DTAForum.com - a forum for the DTA ECU

Are there any tricks to feeding several wires down one long run of heat shrink tubing, short of having only a few wires in a huge diameter heat shrink tube, that won't shrink to size properly? I am sure the pros must have a few trade secrets here?

Basil wrote:Are there any tricks to feeding several wires down one long run of heat shrink tubing, short of having only a few wires in a huge diameter heat shrink tube, that won't shrink to size properly? I am sure the pros must have a few trade secrets here?

What is the actual problem ? How tight are you looking to pack them ?

Obviously you dont try to feed them in one at a time. You group wires together then use something to pull them in.

Either a single draw wire, stiff wire, whatever.

How longs the tube? FWIW, on realll long runs (in small flexible conduit admitedly, but same principle) I've used an air-line and blow gun to blow a draw cord through, then it's a simple case of carefully pulling the cable bundle through. If the runs are very long though, friction can be a killer, both for the "stiction" and the heat it can put into insulators.

use a piece of stiff wire as a draw cord as mentioned above and lubricate the cables your pulling through to overcome the friction issue, I often use the same principles at work on a larger scale and the cable lubrication cant be beaten for troublesome jobs.

although for automotive purposes, a silicone lube might be best.

Twist your wires together first .

KY jelly. Seriously.

Or easiest solution....get someone else to make the loom lol

Someone like me

How long is a long cable run? For any wires I might need to get at again, I use that corrigated conduit stuff. I've run cables down a long length of sleeving before (2-3M) and had to cut it open again to make some changes to the loom (adding a new function), which is a pain in the back side!