Wire deteriorates after a few months

Flivver250

TJ Addict
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2018
Messages
2,416
Location
Dubai/Florida
I bought a couple different spools of supposedly quality braided copper wire. I have wired things like auxiliary lights and the horns. I use shrink tubing over the areas I make the connections. For some reason the wire deteriorates after a few months and turns a powdery blue/white. The components stop working. Any of the original wires I cobbled on to are still good. WTF is going on? Is it just sub-par quality? The stuff looks okay on the spool. The environment is dry and hot.
 
I bought a couple different spools of supposedly quality braided copper wire. I have wired things like auxiliary lights and the horns. I use shrink tubing over the areas I make the connections. For some reason the wire deteriorates after a few months and turns a powdery blue/white. The components stop working. Any of the original wires I cobbled on to are still good. WTF is going on? Is it just sub-par quality? The stuff looks okay on the spool. The environment is dry and hot.
Just my two cents worth, but I'd say that it's garbage wire. I can't recall the terminology, but the wiring you have is allowing oxygen to get to the exposed copper, which is leading to corrosion. With wire like that, you can strip the sheathing off and find corrosion much further down the strands than what you are seeing right there at the connection. I bought a harbor freight trailer years ago that came with the necessary wiring harness. Surprise surprise, the brand new wiring harness was corroded.
 
How are you making the connections? Crimps? Solder?

Regardless, unless you're driving it along the bottom of the sea, no wire should corrode that fast.

I'd throw that wire away and buy from a reputable seller.