Serious question about those terminal crimps on the 737NG harnesses

I replaced a bundle of Cannon plugs on a 2018 build plane last month and the old crimps looked perfect. Got the new ones on and all was fine for about 2 weeks... then the flight crew started getting intermittent navigation flag warnings. Pulled the panel again and saw the crimp barrels had actually cracked near the wire stop. I used the exact same tool and die set I've used for 15 years. Boeing changed their terminal spec quietly last year and the new pins need a different crimp height. Has anyone else run into terminals cracking after a short service life?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_patel843d ago

Wait, did your buddy use the same tool setting on the new pins? One of the guys on my crew had a whole rack of terminals crack after three weeks, turned out the new ones need a different die height.

robert2482d ago

My buddy used the exact same settings and didn't even check the spec sheet. I laughed at him when his terminals started popping off like loose teeth. Then last week I did the exact same thing on a batch of 200 connectors for a fire alarm panel. Now I'm the one digging through the trash trying to find which ones are still good. Parker you're probably right about the die height, that explains the cracking I saw on the insulation barrel. Guess we both learned the hard way that new pins mean new measurements.

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