Wire Repair Terminology

CPA - Connector Position Assurance clip.  A plastic part that assures that two connector halves will stay locked together.   The blue part in the photograph below is the CPA, notice that it has been removed from the connector.

Fiber Optic Cable - Very small optical transfer cables which are designed to allow light pulses to be transferred rather than electrical current.  The transmission speed of the light pulses can be very high, around 22.6 Million bits per second.  This type of cabling is used on vehicle systems which require very rapid data transmission speeds like DVD video, audio, etc.  One cable is used for transmitting data, the other cable is used to receive data.  This type of cable is not repairable; instead, it must be replaced.

Pull-to-seat Terminals - A terminal that is installed by inserting the wire through the connector cavity, crimping on a terminal and then pulling the terminal back into the connector cavity to seat it.  A TPA clip is not required on this type of terminal/connector configuration.  Notice how the entire top of the terminal can be seen through the top of the connector.  The open space allows the terminal to come out the top of the connector.

Push-to-seat Terminals - A terminal that is inserted into the back of the connector cavity.  A TPA clip, the blue part in the photo below, is required to insure the terminal will not back out of the connector cavity.  Notice how only a part of top of the terminal can be seen through the top of the connector.  The closed space indicates that the terminal is to come out the bottom of the connector.

Socket - A plastic or nylon part which houses contacts for a light bulb. 

Terminal - The metal part that is crimped to a wire, housed inside a connector. A terminal is used to allow an electrical disconnection of a wire harness. USCAR, ISO and SAE have established standards for common terminal sizes for automotive use (0.64 mm x 0.8 mm, 1.5 mm x 0.8 mm, 2.8 mm x 0.8 mm, and 6.3 mm x 0.8 mm).

There are many different manufacturers of terminals. The most commonly used terminals are manufactured by  Yazaki and Delphi; however, other suppliers include, AMP, Bosch, FCI, Lear, Molex, Tyco, and Sumitomo. Terminals are identified by their type, size, and if they use a weather seal.

The photograph shown below (not to scale) displays common terminal blade widths.  There are also smaller and terminal blades; 0.64 mm (64 micro series), and larger terminal blades 8.3 mm (830 Series).

WARNING! TO AVOID POOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS, INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS, AND UNSATISFIED CUSTOMERS, DO NOT USE PVC WIRE TERMINALS AND CONNECTORS (shown below).  If you must use one of these terminals or connectors, cut off the outside PVC covering, crimp the connection, and solder the connection.  Tape with electrical tape afterwards.

TPA - Terminal Position Assurance Clip.  A plastic part that insures a terminal stays in place and does not come out of a connector.  The blue part in the photo below.

Wire - Long, multi stranded, flexible, conductive metal material; usually copper, that is coated with insulation to prevent unwanted current paths (short circuits).  Wire does have resistance, although it is usually very small.  The resistance of a wire depends upon several factors: its length, the material it is made of, its width, and the temperature of the wire.  The hotter a conductor gets, the higher its resistance becomes.

Wire Sizes - There are two common wire size conventions used; American Wire Gage (AWG), and metric wire size.  AWG wire sizes are still commonly used in non-automotive applications.  AWG wire sizes are difficult to use and learn.  For example:  A 1 gage wire is larger than an 18 gage wire.  Most automobile manufacturers use a metric wire size.  With a metric wire size, the larger the size number, the larger the wire.  Metric wire sizes represent the cross-sectional area of the wire strands.  For example: a 10 mm² wire ( Battery Cable) is larger than a 1 mm² wire (blower motor wire).  A typical wire size used on today's automobile for almost everything is a 0.35 mm² wire.  This is a very small wire and it breaks easily when stressed.  Small wires can still carry fairly large currents (15-20A) and are very lightweight which helps lower vehicle emissions and improve fuel economy.