Electrical connector blues

DougD

Registered User
I'm having one helluva time with the plastic 'lectrical connectors breaking. Geeeeezzzz.....I try to be so gentle with the release tabs but it seems like all you have to do is look at 'em and they break.

Am I just getting ham-handed in my old age or is there a trick I'm missing?

Cheers
DD
 
If there is a trick, I haven't found it. I believe the main issue is that when you go to remove them they are plain hard to pull apart. This often leads to you thinking you need to pull the clip back further than you really need to. The connection is just tight.

Ideally if there was a pliers design that could grip the connector and allow you some leverage to pull it. The clip would then follow up the ramp and connector would come apart. My cam sensor connector is snapped. I wrap it with a wire tie to hold the connector tight on the sensor now.
 
www.rockauto.com has several replacement connectors if you want to try to replace them. I have a set of connector tools that seem to work reasonably well if there is enough room to get in there and use them. It is basically a flattened hook that lifts the clip but places the strain along the axis of the connector. I can't rememoer if I got them from JC Whitney or Eastwood though.....but I think JC Whitney.

A suggestion.. clean all connectors you unhook using contact cleaner and use dielectric (not heat sink grease :) for KMT) to reassemble them. The lubricant will help the next time you need to unhook them and you will have a cleaner connector to boot.
 
if you do break them and are unsure about the connections, sometimes you can just use a wire tie strap. take it through the middle of the wires on one side of the connector to the the other side and middleof the wires and pull it tight. its probably better than the clip. but you cant always use that, for instance on the dis module... theres no where to strap to, to keep the wire end in the module tight...
 
Quick tip for those looking for a replacement when dealing with a camshaft sensor connector - the MAF connector (4-wire connector on the air meter after the air filter box) is the same.

These are easier to find when scouring donor cars...just be sure to locate the newest year model you can so you don't go to all the trouble just to learn you've swapped one brittle connector for another. To check a connector like this to see if it still has service life - with the connector removed, simply press in on each tang until it bottoms. If it is brittle, it will snap and you know to keep looking for another.

To repin one of these, first remove the thin red locking plate - it comes straight out. I then use a toothpick to probe and unseat the individual wire connectors, going in on the same side as the red locking plate previously occupied. Make note of the wire colors and order before disassembly!

Each wire should be fully inserted when reassembling...you should hear/feel a slight click when the connector end is fully plunged into the socket...they are usually indexed and go in one particular way - test by pulling gently on the wire to confirm it will not come back out. Make sure to use the same wire bundle gasket (grey in this case) and same connector gasket (red in this case). As Duffy noted, apply a small amount of dielectric compound to the pins/connectors, put it all back together and confirm the connector is fully seated.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top