cable that looks like it should be attached to a suspension bridge either.

I did not know this. Thank you for clarifying. So now I'm happy to have this mutli-multi-strand wire (plus it looks cool with translucent red insulation). Very very good info, and I'm sorry for misleading anyone.

[dacantu]

Yeah mark! I blame you...

Lol just kidding man, it made perfect sense to think it was through the wire as a matter of fact this is what I thought to begin with also.


And bones is there somewhere where you learned this? Like a website? Or do you just know from experience now? I want to learn a little bit more about this kind of stuff.

[stat1K]

i'll agree with his theory to an extent because logically more wires = more surface area to transfer the electricity, but it would depend on the wire obviously.

[dacantu]

yeah i agree statik, like he said if the wires are too thin there are more chances of it ripping so you really have to have a balance...

[Bluntman]

Did you put the throttle cable on yet? And what did the old one look like? Melted inside?http://i89.servimg.com/u/f89/12/59/29/63/welder10.gif (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=675&u=12592963)

[w261w261]

Hey lost, I'm glad you mentioned about the solder cracking thing. Every time I see people talking about soldered connections being superior to crimp connections I flinch a little. I usually never say anything though because it will just start a useless flame war, and most of the time it probably won't make much difference anyway. But the bottom line is that crimped connections are actually better in environments where vibration is present.......

This, on a news story about the restart of the large collider that went down for over a year and $50 million:
"With great fanfare, CERN circulated its first beams Sept. 10, 2008. But the machine was sidetracked nine days later when a badly soldered electrical splice overheated and set off a chain of damage to the magnets and other parts of the collider."

[dacantu]

Did you put the throttle cable on yet? And what did the old one look like? Melted inside?http://i89.servimg.com/u/f89/12/59/29/63/welder10.gif (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=675&u=12592963)

Yeah I was able to get a used one from the jy from another 89, my actual cable was not melted but the plastic clip that keeps tge cable moving freely through the firewall melted. The clip then dried in a different not allowing the throttle cable to move freely. So my whole problem was that melted clip that attaches to the firewall

but my starter was also affected when this happened and now im waiting on a replacement automatic starter that is being donated by Markmdz89hatch. Btw thanks again Mark :D

[Civic Accord Honda]

Yeah, I've used the crappy ones. They suck hard. Years ago I bought one of those $20 sets from Radio Shack that has the crimp tool and a bunch of terminals. In fact that was what made me think it was better to solder them instead of crimping them. Every time I tried crimping one the insulator would fall apart. Turns out they were just crappy terminals. The crimp tool itself is not that great either but I'm still using it today, and it works fine with halfway decent terminals.


sounds like the one i got but mine was $7 at walmart... has the yellow handles that slide off all the time and came with a bunch of crappy crimps ( didn't use them after they started falling apart seconds after installing went and bought some 3m ones)