hookem79

I'm having trouble with 2 different types of connectors on the passenger side fuse box. Trying to remove the box. 3 hook up to the trays that the fuses sit in. There is a central bolt which I have loosened but does not come all the way out for some reason. The tray loosens but it feels like the bolt is still holding and only spins without backing out. The second connectors have a blue tab and I am unsure how they release. Help anyone?

hookem79

any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to have to go home from work and stare at this thing

neutron82

hmmm, mine didn't have the clear plastic cover underneath all of the plugs so I don't know about those but there are locking tabs on each side of the connectors located near the center in line with the bolt... you should be able to slide a pocket screwdriver in between the connector and fuse box to release those tabs... once the plug is removed if you need to remove certain wires from their respective pins you will need to remove the blue locking pins from each connector, there is one on each side and a pocket screwdriver will pop those right out just be careful because they are fragile

hookem79

Not sure I totally follow you. I have loosened the bolts but the don't fully slide out. The colored trays that hold the pins comes loose but the clear piece and trays won't come off. Feels like the bolts are what is holding up everything. Is there some magic to getting the bolts to release?

neutron82

the bolts stay in, they are another means of holding the connectors into the box... I'll look for a pic that shows the tabs I'm talking about

neutron82

this is the top view of the connector once removed, draw an imaginary vertical line down the center of the connector and you will see the 2 tabs on the outer edges... make sure the bolts are as loose as they can get and slide a thin pocket screwdriver along the sides of each connector in between the fuse box housing and that will release the tabs and from there it should just pull out

hookem79

All three are out thanks to you Neutron.
I did in minutes what I tried to do for a couple of hours....really appreciate the help

neutron82

mjshaw

Does anyone know how to remove this clear cover? Note that the actual connector is completely detached from the fuse block following the directions above, but I need to remove this cover and cannot figure out how to remove it.

neutron82

never messed with one like that, all the ones I have worked on didn't have that cover... it's hard to tell but it almost looks like the bolt may be holding it down by 2 small tabs... try using a pocket screwdriver and carefully bend each tab back until it clears the lip on the bolt and see if that frees it up or take the bolt out if you can

mjshaw

Thanks for the reply (and bump) neutron82! I followed your directions on how to separate the connector from the fuse block above, so thanks very much. I did discover that if the fuse cover is removed, the block itself seems to deform a tad more making the release of those tabs a bit easier. Of course when the cover is removed, one needs to be careful not to create any collateral damage to the fuses / relays themselves. Don't ask me how I know.

I did try bending the tabs as you suggest, but I am certain that something will break if I bend it any further. Removing the bolt is always an option, but it is a pressed fit in the cable connector, it is hard to work with and I am certain if I go this route that there will be more collateral damage.

It has to come apart easily since Mr Goodwrench would have had to get into these things every once in a while to repair a harness like the one you showed above. After thinking about how it would have been put assembled, I think it might be like one of those wire puzzles. If I start sliding some stuff around in 3-dimensions, maybe things will suddenly line up and come apart.

I'll take a couple of muscle relaxers this weekend, bend my aching back into some seriously unnatural positions, and see what I can find out.