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harness connector question


anthony_c

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you need some tools like this

image.png

These will help you remove the pins from the connectors.

Removing the connectors aught to not be that hard. I am sure there is a plastic latch somewhere you can depress to remove them

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found something similar on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Kalolary-Terminal-Electrical-Connector-Extractor/dp/B07BBM1MK4/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_107_bs_lp_tr_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WWWGQV7EQQP7MB89ZPKA

i've not used one of these before. is there a group favorite?

the connectors appear to be held in place by 4 small tabs on the backside of the panel. i could probably pry them out, but this would likely be damage to the connector or panel.

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There was the same question not too long ago about exactly this.  Browse through Captain Obvious's, and my, old posts and you might find it.  Thin blades are the key, slip them in between the locking tabs, add some soapy water and pull them out.

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Yeah, that was over in this thread:
https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/60007-78-280-re-assembly/?tab=comments#comment-549457

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:02 AM, Captain Obvious said:

Woof. Putting someone else's hacked harness back together. That is really a no fun position to be in.

So those cut wires up in the engine compartment I believe go to a couple automatic transmission specific devices. I believe the B/R and the B are supposed to go to the "downshift solenoid", and I believe the others (W/B and G) are supposed to go to the "inhibitor switch". Neither of those devices exist on the manual trans cars.

As for how to get that blue connector out of the white plastic housing.... Boy, are those things a biatch. I've taken a couple of those out, and it's a real PITA. There are little plastic tabs on the white housing that clip the connector shells into place. Four (at least) on each connector shell. You can see them on the empty holes. Thin tools inserted from the front to push the tabs out of the way enough to force the connector shell backwards out of the white plastic holder. PITA.

If you've got access to a parts car, I would say to just take a hacksaw to the old one to get all the connectors out, and then use a drill to eviscerate the connector shells on the other one to salvage the housing at the expense of the connectors. PITA.

I somehow managed to get a couple of mine out, and once they were out, I filed all the tabs down some so I could get them out again easier in the future if necessary. I'm hoping it's never necessary. I rebuild my engine bay harness, and in theory, I should never have to do that again.

If you have easy access to both front and rear, it should be a lot easier than trying to do it inside the car.

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@Captain Obvious, you left out a few "PITA's".

I have a spare harness that i was able to experiment with, and if it is that difficult on my living room floor i will assume it is damn near impossible upside down and backwards in the pasenger foot well. Not prepared to start destroying perfectly good parts so i'm going to ponder my navel a bit longer and hope a solution presents itself..

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"I know, right?"   LOL

For something so seemingly simple and stupid, it's really a PITA. I did mine while in the car but while the dash was out. And while it isn't as bad as on your back upside down head under the dash, it was no picnic either!

You CAN take just the individual contacts out of the connector shells and leave the shells clipped into the white plastic support bracket. What (in the grand scheme of things) is it that you are trying to do?

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a few things:

  • ive got a bad connection somewhere in that panel which is preventing the car from starting 50% of the time.
  • some of the lock/release tabs have broken off, so the connectors dont always stay seated.
  • would like to completely bypass interlock system and possibly lay new copper from ign switch to solenoid. i've studied the wiring diagrams and it looks pretty straighforward, just need to verify the wiring actually matches the diagram.
  • a local mechanic clipped one of the w/r wires, bypassed the panel, and did a butt splice to get the car to start. it worked for the moment, but it wasn't the only problem and the solution is less than elegant. he received a stern scowel.

with regards to mechanics and body the car is in fantastic shape, but need to do something about the electrical gremlins. at this moment still studying, but one option is to re-terminate with generic after-market connectors and be done with those problems once and for all.

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Not really sure which car you're working on, but there is a variety of wiring and relay upgrades that can be applied.  Besides the general cleaning of the connections.  Describe some gremlins and we'll offer our potions and spells.

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fair warning: i can be long-winded, you may regret that offer.

its a 260 with a 7/74 build date and problem is intermittent. either the starter responds immediately, or it doesn't respond at all. not so much as a peep from the solenoid. meter confirms no current being delivered to the yellow wire on the solenoid when i turn the ignition to 'S'.

to-date:

  • replaced starter. works better than the old one, but didnt fix the intermittent issue
  • replaced the battery, not really related to the problem, but needed anyway
  • following SteveJ's advice i put in a jumper at the emergency switch. i was convinced that was going to fix the problem but it didn't.
  • (back to the wiring diagrams looking for problems upstream)
  • i've had problems with other connectors being flakey, and this isn't the first time i've dealt with that panel under the dash. a few years ago i spent a few months with a meter tracking down an unrelated problem. the meter picked up a fair amount of resistance there and elswhere so i went around the car with an emory cloth and vinegar, cleaning contact points. picked up a volt or better in the process.
  • after the previously mentioned mechanic clipped the w/r wire and bypassed the panel the starter responded immediately. it was a noticeable improvement, but the intermittent problem returned again. i didn't like his solution, but it did give me some confirmation of where or what the problem is.
  • on a whim i reached over and pushed c1-c5 in just make sure they were snug, hit the ign switch and all was good.

whether its oxidized or loose contacts, my suspicion is these connections have reached end-of-life. if i can't reasonably get the plastic connector out of the panel then i'll drop back and try one of the pin extractors.

Edited by anthony_c
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