Are all WeatherPack crimping tools created equal?

Posted on 24. Mar, 2010 by in Tech Articles

No they are definitely not.  We tried and tried to find a super-cheap crimper (sub-$40) that would do the job right, with our hope being that we could offer a crimper for less than $30-40 that might be a little less convenient to use, but would crimp properly.  We purchased and tested several models, including a couple that promised ‘a perfect crimp every time’, and in at least one case the die wasn’t even shaped right to crimp Weather Pack terminals properly, though that was the sole purpose of the crimper supposedly. In the end, we decided the cheap crimper that worked properly just didn’t exist.  You can likely get by with one of these in some cases, but it WILL effect the quality of your crimps.  So instead of offering my customers a tool I would never use myself, we found an extremely high quality tool that makes it easy, and we priced it just a tiny bit above our cost.  We don’t make much on these, but you get a tool that helps you do the job right, and that’s important to us.

Here’s what you’re looking for in a good Weather Pack crimping tool:

1) Proper shape of the crimping dies.

The die that crimps the conductor should be ‘w’ or ‘m’ shaped (depending on how you’re holding the tool)

The die that crimps the seal over the wire insulator should be rounded.

2) Crimps both the conductor and the seal at same time

There are two separate crimps to make, one for the wire conductor, and another to hold the seal in place.  A good tool will complete both of these operations in one motion.

3) Has a proper Terminal Positioning Block to ensure you crimp the terminal just right

Without the Terminal Positioning Block you’ll likely wish you had a third hand to try and hold the terminal in the proper position while also holding the seal in place and operate the tool at the same time.  With this piece your crimps will be MUCH easier and you’ll have a much higher success rate.


4) Racheting mechanism to ensure proper crimp pressure

This will ensure that you’ve crimped hard enough, but not too hard, getting the crimp pressure on the terminal just right.

We’re happy to offer a tool that meets all of the above requirements, and truly gives you an honest shot at getting ‘a perfect crimp every time’.  Others promise this, but this tool can deliver it.

You can click here to check out and/or purchase the high quality crimping tool we recommend.

Weather Pack Connector Housing and Terminal Indentification

Posted on 23. Mar, 2010 by in Tech Articles

In this article we are going to cover the different parts that make up a complete Weather Pack connector and the proper name of each piece. We will be identifying the male terminals, female terminals, tower housings, and shroud housings.  Every terminal will have a rubber seal installed.  These seals are not gender specific, however there are different sized seals for different gauge wires.   The assembled Weather Pack, consisting of housings, terminals, rubber seals, and wires, will then be referred to as the connector.

It is helpful to use the correct terminology, especially if technical support is needed or if attempting to follow write ups or instructions.

Usually when a complete connector is referred to as being male or female, it is the terminals that are used to decide the gender rather than the connector housing.

As can bee seen above, the male terminals that are used in the Weather Pack have a sharp pointed end.

The female terminals have the open round end.

Referring to the housings and not the terminals, the tower would be considered the male housing and has the rubber seal in place.

The shroud is the female housing.

The Weather Pack connectors can be assembled with either the male or female terminals in either the tower or shroud housings, either terminal will snap into either housing. The standard assembly is to use a male terminal in the shroud and a female terminal in the tower, as pictured above.

How to Remove Terminals from Housings.

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by in Tech Articles

In this article we will cover how to remove a Weather Pack terminal from a housing. There is a special tool included with both the 460 and 755 piece Weather Pack kits that will allow you to do this easily.


Above is a complete Weather Pack connector and the terminal removal tool.


Here we see inside these housings that the terminals are reversed from that of a standard Weather Pack assembly. The male terminals should go into the shroud housing and the female terminals should go into the tower housing. Let’s see if we can correct this.


Start by opening the rear section of each housing.


Insert the terminal removal tool down over each terminal all the way until it won’t go any farther.

With the terminal removal tool held firmly all the way into the housing, pull the terminal and wire combo out the opposite side.


Continue the same process for all the terminals that need to be removed.


After removing the terminals, I installed them all into the correct housing.


Let’s have a closer look at how this tool works.


Here we see the terminal removal tool paired up with a female Weather Pack terminal. Notice the metal tangs on the terminal. These are what lock the terminals into the housings.


They look very close in size but the tool is just slightly larger than the terminal, allowing it to slip over top.


Notice in this image above that the tool has been slid down over the metal tangs. By pressing the tangs in, the terminal is then free to be removed.