Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Gotta love that wiring . . .
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Bytor36
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:02 am
Your car is a: 1984 Azzurra
Location: Tacoma, WA

Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by Bytor36 »

As I've gone through and diagnosed and tried to repair wiring issues on my Spiders I've often wondered if there's something a person can do with the connections themselves, like maybe use a conductive ink marker/pen on contact points, etc.. Is this a good or bad idea?
love these damn things - damnit
'72 124 Sport (burg w/black) sold '88
'79 Spider 2000 (silver w/blk) sold '91
'72 124 Sport (burg w/black) sold '10
'81 Spider 2000 (wht w/blue) sold '18
'84 Azzurra (wht w/tan) sold '18
'84 Azzurra (blk w/tan) current
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4uall
Posts: 4145
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:09 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Fiat Pininfarina Spider 2000 F.I.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by 4uall »

Jay

Fiona
1980 FI 2000 Spider
ITZEBTZE

https://goo.gl/photos/eNKaX7hrXhBu9fmp6

FINN (FN-2187)
2014 Jeep Wrangler Sport
MYTHERPY
GeorgeT
Posts: 379
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:41 pm
Your car is a: 1982 Fiat 124 Spider

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by GeorgeT »

I went through my 82 Spider's wiring and cleaned each terminal and put dielectric grease on the terminals and connectors to prevent corrosion. I drove the car 10 years without any wiring issues at all. The main problem with the wiring is the connectors are aluminum which becomes non-conductive when it corrodes.
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4uall
Posts: 4145
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 12:09 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Fiat Pininfarina Spider 2000 F.I.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by 4uall »

Jay

Fiona
1980 FI 2000 Spider
ITZEBTZE

https://goo.gl/photos/eNKaX7hrXhBu9fmp6

FINN (FN-2187)
2014 Jeep Wrangler Sport
MYTHERPY
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bradartigue
Posts: 2183
Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:35 pm
Your car is a: 1970 Sport Spider
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by bradartigue »

Many of the wires, especially those in the trunk, doors, and engine bay (more exposed than the dash ones) will have corrosion in the wire about an inch past the connector (into the insulation). You can cut them back and replace the connector; however, the generally available connectors look like crap and aren't very good to begin with. Buy weatherproof automotive connectors, single or dual pin (or whatever you need) - well worth the $3 or so a piece, particularly in the engine bay.

If originality is key then search online as plenty of auto restoration places sell similar connectors as FIAT used. On the FI cars all of the Bosch connectors can be found new and with a better design of the release.

If budget is key then strip them back, slide a 1" piece of shrink tubing over the thing, crimp, pull the tube over it, and heat to size. Makes a nice tight water resistant connection.
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michaelj
Posts: 85
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:25 am
Your car is a: 1976 Spyder
Location: Mount Dora, Florida

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by michaelj »

Buy a box of star washers. Every time you pull off a ground for something, use a star washer.
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v6spider
Posts: 1035
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2006 6:57 pm
Your car is a: 4.3L V6 Powered 1972 124 FIAT Spider
Location: Mount Vernon WA

Re: Improving conductivity/connections - ?

Post by v6spider »

Dielectric grease on all connections..

Rob
http://www.v6spider.com
4.3L V6 Powered 1972 124 FIAT Spider
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