i have a protek 2s 35c battery that the battery wires and balance wire can be unplugged from the battery itself. Im going to be making me some shorter wires for my truck and the question is does the balance wire have to be plugged in when running the truck or can I just solder the + and - to deans and be done with it? I know i need the balance plugged in when charger, I have a different charging wires for that that has the balance plug.

Also are the deans connectors suppose to get warm after running the truck for awhile?

You only need the balance connection when charging, no worries there.

Dean's shouldn't get very hot... might be indicative of a loose/worn-out connector or a solder joint that needs to be touched up.

No balance wire needed for racing/playing.
The only time I have seen wires/connectors get hot is when the connector is getting bad. If you have the banana connectors, (which sounds like you do), then simply replace them. If they slip in and out of the battery very easily, then they are bad. Duratrax has newer versions of the banana plug that are awesome, and I have yet to see them wear out, and they are nice and tight.
DTXC2306

Those above are better than the spring type bullets like these -

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJPY4&P=M


the spring wears and will eventually break...



I use the Duratrax ones, but only if I need to turn the wire to the side which these bullets are designed to do. Otherwise I use Castle bullets -

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXTJH8&P=ML

okay thanks. I cant see it being a connector as I just got the battery a couple days ago. the battery came with bullet connectors that look just like the castle ones mentioned above that I will use to make the new wires. The deans plug doesn't get hot just a little warm.