Using Lever Nuts in automotive

Let me start by saying that under normal circumstances I would never consider using residential wiring practices or hardware on cars but...

putting some new lights on the 20 year old tow pig today and these Spyder lights come with separate circuits for the halos and the individual LED markers.  Everybody on YouTube had spliced and taped and created a giant mess in order to parallel these circuits together.  Then I remembered I had some Wago Wire Levers I’d bought on Amazon after discovering them on a trip to England where a British coworker had commented how we Yanks used these stupid plastic “twisty cones” all over our homes.  What do you use?  I inquired.  Well wire levers of course.  WTF are those I remember thinking.  Found some on the Amazon when I got home and used them for just about everything.  Made this job go together like a Lego set.  Is this acceptable?  They seem to hold Berking Tight.  

What say ye?

first time i've ever seen them, but if they can handle 20A at 300V you should be fine i think. the reviews on amazon look good but i didn't see anyone using them for low-voltage DC. i'm guessing they would be fine though, hopefully, somebody else that knows more than me can verify that!

They aren’t even doing the real work here.  The high and low beam on the main lights wire directly into the Ford pigtail, as does the turn signal.  These just do the halos and the 3 LEDs on the sides.  The whole circuit where I used the Wagos pulls 200 mA according to my trusty and dusty old Fluke 87.  

In reply to A 401 CJ :

Guess who is never using those stupid wire nuts in the house again? I hate those damn things.

The only concern I would have is how weather tight they are. 

The0retical said:

Guess who is never using those stupid wire nuts in the house again? I hate those damn things.

Oh, hell yes! Wire nuts are freaking useless. I never knew these things existed. They aren't cheap, though, are they? Kind of reminds me of sharkbite fittings for plumbing. Much easier to use, but also a lot more money.

That is all I use for home wiring. The only issue with using them for automotive is the possibility of corrosion since they aren't sealed. 

Are they ul listed for use in home wiring in the us?

ive seen similar things inside fluorescent fixtures. But never seen them in device  boxes or tangle boxes. 

They are UL listed. The fluorescent fixture ones I have seen are just push in. These have a lever that snaps down to lock in the wire and you can lift it up to remove the wire if needed. 

https://www.wago.com/us/wire-splicing-connectors/compact-splicing-connector/p/221-413

One pure advantage, at least in the home, is that you can easily connect a stranded wire to a solid wire.  Ever try that with a wire nut?

My concern would be Wago connectors aren't designed to be weathertight.

I have a buddy who does electrical work in theatre rigging and they use those for everything (everything small, anyway). They're legit. I'm pretty ok with them not being weathertight as long as you don't expect them to last forever without any fiddling with it. In an app like this they will probably last longer than the aftermarket lights they're attached to, so... good enough. 

My issue would be with how weather tight they are, as well.  Corrosion is bound to happen, and then they are about as failure prone as the Hated Scotchloks that plague trailer wiring.


I have used Wagos in commercial applications in the past, and they work pretty well, especially for smaller wires in applications where they will need to come apart periodically.  But wire nuts really never should be used to hold a splice together or make a splice in the first place.   Twist the wires with your Kliens before installing the wire nut.

These would make quick work of a head unit to vehicle harness. 

I just used a similar thing in a low voltage project for work.  Made Y-ing two light sets into one power connection super easy, plus I can disassemble it easily for packing. I'm a fan now.

I use these mostly at work.  We have a few different styles, I always keep a few in the race day crash box.

Cooter said:

My issue would be with how weather tight they are, as well.  Corrosion is bound to happen, and then they are about as failure prone as the Hated Scotchloks that plague trailer wiring.


I have used Wagos in commercial applications in the past, and they work pretty well, especially for smaller wires in applications where they will need to come apart periodically.  But wire nuts really never should be used to hold a splice together or make a splice in the first place.   Twist the wires with your Kliens before installing the wire nut.

What is the trick to getting a solid twist like that? I always get a mess and break off the end.

In reply to Gearheadotaku :

Strip the wires long, hold the wires tight, twist and pull at the same time, and then snip the wires to length.  

And practice.

It's not just water - I'd be worried about vibration. Does it have any sort of strain relief feature?

Vibration and water intrusion would be my two concerns.  Neither one of them are issues in their intended application.

supposedly, from what i've read, vibration isn't a problem with these. of course, i wasn't even aware they existed until a few days ago when this thread got started. so what do i know?

[EDIT] WAIT!! A FEW DAYS AGO??!! i just realized this thread started yesterday...damn, time moves slow when you're at work...

Just thought I'd update this thread to say that 4 1/2 years later and those truck lights still light up.  I started using the Wagos on trailer lights not long after that.  Those were a bit more concerning since they actually hang down in the spray when it rains but ...never been a problem.  Am I doing something wrong?  Thought I'd look at the internet and see if anybody else was using them for automotive.  Turns out, they are.  At least the British.  https://forums.lr4x4.com/topic/102802-wago-connectors/
 

I got a kick out of this post:

"...if you want outrage and complete disbelif that wagos could ever be any good, take a look at any of the american electrician facebook groups... "oh wagos, thats a complete hack, i would never use them, they just start fires!".   they all use wirenuts over there, you know the things that the uk banned 40 years ago...."