Moisture is the Enemy of Farm Machinery
Even minute amounts of moisture can cause big problems when making repairs to sensitive electronic circuits on modern farm equipment.
With that in mind:
Don’t use open-end crimp-on butt connectors. Spend a few cents more and choose heat-shrink butt connectors for moisture-resistant repairs.
Unless specified by repair manuals, don’t solder connections. Amateur mechanics tend to take the approach, “If a little solder is good, then a lot of solder is better.” The result is a glob of solder 1/2” in diameter that spreads for an inch on either side of the connection. Not only is it more difficult to adequately seal that glob against moisture, but the rigidity of the soldered mass makes it susceptible to cracking/breaking due to the vibration inherent to farm machinery.
When weatherproofing wire splices with heat-shrink tape, be cautious that an errant wire end isn’t sticking out enough so that when the heat shrink tubing shrinks, that loose end pierces the tubing. Even one stray wire protruding from a heat-shrunk splice can wreak havoc. This I know from personal experience.
Finally, think twice about holding extra heat-shrink butt connectors in your teeth while making electrical repairs. Saliva, or condensation from your breath, can collect in the connector so that when you install the splice, moisture is sealed inside. You won’t know that until a year or two later, when you have to diagnose a problem and trace the electrical problem to green corrosion sealed inside the connector you installed two years earlier.
