hello recently i noticed that my brake light isn't working when i pulled the brake lever in my bike. i just checked around the brake light switch and discovered that one of the two wires was broken.
if you refer the below rough sketch,

the two wires come through the housing. one wire was broken at point "A". so i have no space to strip the wire and solder it with the broken part. i think i need to split the housing with a paper knif and then strip the wire and solder. but this is a factory wire harness and i'm not happy to split the housing. so i decided to ask it here from some experienced people. do we have any other option to solder it without damaging the housing ? if you have any opinion please let me know. thank you

 

A picture of the housing might help. In automobiles, such housing for wire harnesses is often made of black corrugated plastic. It is also usually split and may be wrapped with tape. There are some good tapes on the market (e.g., Tesa) that are better than regular black plastic PVC.

 

A picture of the housing might help. In automobiles, such housing for wire harnesses is often made of black corrugated plastic. It is also usually split and may be wrapped with tape. There are some good tapes on the market (e.g., Tesa) that are better than regular black plastic PVC.

thank you it's hard to manipulate my phone around that area to take a photo. but finally managed to get one. hope it's clear. the part shown by the red arrow is the broken wire

that housing is a tube type one. not a split or wrapping type one. otherwise i could have soldered it without any issue. also that broken wire is very stiff. i mean not flexible like a new wire. hope i can strip it without any problem. thx again.

 

I work on motorcycles and this happens now and then. Just because it's factory or oem doesn't mean it can't be done better. Split that sucker open, remove the insulation and solder in a new section, heat shrink and make sure you account for funny bends, friction or pivot areas. If there is pivoting happening, go further down and consider crimped bullet terminals instead of solder which is brittle

 

I work on motorcycles and this happens now and then. Just because it's factory or oem doesn't mean it can't be done better. Split that sucker open, remove the insulation and solder in a new section, heat shrink and make sure you account for funny bends, friction or pivot areas. If there is pivoting happening, go further down and consider crimped bullet terminals instead of solder which is brittle

yea. i think i have to split it as you said. then solder and heat shrink. after that have to use an insulation tape to wrap the split part. this area is always exposed to water, dust, warm/hot weather. that's what i bother. hope it will last long. thank you

 

yea. i think i have to split it as you said. then solder and heat shrink. after that have to use an insulation tape to wrap the split part. this area is always exposed to water, dust, warm/hot weather. that's what i bother. hope it will last long. thank you

You can get heatshrink with glue inside which would seal the joint against water. The downside is that it is very stiff.

 

Can you get to the other end of the tube and pull the wire back through? Pull it out, lengthen it and then feed it back into the tube? Then make your external repair.

 

I mentioned Tesa tape. It comes in a "furry" fleece and fabric versions. I used the furry version. Also used Coroplast woven tape. Both tapes are advertised as being heat resistant and suitable for automotive.

I had rodent damage to the wiring in my cars. Under the hood, I used the Coroplast. Neither has turned gooey or unwound in several years. The self-fusing 3M tape may also work, but it is so good that once applied, you have to cut it off.

 

also that broken wire is very stiff. i mean not flexible like a new wire.

If it is that stiff, to me it would be better to replace the wire instaed of splicing it. If it broke once it will break again on the other side of the splice. Is this even multiple strand wire or just a single strand?

 

You can get heatshrink with glue inside which would seal the joint against water. The downside is that it is very stiff.

thank you

Can you get to the other end of the tube and pull the wire back through? Pull it out, lengthen it and then feed it back into the tube? Then make your external repair.

checked inside the handle bar switch assembly. there was no space to pull it back. so have to split it. thank you

I mentioned Tesa tape. It comes in a "furry" fleece and fabric versions. I used the furry version. Also used Coroplast woven tape. Both tapes are advertised as being heat resistant and suitable for automotive.
I had rodent damage to the wiring in my cars. Under the hood, I used the Coroplast. Neither has turned gooey or unwound in several years. The self-fusing 3M tape may also work, but it is so good that once applied, you have to cut it off.

thank you i'll keep those two tape brands in mind.

If it is that stiff, to me it would be better to replace the wire instaed of splicing it. If it broke once it will break again on the other side of the splice. Is this even multiple strand wire or just a single strand?

thank you yea i stripped it and could see some oxide ( green/blue color ) on the strands. i just removed them with a paper knife. wire is something like this. is this called a multiple strand wire ?

 

ok. i did it. split the housing a bit then soldered and heat shrink the wire. after that wrapped the split part with an insulation tape. brake light works now. thank you

 

Are you planning to use a crimped union or solder them? I would recommend a crimped union with sealant.

Oops, never mind. I had not seen your post #11. If that tape turns gooey and unwinds, consider the other tapes. Repair looks good and works. That is important for brake lights.

Be safe.

 

Are you planning to use a crimped union or solder them? I would recommend a crimped union with sealant.
Oops, never mind. I had not seen your post #11. If that tape turns gooey and unwinds, consider the other tapes. Repair looks good and works. That is important for brake lights.

Be safe.

thx a lot. definitely i'm going to buy one of them. asked from a shop and they didn't have them. for now i just used a normal insulation tape. it works in most cases but sometimes it unwinds after a short period of time. so in future i'm going to use the brands which you had mentioned above. may be purchase one online. thx again

 

I think you should contact a technician so that he can better understand the problem and guide you.

 

I think you should contact a technician so that he can better understand the problem and guide you.

See post #11. Problem is solved.

 

I think you should contact a technician so that he can better understand the problem and guide you.

Why? This whole forum is about people who have done things over the years, sharing with others, how to do things.

 

I think you should contact a technician so that he can better understand the problem and guide you.

thank you. it was fixed

Why? This whole forum is about people who have done things over the years, sharing with others, how to do things.

exactly. these members are well experienced and give practical solutions by prompt replies. so far it worked really well. so i prefer this method