Wiper motor connector removal - 1275 Midget

[mcd]

Hi. Does anyone know how to remove the plastic body from the wiring harness 5-pin connector for the wiper motor. It is too big to pass through the hole in the firewall and it looks impossible to get through the grommet.

Thanks,

mcd

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Cut the grommet to get more room is a start

 

[dklawson]

Most Lucas (and other brand) molded connectors that take spade lug terminals can be disassembled.

Start by "drawing" or photographing the connector so you know which wire goes back where. Find a relatively short bit of small diameter steel wire like a paperclip. Straighten out a bit of the wire so it is about an inch long. Look into the connector entrance at the terminals. You should see a little square or rectangular openings along the long side of each of the terminals. Insert your wire into that small rectangular opening and push the steel wire towards the brass terminal while tugging in short pulls on the electrical wire. Eventually you will get to the point where the steel wire has pushed the terminal's locking tab back into the terminal and your tugging on the wire will allow it to be withdrawn to the rear.

When you go to push the terminal back into the connector you may need to pry the little locking finger back out of the wire end terminal so it will catch again in the plastic connector.

The image below shows a side view of what I was trying to describe above.


All that said... cutting the grommet as Jim said and using Krazy-Glue to re-connect the cut ends is easier than taking the connector apart and putting it back together.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Doug,

Hey I learned something this morning. Thanks for the tip on paperclip usage. Chances are grommet is pretty ratty looking and needs to be replaced anyway but tip on superglue useful as well.

 

[mcd]

Thank you gentlemen. With the excellent instructions, released the spade terminals with a paper clip, fished the leads through the grommet and put the connector back together in 15 minutes. As noted the little locking tab on the spade terminal needs to be bent out again.

Paul M