Any way to keep the 12 v outlets ON on my Sienna?

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:baczj.5422$ snipped-for-privacy@news02.roc.ny:

Ah, Panduit. I never thought of them. I'll bet those tools aren't your $3.99 specials, either.

Thanks.

No, but you wouldn't want a cheap crimper anyway, especially if you sometimes use crimps for house wiring. (Building code allows that in some locales)

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:zgCzj.5578$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny:

My whole point here is /get away/ from those cheap "$3.99 special" crimpers, which is why I asked here. I've already got two of those and neither is worth the metal they're made of.

At least now I have some idea what a good crimper looks like, which I did not know before.

I think it was Ray who mentioned Klein tools, and I *might* have seen their crimpers at Home Depot, in the display case they keep locked (the good stuff). Worth a look. As long as it's got the channel into which the crimp sits, and the tooth on the opposite side, you're in good shape. Then, pay the big money for some Panduit connectors and you'll be happy. I've used them for car & boat installations and found they don't deteriorate for many years. Use heat shrink tubing around them for exposed applications.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:WPHzj.5536$ snipped-for-privacy@news02.roc.ny:

I'm going to check out Home Depot tomorrow and see what they've got. Thanks.

Don't buy their crimps, though. Panduit sells through electronics distributors. It might be a pain in the ass to obtain their stuff, but it's worth it.

Hint: If you look through the plastic sleeve of the crimp, you'll see a seam in the metal part inside. Make sure the tooth of the crimping tool hits the side opposite that seam. In other words, when you place the crimp into the channel of the tool, that seam should be at the bottom. Try one the wrong way, and then take a close look at the results, which will be self-explanatory.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:ZiKzj.5548$ snipped-for-privacy@news02.roc.ny:

Electrosonic is a retailer within reach of me. Here are their Panduit crimping tools:

Which of these would you recommend for general-purpose automotive use?

Jeez! $300-ish for some of those crimpers? Those are all compound tools, meaning they've got complicated innards which make the crimps easier to squeeze. If you were doing that kind of work all day long, it would be worth that kind of money to avoid hand fatigue.

I have something like this.

But, it says it's good for 14 to 22 gauge crimps. Take a look at the Panduit site and see what wire size the yellow barrel crimps are meant for. The wire that fits the yellow crimp is not uncommon in cars, especially if you're running power lines for car stereo amplifiers. If the Panduit site says the yellow crimps are for 14 or 16 gauge, then that Snap-On crimper should do the trick. You don't have to find a Snap-On dealer to buy it. Order it directly.

Someone else here mentioned Klein crimpers, but I just checked all the tools at their site. None are designed correctly.

What about these?

>

these?

It might be, but it's impossible to tell from the web site. Why? Because the pictures were taken with someone's cell phone. Not possible to see enough detail. Stay tuned. I have to photograph some stuff for eBay later today. I'll do a nice close-up of my crimping tool. Then, Tegger will know exactly what to shop for, if he doesn't want to buy the Snap-On tool mentioned above.

these?

>

I like the Snap-On ones you had pictured, and I prefer Snap-On tools in general if I think the tools will get more than one or two uses. I got the Klein crimpers from my brother-in-law the electrical contractor, and we used them to crimp the ground wires when we wired the house addition.

I can't remember the last time I've had to actually splice electrical wiring on a Toyota, and I soldered and heat-shrinked a repair on my son's T-bird. I used different crimpers when I wired up a handsfree charger/cradle for an old cell phone, and ended up removing the wiring when we changed phones.

these?

>>

If the tool performs one of its tasks badly, it doesn't matter that it can also perform some other task well. It's not enough to simply squeeze a crimp flat, especially for wires in a car or boat where there's vibration.

these?

>>>

You're preaching to the choir when it comes to tools ;-)

I don't mind multi-function tools that perform one of its tasks poorly as long as it performs the task that I purchased it for well and I either don't need to perform the other tasks at all or I have another tool that performs the task well. For example, this all-in-one stripper/crimper/screw cutter

doesn't crimp well, but it does a nice job of cutting small screws, which is what I purchased it for.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:CZwAj.5640$ snipped-for-privacy@news02.roc.ny:

This is all getting slightly bewildering. I had no idea buying a crimper could get so complicated.

If you had a picture of what you consider well-designed for general automotive use, that would be nice.

Give me an hour. I'll post a picture.

Picture #1 - The business end of the crimp tool. 3 grooves, 1 for each crimp size

Picture #2 - With a barrel crimp in place The tooth at the top

The rest of the tool looks pretty much like the one at the Snap-On site. Some crimpers may have grooves & teeth that are more squared off, but as long as you're using the right size crimp that the grooves, the results will be equally good.

Here's one that's got marginally decent grooves & teeth. Why they couldn't take it one step further and make it perfect will remain a mystery:

This one only has one groove size. Probably not the one you need at the moment - it's made for electricians.

Get the Snap-On tool.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:nwGAj.5777$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny:

What's the brand name of the tool in your photos?

It looks like the important thing is the point on the tooth.

Here's a picture of a tool I've been using for 25 years:

It's similar to yours, but has rounded teeth. This tool often just squishes the metal instead of folding it inwards.

You mean this one?

Mine's from Mac Tools. I searched their site and they have nothing like it any more. I even tried the model number printed on mine. Nothing. It's ridiculous. Crimpers aren't like women's clothing. They shouldn't go in & out of style.

If the Snap-On site allows returns for a full refund, that might be the way to go. Or, get the name of a local dealer (the guys with the tool trucks), see if they have one of the tools in stock, bring some crimps and give the tool a try.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:jwdBj.5850$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny:

Thanks.

There's a Snap-On truck guy who lives near me.