Amp Installation Question

[chip]

in the original post he said hes using the stock deck w/cassette player and adding an amp with that

Aha! My fault! I'm glad you said something though, because I wanted to remind you, that when you use t-taps, then take them off, you have officially broken the insulation on the wire. Don't forget to tape it. Otherwise you run the risk of arcing.

 

[JKmotorsports]

get some T-taps, so you don't cut any wires and you can try each one. if it doesn't work, no biggie cuz you didn't cut anything.

T-taps are the worst type of connection you can make, especially in a vehicle. They're probably the easiest, but worst in terms of reliability. The constant vibration encountered in an environment such as a vehicle can cause the t-tap to work itself loose after time. To add to that, the electrical connection between the wire and t-tap, then the t-tap and spade terminal is poor, causing resistance, sometimes enough to cause a large enough voltage drop to keep the circuit from operating properly. The best way is to strip the insulation back from the target wire, wrap the new wire around it, then solder. I can't tell you the number of times I diagnose problems with aftermarket equipment and find out that it was caused by t-taps, whether installed poorly or even correctly and then just coming loose over time. Probably about 80-90% of the troubleshooting I do is from poor electrical connections caused by installers using t-taps.

 

[vatahoelt]

T-taps are the worst type of connection you can make, especially in a vehicle. They're probably the easiest, but worst in terms of reliability. The constant vibration encountered in an environment such as a vehicle can cause the t-tap to work itself loose after time. To add to that, the electrical connection between the wire and t-tap, then the t-tap and spade terminal is poor, causing resistance, sometimes enough to cause a large enough voltage drop to keep the circuit from operating properly. The best way is to strip the insulation back from the target wire, wrap the new wire around it, then solder. I can't tell you the number of times I diagnose problems with aftermarket equipment and find out that it was caused by t-taps, whether installed poorly or even correctly and then just coming loose over time. Probably about 80-90% of the troubleshooting I do is from poor electrical connections caused by installers using t-taps.

sounds like someone wants a bunch of t-taps for their birthday.

 

[chip]

T-taps are the worst type of connection you can make, especially in a vehicle. They're probably the easiest, but worst in terms of reliability. The constant vibration encountered in an environment such as a vehicle can cause the t-tap to work itself loose after time. To add to that, the electrical connection between the wire and t-tap, then the t-tap and spade terminal is poor, causing resistance, sometimes enough to cause a large enough voltage drop to keep the circuit from operating properly. The best way is to strip the insulation back from the target wire, wrap the new wire around it, then solder. I can't tell you the number of times I diagnose problems with aftermarket equipment and find out that it was caused by t-taps, whether installed poorly or even correctly and then just coming loose over time. Probably about 80-90% of the troubleshooting I do is from poor electrical connections caused by installers using t-taps.

+1

I wanted to say "Don't use them......EVER!", but I wanted to respect peoples right to use what they like. I figured a proffessional would come along and post something like this though. You guys (the pros) should create an Electrical 101 sticky that is open to questions. I think that would be a great idea.