Need to make my own plugs (Electrical/Wiring Question..)

[XA04]

Basically I bought some new headlights for my car but the wiring is slightly different. I'm going to need to extend some of the wires, etc etc. I can do this all fine but I'm looking for a way to make life a bit easier incase I need to remove them at any point.

I'm wanting to connect each ends of the wire to a plug ,then obviously the plugs will make the connection, if that makes sense. Here is a diagram:




I know that you can get those ones which you screw together, but I'm looking for a plug that can easily be unplugged? Is there a specific name?

[kalniel]

Snap plug

[stevie lee]

anderson connector/plug

random google image:


although, thinking about it, theyre mainly for higher ampage, heavy duty cycles, batteries and such things.

[XA04]

Snap plug

Looks like it should do the trick! Thanks

anderson connector/plug

random google image:


although, thinking about it, theyre mainly for higher ampage, heavy duty cycles, batteries and such things.

Yeah just had a quick look and they look heavy duty!

[chriswood_7]

You need to ensure you use a dust/oil/water free connector otherwise you could end up with a poor connection and problems. Also make sure that your extended wires are not touching anything hot where they could melt. All of the wiring routes in the car are designed so they lie in a certain way, so extending them could mean the excess is resting on something hot, and if it melts you have no lights (obivously dangerous)

Just a word of caution, good luck

[XA04]

Just had a thought, will those snap plugs cause much resistance? Will they reduce the quality of the line at all?

You need to ensure you use a dust/oil/water free connector otherwise you could end up with a poor connection and problems. Also make sure that your extended wires are not touching anything hot where they could melt. All of the wiring routes in the car are designed so they lie in a certain way, so extending them could mean the excess is resting on something hot, and if it melts you have no lights (obivously dangerous)

Just a word of caution, good luck

Yeah I've thought about that. I'll be able to route the wiring in the same way the manufacturer has so should be fine! It's not a major job really, just extending a couple of wires and putting on some new plugs in other areas.

[kalniel]

Just had a thought, will those snap plugs cause much resistance? Will they reduce the quality of the line at all?

Very minimally. They're used for car audio connections all the time.

[greenalien]

You will also need to inform your insurance company what you have done, or your insurance could be invalidated. This is just the kind of modification they love to use as an excuse not to pay out on a claim.

[james_d]

If you want to do it properly:

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.e...connectors.php

[TLO]

For headlights remember that the current is quite high and they will be exposed in the engine bay, some of those connectors from VWP would only be suitable for low current connections and are not really suitable for exposed conditions.

Anderson connectors are well sealed and are suitable for very high current applications that get regularly plugged and unplugged, a bit of overkill for your application.

Some crimped bullet connectors are a cheap and widely available option and were used a lot in older cars:
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.e...insbullets.php
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...Id_165572#dtab

To make the connection more resilient and waterproof you can solder and put heatshrink over the connection after crimping.

[oolon]

High current wires should be screwed and not soldered, if you use an exisiting connector make sure you use a screw based joining system, like a junction box or terminal connector (of the right rating). As solder can melt which then means the ends can short circuit.

[TLO]

The connection is crimped, the solder is optional and together with the heatshink helps to prevent water ingress. Crimped connections can be used for high current without issue. Cheap screw terminal blocks can cause plenty of trouble - they are hard to weatherproof and so prone to corrosion, and vibration can often make the cable fail at the terminal.

[XA04]

Some really useful bits here! Thanks everyone