Weather Pack Connectors

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Major System Category: ISIS Wiring
Task: Build weather pack connectors for doors and tail lights
Parts: 4 x 6 way cinnectors
           2 x 3 way connectors
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs: $49
Time Requirement: 2 hours
Date Started: January 25, 2014

Date Completed: January 28, 2014

One of the things I worked on in late November was connecting the tail light and door assemblies into the main wiring circuits. I was so intent on just getting something to connect that I failed to consider the greater problem of moisture on these contacts. I recognized, correctly, the doors and tail light assembly need to be able to disconnect from the main chassis. I did not wire this up the first time through with any consideration to rain or car washes or any of the other things that can mess up an electrical connection.

These are the little parts that can get dropped, wander away or get lost. On left hand side of the dish are the posts. These fit inside the barrel terminals. The green insulator fits over the barrel connector and the reddish/brown are the individual wire plugs.

The other issue was that by making an individual connection for each circuit, I had a real mess of wires on my hands in the tail light area, and burgeoning mess in the door area. I understand today how everything connects, but what about three or four years from now when something quits working and I need to go into the area.

This is a 6 way connector for the passenger door. Two wires for the popper, the interior lights and power  windows. These wire colors correspond to the wire colors used for the circuits and those colors are dictated by ISIS wire circuit color.

My solution is to go with a weather pack connector that is water proof and vibration proof when it comes to connections. By the time I figured this out, winter had descended with a heavy hand on the Northern Man Cave. I only really got to work the first ten days in December, after that it was just too cold. I mapped out the wiring for taillights and doors. I had 8 wires running to the tail lights and six wires running tot he doors (not counting the speaker wires that I am going to run continuous from the head unit). This will be a maintenance problem.

These each go on the single bulb rear tail light.

The weather pack connector consists of two hard plastic pieces. One holds the barrels and the other the posts. There is a inner rubber insulator to keep water out that fits over the barrel connector and individual rubber plugs that slip over each wire. These are pressed into the back end of each connector. Wires are crimped to the post and barrel terminals. (I really suggest doing these one at a time so as not to get confused.)

These are not a bunch of dying cockroaches. These are the six weather pack terminals I built. Four for the tail lights and two for the doors.

I decided to go with a uniform six inch wire to form the pig tails. To this I measured out 1 foot and cut it in two. The rest just involves stripping the end of the wire and crimping it to the connector. These connects have two "ears" that hold the connector in place. The connector snaps into place. It can be removed using a special tool that fits over the connector and pushes the ears down.