[Lilgreenmachine]

I need to change out a wire between two plugs due to lack of continuity probably caused my corrosion. One side of the wire is male in a 3 pin plug and the other female in a 2 pin receptacle. My questions are: is it possible to remove the pin/female connectors from the housing? If it is possible how? What crimp on connectors should I buy to replicate the original harness? What gauge should I get? Thanks for the help!

 

[RussKish]

Which connection / location would help? Otherwise we would have to guess.

 

[rwmeyer]

Female connector: If you look at the end of the plug, you'll see a rectangular opening in the housing with the female connector inside. You'll also see a smaller opening, maybe .075" x 1/8" (??). The female connector has a piece of metal sticking up that locks in the smaller opening and this needs to be pushed down to slide the connector out of the housing...through the wire end. You can use a piece of the old metal type wire coat hanger, a nail, or a welding rod. Beat flat and grind to fit small opening... I used an old hacksaw blade. Slide metal into small opening, wiggle if needed, and apply LIGHT pressure to wire, and connector should come out of housing. It's kinda difficult to explain, but do one and you'll understand completely.
I've never had to remove a male, but I'd think it's the same...smaller opening with retaining pin needing to be compressed/pushed down.
I can't give a definite answer on replacement connectors, but JD used Packard 56 connectors on some models and I forget what they used on others! #16 wire should work in most instances. Not much help! Bob

 

[Dave55]

Allstar 76262 Wiring Connectors Weatherpack Plastic Blk Pin Removal Tool Kit | eBay

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Search E Bay for WeatherPack electrical connectors.
They have a lot of different kits, most of them come with a pin extraction tool, very few of them come with the crimper tool.
You can make OEM quality weatherproof connections.

 

[Lilgreenmachine]

Thanks for the help!! I'll be freshing up those connections tomorrow.

 

[dave_r]

Post some pics of the connectors maybe. They don't all come apart the same ways, and finding the right pieces to replace what's needed can be tricky to find.

 

[Lilgreenmachine]

Ok, so after much internet sleuthing I think I found most of what I need. I believe the common name for them is "Packard 56 series Terminals".

They come in several different gauges, so that'll just be trial and error. Apparently you just

close the open space with a small screwdriver and then you should be able to push them out of the back of the plug/harness one by one. Here's a great video on the process of removing the male and female terminals from a plug/harness and reinstalling-

 

[smcgill]

Grab a set of these..

Mini Pick and Hook Set

Mini Pick and Hook Set

www.harborfreight.com

 

[joneill4]

A decent crimper makes the job much easier than a $5 crimper. Buy the terminals in quantities much bigger than you need for this job. Since you disassemble from the terminal side of the connector, but you reassemble from the wire side of the connector, it is easy to confuse yourself on the order of the wires. Double check this before connecting power or you will let the magic smoke out. This is an expensive lesson to learn the hard way.

 

[PA318Guy]

A decent crimper makes the job much easier than a $5 crimper. Buy the terminals in quantities much bigger than you need for this job. Since you disassemble from the terminal side of the connector, but you reassemble from the wire side of the connector, it is easy to confuse yourself on the order of the wires. Double check this before connecting power or you will let the magic smoke out. This is an expensive lesson to learn the hard way.

I can't agree with this more. I bought a quality crimper last winter and it makes a huge difference in the quality of the crimps.