BEND DOWN: A terminal crimped without a locator supporting the bottom of the terminal has tendency to distort and bend downward; affecting the insertion of the terminal in its connector cavity.
BEND UP: A terminal crimped without a locator applying downward pressure on the terminal has a tendency to distort and bend upward; affecting the insertion of the terminal in its connector cavity.
CABLE SEAL CRIMP HEIGHT: The measurable height from the top to bottom of the cable seal INSULATION CRIMP BARREL is defined by the terminal manufacturer to ensure proper retention of the cable seal (or wire insulation).
CABLE SEAL CRIMP WIDTH: The measurable width from the side to side of the cable seal INSULATION CRIMP BARREL is defined by the terminal manufacturer to ensure proper retention of the cable seal (or wire insulation).
CONDUCTOR CRIMP BARREL: The terminal segment that captures the conductors (strands of copper wire) should have a uniform SEAM and a BELL MOUTH at the conductor entry to avoid any excessive strain on the copper strands.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP HEIGHT: The measurable height from the top to bottom of the CONDUCTOR CRIMP BARREL is defined by the terminal manufacturer to ensure proper retention of the conductors.
CONDUCTOR CRIMP WIDTH: The measurable height from the side to side of the CONDUCTOR CRIMP BARREL is defined by the terminal manufacturer to ensure proper retention of the conductors.
STRIP LENGTH: The length of wire insulation to be removed prior to termination is defined by the terminal manufacturer. The amount of insulation removed should allow for full CONDUCTOR CRIMP BARREL engagement with a small amount of visible strands, or BRUSH, extending beyond the crimp.
ROLLING: Terminals crimped with general repair tools typically roll in the CRIMPING NEST; creating a non-uniform CONDUCTOR CRIMP BARREL and loose connection.
TWISTING: Terminals crimped with general repair tools typically demonstrate a twisting effect because they are not properly supported by a locator during the crimping process.
The electrical center, or fuse block, is protected by one or more fusible links. These short, multi-stranded, wire segments are ultrasonically welded or crimped to the wire(s) being protected. In the event of an unexpected high-current load, the fusible link wire will melt within its fire-proof insulation. In general, a fusible link is four numerical AWG sizes smaller than the wire it is protecting. However, the 1982-1992 Camaro and Firebird are examples of where 16 AWG fusible link wire is used to protect 10 AWG wire; that’s a difference of six numerical AWG sizes. When replacing a fusible link, it is always best to look at the GM wiring diagrams for the harness you are working with to properly identify the correct fusible link size.
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]]>With the wire cut and insulation stripped to reveal the conductor strands, we count 7 total conductor strands. These strands are small and can easily break when stripping away insulation, so careful inspection is important. We will use this number 7 when multiplying the total cross section.
Diameter is the distance from one side of the conductor strand to the other. Using a vernier caliper, measure the diameter of each conductor strand. Ideally, you will want to record the averaged measured diameter in the measurement unit millimeters (mm). Here we use the averaged diameter of 0.25 mm. To later calculate area, we will need to use the radius value of the measured diameter. Divide diameter by 2 to record the radius 0.125 mm.
Cross section is an area measurement. The formula for area is A = π r². We know the radius was measured to be 0.125 mm and that pi is approximately 3.14, so we can determine the area with the following multiplication: 0.125 x 0.125 x 3.14. The resulting area is approximately 0.05 mm2.
We’re not done quite yet. We’ve only determined the cross section area of each conductor strand to be 0.05 mm2. Upon initial inspection of the wire, we counted 7 total conductor strands. We must now multiply the recorded cross sectional area of one conductor strand by the total number of conductor strands. Our final math, 0.05 x 7, gives us a total cross sectional area of approximately 0.35 mm2.
Looking at our AWG to mm2 chart, we see that the wire we need to use to replace this damaged wire is 22 AWG. While it is true that you can safely substitute a larger wire size, be sure to consider termination, wire splice technique, and tooling; using a terminal and tooling for 22 AWG wire on a larger 20 AWG wire will result in a crushed crimp that may cause the terminal or conductor strands to break.
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