DougW

Lon Stowell wrote:
> Will Honea wrote:
>> DougW wrote:
>>
>>> jmaki wrote:
>>>> I cracked the connector for the idle air control motor on the
>>>> wiring harness side - 2000 TJ 4.0 L. It still works okay but the
>>>> retaining tab and half of the weather shielding is missing, so I'm
>>>> sure it'll give me trouble later. Does anyone know where I can
>>>> find a replacement connector? I'm assuming the Jeep dealer will
>>>> want to sell me a whole wiring harness for $$$$... If nothing
>>>> else I'm sure I can cobble something together but it would be nice
>>>> to find the right connector.
>>> Call your local dealer and see if they sell a splice kit for
>>> that connector. Junk yards are usually unwilling to part with bits
>>> of a harness unless most of it was crisped in a fire. If the
>>> connector still looks like mine (and I suspect it does) then you
>>> could find one from any one the Jeep 4.0 engines.
>>> http://revbeergoggles.com/tb/tb.html
>>>
>>> Possibly these folks. (888) 528-2200
>>> http://www.chryslerpartsdirect.com/
>>
>> GM also used a lot of those connectors - try one of the local GM
>> dealers if Chrysler doesn't work out. If you can get the shell, the
>> pins from the old one will slip right in - but you'll probably have
>> to destroy the old on to get them out. Without the (expensive)
>> removal tool, they are a bear to pull out.
>>
>
> Flat style connector pins can usually be pulled by a home made tool
> from a hunk of piano wire. Whack the heck out of the wire on an
> anvil or similar hard surface [e.g. brother in laws head] and then
> file and polish it down to a nice flat area a couple inches long you
> can poke in to release the little latch on the side.
>
> The round ones are harder, but you can make a removal tool from a hunk
> of hobby steel tubing.
>
> Or just buy a couple of the commercial connector removal tools from an
> online electrical supply shop.

I've got a set of tools I made a long time ago.

You just need a nice strong beercan as donor metal.
Cut a small patch out (about 1/4" by 1") and roll it
around a bit of coathanger wire, then cut off the extra
so you get a C shape. Sometimes you can use a scratch
awl as the form.

--
DougW