Crimping terminal problems ...

get yourself a good quality, ratchet crimping tool.

Leachy

Are you using a proper crimping tool? If you are then you shouldn't be having those issues.

I agree with Andrew L ... get a good quality crimping tool, the others are only "toys".
Similar to this one:
Image Could Not Be Found

Jaycar Crimping Tool

Regards
Neil

Jaycar is becoming my favourite shop !!

Cheers for the info - The tool I have was in a "kit" and really never felt quite right when being used ... I'll pop into Jaycar and get one -

cheers

Steve

Make sure that you use the correct sized wire for the connector that you are choosing. If the wire is too small it will just pull out or if the connector too large - same problem. In some situations soldering can cause later problems. Solder can shrink with age and you could get a bad connection. It's happened to me.

Steve,
Solder the 'tip' of the exposed wire, just to make it a tad thicker at the end so the correct clip won't come off when crimped, or to get even more pedantic simply put flux on the clip and the wire and after crimping them heat the flux and melt a small bead of solder there to maintain connection, then slide back the heatshrink and warm up to seal everything in place.

Mainey . . .

Yep - to reinforce points in the above - there is of course a lot of 'junk' about these days that appears to be the real McCoy - includes crimp on tools and fittings it seems - last year I bought a bargain kit of crimp on parts - the tool itself was near on totally useless and the terminal parts looked good but are 2nd rate........anyway, I'm an electro-klutz but I always solder mine.

Use a quality crimper & crimp lugs. believe it or not, companies such as Utilux make a crimper for their lugs.
Crimp lugs are designed for crimping & not soldering. In the electrical game, it is not compliant to solder a crimp connection due to shrinkage.
If the joint is subject to stress (vibration etc) a crimp connection is better. Soldering makes the electrical conductor solid & over time, the conductor will break at the end of the solder connection of the lug.
Personally, I find the small pre-insulatedl lugs a load of rubbish.
I use the correct size crimp lug (Utilux) and heat shrink over the junction.
Cheers, Tony.

Buy a good pair of Electricians pliers with the crimping section in the handle. I have a good pair of ratchet crimpers but I was still not happy with the results. The Electricians pliers will crimp just about anything without cutting it and the wires NEVER pull out.

If you don't have the right skills, tools and materials, then don't crimp.

If you don't have the right skills, tools and materials, then don't solder.

Before inserting the stripped wires into the lug and crimping, liberally massage grease, vaseline or silicone grease into the strands of wire, also put some of the same into the lug.

Cheers,
Dion.

Silicone grease is conductive, there are several types from Dow Corning, specifically for electrical connections.
There is also an electrically conductive grease used to coat the contact area's of conductors for DC power, I can access some, but not just now.
For my own applications on my 4WD's or boat, I use an Caltex sourced Cu based grease, stick a Insulation Resistance tester in that and see how conductive that is, even on the lower 500V setting.

Vaseline may or may not be conductive, I've never tested it, however the strands of the conductor still make sufficient contact with the lug when crimped that it has never been a problem.

Then there is the gease that is used in the busbar joins on the cells that make up the batteries thati work with, certainly conductive, has to be for the I that travels through them.

The extended life of a join/lug in the marine environment by using grease is certainly worth doing.

Cheers,
Dion.