I did Google around before I asked so I do apologize if this is a common question. I don't have any experience in electrical repair but this looks fairly straightforward. Shop installed new alternator but left harness in the way of the pulley causing damage. Luckily I found it before I had any noticeable issues. (Just barely worn through insulators)

From what I've read whether to solder or crimp depends on the application while others swear by soldering only. For this situation is one better than the other?

If you have the tools and ability to solder well, go for it. If not, crimp is fine.. Just make sure they're weatherproof, and very secure.

If you don't know how, be careful cause a bad solder is worse than crimps.

In that location, I would crimp but not with your standard cheap crimping tools. A pair of crimpers, like Klein 1005, uninsulated butt connectors, dielectric grease and adhesive lined shrink tube is what i would use.

Not a fan of solder in a wiring harness thats subjected to flexing and vibrations.

lasthope05 said:

Not a fan of solder in a wiring harness thats subjected to flexing and vibrations.

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I try to avoid solder whenever possible for just that reason. I know some people with military background and a lot of tech experience like soldering. But from my OE harness design experience, a solder joint is an almost inevitable point of failure.

If it just rubbed through the wire insulator, you could depin the wires from the alternator connector, and put heatshrink over the wire to fix it.

lasthope05 said:

In that location, I would crimp but not with your standard cheap crimping tools. A pair of crimpers, like Klein 1005, uninsulated butt connectors, dielectric grease and adhesive lined shrink tube is what i would use.

Not a fan of solder in a wiring harness thats subjected to flexing and vibrations.

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Could you show an example of what that would like? I'm always looking for better ways to do things

FWIW airplanes say to crimp except for the avionics.

I'm going to agree with what others already said here too. One thing that made the "dont solder" stuff on your car thing apparent to me was when my friend asked me what connectors in your car did the OEM solder from the factory? The answer is none, the factory uses crimps because they hold up in automotive environments. Every last solder "fix" i've done to my wiring harness when I was less wise has broken at the edge of where the soldered part and the unsoldered part of the wire meet. It's like welds breaking on the surrounding material because the weld is stronger. Sure it's a strong electrical connection but give it some months in a hot ass vibrating engine bay.

Brand and type of connectors used for crimping do make a big difference. Lasthope's advice above is definitely good and I think that'd be the "most proper" way to repair a wire in that location.

dsmspick said:

Could you show an example of what that would like? I'm always looking for better ways to do things

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I work out of state so I cant take picture but this link has some really good pictures of what I do.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3464197/Wire_crimp_tool

That's cool. I had been using connectors from Kimball Midwest and their ratcheting crimping tool. I liked that style of connector because it has a section on the end that is heat shrink and so it seals that end and helps it from pulling out. I like those heavy duty metal ones with the heat shrink on top of it. That looks like it could be tossed around all day and never come apart.