Wire terminal Insulator questions

[SlantedMark4]

Hey guys, it's me again.

Most of my cables in my '74 Valiant have large cable insulation at the connectors / terminals. I'm not quite sure if it's actually insulation, as well as some sort of fusible link? I was just wondering what it's actually for and why it's so thick (I'm new to this electrical stuff and wanna learn more about it). What do I have to consider if I have to replace such a terminal? I'm thinking about "restoring" some sections in my wire harness.
I'm sorry if this was already asked earlier, if so just hit me up

 

[George Jets]

That's just a block of plastic to seal the wire to the terminal end.

You can use the new Yellow crimp-ons and seal them with some black RTV gasket maker.

 

[SlantedMark4]

That's just a block of plastic to seal the wire to the terminal end.

You can use the new Yellow crimp-ons and seal them with some black RTV gasket maker.

Thank you for your help. Is it also an option to go with an insulation tape or do I really need an RTV gasket maker?

 

[cudascott]

just use bare crimp on connectors and heat shrink looks a lot cleaner than the insulated ones and works as intended.

 

[Dana67Dart]

IMHO...

Tape will not provide any tight seal against the elements.

If you wanted to go a step beyond, you could make a small box out of Legos (bear with me) coat the inside with some vasoline, put the over mold end into the box and fill with black RTV.


after it has cured you will have a tight seal and an almost stock look.

Some blocks removed for clarity.

Some hole drilling and slots will need to be made in the Legos (so be sure your kids are on board)

 

[Mattax]

Sorry Gerorge. Have to disagree with you on that one.
Those parts stores closed barrel crips are not what I would rely on - especially for a connection that will be carrying high load and may or may not have good cable support.

The original seals are difficult to replicate. They are extra insurance against oxidation at the crimp and making its way up the wire strands.
My suggestion was to fix the old ones. If that was not possible, do an inline splice.
Inline wiring splice clips........from the Dodge RAM service manual

If you must install a new ring terminal then get the best crimpers you can for a heavy gage terminal. You may want to solder for good measure. The original seal might be usable for a reinstal with heat shrink and/or liquid electrical tape.

There must be enough room on the ring terminal for all of the conducting surfaces to have good contact.
There must be enough wire for some strain relief and not too much which would allow the wires to vibrate and move around eventually causing the junctions to fail.

Yes we discussed it but its OK to bring it up again. Pictures of salvaging a heavy ring terminal and insulator here.
Amp Gauge Wire Diameter (AWG)

and what I did when I added a parallel alternator output line along the lines of the heavy duty option.
Rally dash redo