Wire Repair Tools and Materials
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Crimping Pliers - Special pliers designed to crimp terminals to wires.
Electrical Tape - Plastic non-conductive tape, usually black for most wire harnesses and yellow for Air Bag System wiring harnesses. Used to cover and bunch multiple wires into one harness assembly.
Knife vs. Seam Ripper - Tools used to open a taped wire harness. A knife is a poor choice because it can also cut the insulation of the wires in the harness. This can lead to short circuiting between wires. A seam ripper is a better choice to open the taped harness because it has a blunt point that will help avoid damaging the wires in the harness; it also has a sharp knife-like pocket that will cut the tape open safely.
Wire Stripper Pliers - Special pliers designed to remove the wire insulation without damaging the wire strands. There are many types of stripper pliers.
Shrink Tubing - A special non-conductive plastic/rubber composition material which when placed over an open section of a wire, like a splice or terminal installation, will shrink and form a tight seal around the wire. Heat is used to shrink the tubing. It is not recommended to use an open flame to shrink the tubing because of the risk of fire.
Soldering Irons - A special tool which produces heat sufficient to melt solder onto a wire or terminal. There are electric and gas powered soldering irons of many different wattage (heat) ratings. A soldering iron with at least 50 watts of power is recommended for automotive use. Be careful though, too hot of an iron can cause harness damage by time the solder melts into place.
Solder - A special conductive metal, usually a lead/tin composition, designed to melt around and in-between the strands of a wire and a terminal to establish a permanent electrical connection. There is also a silver solder which is safer to use than a lead based solder; however, it is more expensive too.
Terminal Removal Picks - Specialty tools designed to depress a terminal lock tab while the terminal is still housed inside a connector. Depressing the terminal lock tab will allow the terminal to be removed from the connector body. There are many different sizes and designs of terminal removal picks. The following photos are of common tools and tools kits.
