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I got an amp kit today. It came with stuff that I don't know what it is or how to use it.

I have O ring connectors for the power and ground cables, but there does not seem to be a way to "crimp" it down. There are two black rubber "sheaths"/tubes that are about 1/2 inch wide and 1.5" long. Are these shrink things? Do I use a hair dryer?

It also came with 6ft of 1/4" split loom. I figure that this so the install looks good, but for which cable do I use it for and where?

Just when you think you know what your doing... someone has to remind you of something else....

Thanks

 
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The O ring connectors have to crimp on the end of the wires. I'm going to state the obvious..you have to strip the jacket on the end of the wire first. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] Yeah, those black tubes are shrink tubes. I used a hair dryer to shrink 'em. The split loom is for the power cable in the engine bay through the firewall. Hope this helps.

 
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if you look under the sleeves on the ring terminals, you will notice that the metal underneath is U-shaped. you can crimp down on that and it'll wrap around the wire.

as for the split loom.. you use it over your power wire and ground wire.

since it's 1/4", i believe the wire you have is 8 gauge?

 
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Yes it is 8 gage power cable

This is what it looks like:


It does not look like the pic below. It does not have the slit/break in the "round part." it is like the above. Just one hunk of metal.




Is the shrink stuff soposed to hold it on its own? I don't see how crimping it will help. There is nothing to crimp; just re-shapeing the round part is all I can see it doing.


BWT: I will use the loom for the power cable then. Thanks.

 
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the ring terminals will still crimp down. it's just that rahter than wrapping around the wire, it actually folds in on itself.

 
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At one of the auto shops around my area they used some kind of crimping device that they place on top of the connector and then hit it a couple of times with a hammer. What I did at home was put the wire in the connector and hit it a couple of times with a hammer until I was satisfied that the wire wouldn't come out. Don't sound too professional but the wire isn't going anywhere.

 
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I know its kinda late to be adding this but when i wire up amps, i usually use a soldering iron and 60/40 solder and just bleed the hot solder into the wire, makes a more permanent and stronger connection than just crimping the wires down. All you gotta do is make sure that you have teh exposed wire far enough into the connector that it doesnt stick out but isnt too short. and keep heating the connector with teh soldering iron until the solder bleeds into the wires, dont try heating the solder with the iron and brushing it into the wires, it wont work that way. everything has to be hot enough to melt the solder and keep it liquid until you have made a good enough connection. One word of advice is not to bleed too much solder into it, a little bit does the trick depending on how large a gauge wire your using, you may end up with a solid rod of metal that is literally unbendable once the solder cools.