Forgot to add, ... The best fix in wet areas is to splice and solder the broken wires after cutting them back far enough to get to shiny copper, then seal the joint with a piece of heat-shrink tubing. You don't have to buy a whole kit or big roll of the stuff. Talk with any mechanic at the dealership and they'll likely have extra pieces in their tool box that they can give you. There is some stuff out there that has hot-melt glue inside to seal the connection from moisture. You can buy that by the single piece at the dealer's parts department but it's expensive that way, about a buck for two inches, as I recall. All mechanics have extra chunks stashed away for when they need a piece quickly.
Electrical tape is not a good idea. It will unravel into a gooey mess on a hot day, and it will not seal out moisture. The connection will corrode and break again, and it will always happen far from home on a dark rainy night, or it will happen to the next owner who will be left scratching his head.
Heat-shrink tubing is slid over the bare wires and some of the insulation, then it is warmed with a match, lighter, or hot air gun. Heat it just enough until it shrinks tightly around the wire. Too much heat will cause it to split and fall off. If you have the kind with glue inside, it has shrunk enough when the glue oozes out each end.
Happy to hear you found the problem and can go buzzing off into the sunset!
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 AT 7:47 AM