How do ya: remove wires from harness plugs

[devo]

i fight with removing the wire and connectors from the harness plugs.

What are your sure fire ways of removing connectors from the plugs?


Plug examples........
( pay no attention to the PO’s wire splices please)

 

[45Kevin]

As you know some connectors have a push tab and some a lift tab.

I also struggle often getting connectors apart.
I think most of the time the difficulty stems from dirty connectors.
I just lift or push the tab on one side and try to wiggle it out far enough for it stay in the open position and then try to get the other side moving.

I often wonder why they need to be locked at all with the amount of effort it takes to get them apart.
I have several connectors with broken tabs that have never disconnected on their own.

 

[brian]

this was changing the old connector to new lights, but the principal is the same on all the plugs/connectors.

 

[65swb45]

For separating the two halves of the plugs, I use those uber-cool Marks Off Road mini-screwdrivers.

To get the individual wires out of the plugs I use mini-scratch awls and paper clips.

 

[73FJ40]

I believe you want to know how to remove the crimped on wire connector from the plastic housing.

the connectors (like in the picture below, courtesy of @Coolerman ), have a little tab sticking up, capturing it in the housing.

To remove the connector, you have to stick a very thin and narrow blade into the housing (from the end opposite the wire) to push the tab down.

To replace it and get it to lock back into the housing, you may have bend the tab back up.

 

[65swb45]

That’s the part I poke with the awl and/or paper clip.

 

[devo]

Yes I guess I should have asked, what tool gizmo do you use to stick into the plastic plug to depress the metal tab.

Toyota plugs differ. Some plugs like on a “cyclops” connector you depress a plastic tab.
Some , like what @73FJ40 showed us, you have to depress the metal tab.




devo

 

[65swb45]

I forgot: you’ve got one of dem new fangled Landcruisers. All my sheit’s old.

 

[brian]

i use a tiny screwdriver set that came from lowes that was purchased for the tiny phillips bit to remove dash knobs....but it has proved it's usefulness elsewhere as well.

 

[45Kevin]

I use a piece of wire (a bit larger diameter than a paperclip) that I have flattened with a hammer on the anvil.
Some times the the tang as embedded itself in the plastic housing (most likely from yanking on the wires to get the connection apart) and you have to push the connector deeper into the housing to get your "paperclip to release the (flatten) the tang.

 

[73FJ40]

Well, like @65swb45 said, a thin pointy awl or a paper clip works; a straight blade jeweler's screwdriver, or upscale if you're doing a lot:

They also make burnishing tools to clean the terminals without having to disassemble the spade connectors from the housings:

And burnishing tools for the bullet connectors:

All available on Amazon, if you have a spare $100 or so.