Soldering instead of crimping

I soldered some wires in my Toyota MH engine compartment. One joint had six wires 14 or 16 gauge. My 40 watt iron wasn't working so I used my 260/200 watt gun. I still could not get the wires tinned completely it seemed. I tin them then solder two at a time then heat and stick the pairs together. Can someone tell me if I need a higher wattage iron or another solution to solder wires that have old maybe weathered ends. On fresh copper wires the heat flows great. Is there a technique to get old copper wire to tin properly or is this the best I can do? Thanks

pcmentor29 wrote:
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Can someone tell me if I need a higher wattage iron or another solution to solder wires that have old maybe weathered ends. On fresh copper wires the heat flows great. Is there a technique to get old copper wire to tin properly or is this the best I can do? Thanks

With stranded wire, the only thing you can do is strip the insulation back until you have clean wire.

If this results in the wires being too short, just add on some new wire.

With that size wire, I would use a 150 Watt IRON.

A few links about crimps-
http://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/links/sections/201%20General%20Requirements.html
http://www.molex.com/pdm_docs/ats/TM-640160065.pdf
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1G8ZPhm3DcLKb4lSrZRH6yRvNmFMfpfVc5F0WcpLvfPSw2pzk9WVWsqHhnYfi/edit?usp=sharing
Some interesting reading.

I learned years ago that the best electrical connection is both crimped and soldered.
Crimping for a sound mechanical connection and soldering for a sound electrical connection.
Gives the best protection against vibration and corrosion.

pcmentor29 wrote:
I soldered some wires in my Toyota MH engine compartment. One joint had six wires 14 or 16 gauge. My 40 watt iron wasn't working so I used my 260/200 watt gun. I still could not get the wires tinned completely it seemed. I tin them then solder two at a time then heat and stick the pairs together. Can someone tell me if I need a higher wattage iron or another solution to solder wires that have old maybe weathered ends. On fresh copper wires the heat flows great. Is there a technique to get old copper wire to tin properly or is this the best I can do? Thanks

First of all, on old wire, its best to scrape the wire to remove any corrosion or oxidation. Then use a flux-cored solder (not acid core) for best results.
Now, a trick - for soldering wires that are really difficult to solder, and for soldering STAINLESS (such as caps on rechargeable batteries, etc) with regular lead-tin solder - flux the metal first with a tiny dab of phosphoric acid, then use regular solder. Its the only sure-fire way to solder stainless steel. But be aware that the acid will do a job on your soldering iron tip over time.

Is Rosin Core the same as flux core?

Jagtech wrote:

First of all, on old wire, its best to scrape the wire to remove any corrosion or oxidation. Then use a flux-cored solder (not acid core) for best results.

This works only on solid wire. With stranded wire you would have to remove the corrosion from each individual strand, a very labor intensive endeavor.

pcmentor29 wrote:
Is Rosin Core the same as flux core?

Both acid and rosin are "fluxes".

Rosin core should be used for all electrical work.

When buying solder, look for Sn63/Pb37 alloy rosin core.

Thank you all for the great replies. The best I can do now is to pull both wires to see if they hold together when soldered. And use Rosin Core. My normal technique for clean wire is to tin both wires and leave a little extra on the wires then touch the wires together then touch with iron. Then shrink wrap. I need to do it this way unless I have something to hold them together. The next time I attempt to solder "dirty, oxidized" wires I may clean them with Electronic Spray or Naval Jelly. Can anyone suggest about using Naval Jelly? Thanks

There are many questions you should not ask less you wish to start a religious argument, Ford or Chevy, Crimp or Solder. To name but two.

I am told that in some situtations crimp is REQUIED, they claim it is more resistant to vibration....

Personally.. I like a good solder joint.

But I often.. .. Well, "Belt and suspenders" Solder the crimp on after crimping.