My car rans real good for about 15 mins , after that , it surges (rpm fluctuates when Im at idle ) And when Im taking off it kinda surges .I had trouble soldering one of my wires yesterday so I put a butt crimp on it , it was not the proper size , I knowticed it was loose after driving it , so I soldered it . Then I knowticed that the gook thats suppose to melt the wires together was not going down in the wires, it was just bubbling up and staying on top of the wire . I pulled the electrical tape off my other wires and looked at them and tehy were the same way , the goop did not run down in them , but the wires were together still . Wouldn't my lights be dimming , radio going off , power windows be slow if my wires that go to my altenator were not connected real good ? The only thing my car is doing is fluctuating rpms at idle , and when I take off some . IM SO SICK OF HAVING CAR TROUBLE , I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I would get the correct size of shrink tubing (you can get that at an autoparts store) slip that over the wire then crimp the wire with the correct size butt connector or soder the wire then put the shrink tubing over the connector or solder point and heat the tubing to melt it around the connected area.

 

What size butt connectors ? I have bought one pack that was the wrong size , then another that a guy at the parts store said would work and it didnt .

 

Wayne, apply the solder gun to the current connection.
Melt it loose.
Clean off old solder, slip on heat shrink, apply goop & try again.
When one side soldered, twist over, solder other side.
Butt connections are OK, but, you really need to solder this part.
End result may be new connection & start again.
You are shooting 105 amps thru these wires.
Best connection works best.
Atleast you know you are probably on the right path to restored performance.
Know anyone who is a plumber?
They know their trade very well & soldering connections is one of those skills.

 

well , I re-worked the wires again , I got in my car drove it once again , same old crap again . it starts missing some . I came home , I thought well , I know I did those wires right this time . I though , well let me check my plugwires just to make sure . When I got ready to take off the plugwire by the Egr , it was so loose it almost fell off in my hand . I FEEL SO STUPID !!!!!!!

I just knew it wouldn't be something that simple becuase how hard is it to place a plugwire on a plug and hear the little click that lets you know its on there . I was prabably in a hurry last time I took the wires off a few weeks ago .

 

Also realize how cheap your lesson was.
Imagine if you had towed it to a shop......
Oh well....
What has the Cute Girlfriend brought you for the reward of quick repair work??

 

Yeah , your right Karl . Im just glad I didnt change my MAF sensor because of that wire . However , I tested it with my sensor tester and it was bad .Now I would have felt really stupid then .lol

 

Wayne, seriously, dump that solder and that "goop" they gave you. Buy a little $3 roll of "rosin core solder" from Radio Shack, it'll work much better. I've done electronics work since I was in 3rd or 4th grade, and I never had to use any helper goop to make wires stick together. Just twist them tight, and use rosin core solder.

 

A very effective way is to make equal wire stand uncoated ends, dip ends in the goop, shove both ends together, compress & start to solder a complete solder cover over, every side the wire connection. And work it into/in between the wire stands
Cover by shrink wrap.
I have found that twisting wires works well, but, sometimes for me the solder doesn't melt thru as well.
The rosin core solder does work well for many applications.
I was taught old school also very effective.
Still is.
Get a stronger heat generating solder gun.
Pencil solder guns are...
Find a plumber or electrician.
Beats being stranded unless you can obtain the better tools.

 

See, twisting wires is what gives a soldered joint it's reliability. Wires pasted together with goop (does this crap have a name??) are (A) not as strong and (B) don't conduct electricity as well. If the solder doesn't flow through the joint well, chances are, the gun/pencil iron didn't heat the joint up thoroughly. Wayne, did you "tin the end" of the soldering iron's tip? You need to apply solder to the tip of the iron so it stays "pasted" to the iron... it'll give the tip a shiny appearance. That solder won't wipe off the tip with a sponge, it'll stay there. That helps conduct heat to the wires. I forgot to mention it because it's only something you do with a new iron, and I've been using my dad's old Weller iron for years! (Went through a few new Radio Shack ones, the heating elements always broke, but that Weller keeps going and going and going. If you want an iron that lasts, pay more for a Weller.)

This goop seems like more of a pain in the butt than anything useful. Throw it out!

 

Wow , Thanx for the education on this guys ! ....Tom I didnt even know what a solder gun was until recently , and you had one in the second grade !!! WOW ! I think you have been working with tools sence you were in diapers huh ? Tom never had the little plastic toy tools , I think his Dad gave him the real thing ! Man , wish I would have started young .


Thanx for all the help guys .
ALL OF YOU guys on here have saved me some money I tell you that ! Its real nice being able to come onto this board and get free advice and chat with you guys . I've missed you guys sence I have gone back to school , I'm not on here as much .

 

I agree with Tom about 80%, but...
THE WELLER STATEMENT IS 1000% CORRECT!
Even the Weller rechargable ones are great!
I've been using an old Weller base & soft wire cable to tip setup I had rebuilt by Weller.
For 18 year+ by now. Cost me $35 to get this solder station unit rebuilt as I recall.
Definetly a worthwhile investment!
Tom, the goop is called Solder Paste.
The old school way isn't that bad if ya develope the talent for the stuff.
I've had mixed luck with the rosin core stuff.
The thicker the wires strands, the more the solder stuff has to work in.
The alternator wires I've soldered usually fight ya alot.
That's why I'm suggesting a plumber or electrician friend.

 

I hear ya Wayne, school sucks... I was falling asleep in my very first class already! Yeah my dad & I messed with simple electric stuff back then, motors and lights, then he introduced me to electronics. Haha, I remember being mad, because I liked light bulbs & motors... then he showed me what kind of stuff could be done. I think it's the prehistoric "guy" instinct.. build stuff... like Tim Allen from Home Improvement...

Karl, the alternator wires might have had corrosion on them.. in my first message up there I talked about how to get rid of the copper corrosion. I had a bitch of a time soldering some MAF wires together until I took some sandpaper to them! The solder was just rolling off. I even went and got the old Weller dual-heat 300 watt soldering gun (w/two stage trigger!) and THAT wouldn't even melt the solder into the wires. Hm... maybe (one day) I'll put a "how to solder" pic page on my future web site. I really gotta get all my pictures together and scan those suckers in

 

Tom I agree with CLEANLINESS on solder jobs 100%.
I think the gun isn't strong enough to melt the solder into the strands well enough.
My challenge was also on an alterator patch, too.
Hell with the practice Wayne is getting, next post should say success!!
Book learning suck
Internships are the best!

 

The 'goop' you are referring to is called Flux (sometimes paste flux or solder paste,too). It is used on solid core solder, and actually should be matched up to the melting temperature of the solder that you are using. The problem that most people have with soldering is the heat application and the cleanliness, as Tom and Ked said earlier. I always heated the wires directly until the wires themselves were hot enough to melt the solder. Once this happens, then the solder will wick out through the hot wires and give a very solid connection. You won't have trouble with this using an iron, but you can get the items too hot using a torch or something, and the solder will run off instead of sticking to the surface. This is my experience from doing a lot of mechanical soldering for my other hobby (live steam railroading).

As for feeling stupid... Don't worry about it. Nobody was born knowing anything, and certainly nobody knows everything. We all gotta learn stuff somehow.

 

my other hobby (live steam railroading).

I'm taking my 2 year old Son for his Birthday (September 11) to The Live Steamers of Los Angeles, in Griffith Park, next to Travel Town this Sunday.

I WANT PROPERTY BIG ENOUGH FOR A LIVE STEAM RAILROAD!
I can have one more car if I get more property, too.
Hope that 1974 Vega Woody Wagon I just saw is still in the wrecking yard!

 

Hey Wayne, wassup? where you been man? Everytime im online your not, what gives?

Do like Tom says, get the "Rosin Core" stuff. THats what I have always used. Its much easier. Trust me!

Don't feel bad about the plug wire, We have all done stuff like that.

THats how I thought I had to buy new plugwires, sorta... When I first started messing with my ignition, i wanted to check my plugs and clean them. I discovered that the tune-up I paid for crap, i mean all my plug wires were mis-matched, and the plugs too. Well, anywayz, one of the wires fell apart in my hands, and after cleaning the plugs I got 3 and 5 mixed up and went out and bought the crappy MAG Plus Wires and put them on the same way as I had the old wires and it ran the same. Took me 5 minutes to realize I fudged up. Out of curiousity, I put the AC dElco wires back on, and the one that fell apart was the only one that was fudging. THe MAG Plus are better than stock, but they are still crap.

Tell me about school. I was calculating what I spent on my car to the exact dollar on my first day of college! I hate school. Man I drive 70 miles to to go to school and work, then all my pleasure driving, three thousand miles goes quick! I will be doing oil changes often...