Pinout for 3 connectors in A-Pillar (1 Viewer)

[mtweller]

Hey All,
I've been battling a few electrical gremlins on my '08 since purchase 3 years ago. I've found what I believe to be the source of the problem. I was getting wet floorboards on heavy rain on the drivers side. Found the drain was clogged with an acron/berry or some sort and cleared that, but the damage was done. Water had run down the a-pillar and into the 3 multipin connectors at the kick panel.

All 3 look similar. I tried to clean it up with a wire brush and electrical cleaner aerosol, twice now. The male pins are tiny and near impossible to access for cleaning with a brush.

Issues, I believe to be related:

1. Lights stay on after turning off vehicle. Normally stay on for ~30s after exiting, but with this issue, they stay on and completely drain the battery if not noticed.

This issue was "fixed" after my first cleaning session, but wouldn't you know it, came back after the second attempt.

2. I'm now having an issue with the AC losing it's settings after the car sits for any period of time. On startup, the car goes through what sounds like a calibration cycle (I can hear the recirc door open/close). The "Auto" light is lit on startup, but after this cycle, the whole system is off. I reengage Auto and the temp is set to 75 for both sides. For a quick trip into a store or something where the vehicle isn't powered off for more than a few minutes, this does not happen.

3. Rear AC is hot. I just had it charged yesterday and it was 1lb low. I had this same issue at purchase, and a recharge fixed it then, but no dice this time. Still blows hot out of the rear even when on "Lo" temp and high fan. Rear cold side pipe feels cold, but no condensation. I'm wondering if the actuators for the blend doors are controlled through this harness???

Any help is appreciated. I can only imagine the cost to replace these connectors. Both male and female look pretty bad.

 

[grinchy]

Here are the connector names and pins. It doesn't indicate what they're connected to, for that you have to xref across the wiring diagrams.

 

[BlackMammoth]

I feel your pain... I can't provide a solution to clean the connectors (they look bad) but I would suggest using something like Boeshield T-9 if you think this area can get wet again. You can use a chemical cleaner like Deoxit along with something like a carburator cleaner brush to get into the pin socket but they look like a lot may have been compromised.

I spent years cruising the tropics on my boat and chasing corrosion away from electrical was a way of life. Once you are equipped with the right tools it becomes much more manageable.

 

[chilibit]

I have found that using an battery powered (Braun soft heads work well) toothbrush will make a huge difference. And perhaps some baking soda to cut the corrosion.

 

[BlackMammoth]

Key point - make sure the car has no power (disconnect battery) before using cleaners.... Especially acidic or basic things.

 

[mtweller]

I have found that using an battery powered (Braun soft heads work well) toothbrush will make a huge difference. And perhaps some baking soda to cut the corrosion.

I used some baking soda on the first attempt, to also help neutralize any further corrosion. Hadn't considered a toothbrush.

I'm screwed though. One of the very small pins is either broken or loose inside the plastic block terminal. Just so happens, its one of the pins for the rear AC, specifically the "SI" wire for the blower motor control. No idea what "SI" stands for. Oddly, the blower seems to be working fine. Other suspect connections include other rear AC signal wires. Ugh.

 

[afgman786]

2. I'm now having an issue with the AC losing it's settings after the car sits for any period of time. On startup, the car goes through what sounds like a calibration cycle (I can hear the recirc door open/close). The "Auto" light is lit on startup, but after this cycle, the whole system is off. I reengage Auto and the temp is set to 75 for both sides. For a quick trip into a store or something where the vehicle isn't powered off for more than a few minutes, this does not happen.

Have you always had this issue? Has your cabin filter ever been changed by the dealership or anyone?

I had the same issue, but mine ended up being the fact that the filter was changed incorrectly (by me) and caused this issue. Might be worth checking out the cabin filter and cycling thru recirc and fresh air to see if the door opens and closes as it should. If not that could be your culprit for this issue.

On recirc the white door should be open and on fresh air it should be closed.

 

[mtweller]

To put a bow on this...

Repair completed by local dealer. Replaced the dash harness and floor harness to the tune of $10,400. Erie Insurance covered it under my comprehensive policy as water damage and impressed the hell out of me. Called my agent on a Monday and had a check that thursday, soup to nuts. Everything is fully functional again, and as a bonus my VLine2 is now working with XM sat radio.

Folks, take a few minutes and put some dielectric grease on those connectors and check your sunroof drains periodically.

 

[Leaky2014]

$10k, fixed mine for under $100.

Dielectric grease is your friend.

It's not if you have this problem, it's when.

 

[mtweller]

$10k, fixed mine for under $100.

Dielectric grease is your friend.

It's not if you have this problem, it's when.

Awesome! I was going to try and find someone who would repin the connectors if it wasn't going to be a covered loss. Mine was actually worse than picutred above by the time I finally broke down and did something about it. 2 pins were completely comprimised / missing. I'm guessing you caught it a lot earlier... wish I had.

 

[Leaky2014]

Nope, mine had several broke pins, lots of green crusties. I just bypassed the boxes on the broke ones, cleaned and protected the rest. Been over 3 years with no issues.

 

[mtweller]

Nope, mine had several broke pins, lots of green crusties. I just bypassed the boxes on the broke ones, cleaned and protected the rest. Been over 3 years with no issues.

I considered the same. All said and done, my actual cost was the $50 deductible, so it was a no-brainer. Kudos for doing the field repair - I was on the fence if I wanted something like that long-term or not, but I'm sure I would have... well before shelling that much coin out of pocket.

 

[bloc]

It's not if you have this problem, it's when.

The sky isn’t falling today, but it will one day..

And this magic grease will fix everything.

 

[Leaky2014]

The sky isn’t falling today, but it will one day..

And this magic grease will fix everything.

Isn't it why you went and bought a sunroof drain cleaner? You know it's an issue and you are scared, don't deny.

 

[bloc]

Isn't it why you went and bought a sunroof drain cleaner? You know it's an issue and you are scared, don't deny.

I bought a sunroof drain cleaner to deal with actual clogged sunroof drains on another car much more prone to the issue.

“If” my vehicle were garaged it wouldn’t be a problem, ever. So it’s literally a matter of if, not when.