ECU plug terminal removal?

[4WheelDrifter]

I've had a go at pulling the terminals out of the back of a 55 pin ECU plug, but I don't seem to be having much success.
The female terminals inside the plug have 2 barbs on them, the lower one you can get a tool in to, but the upper one looks like it is supposed to be released by sliding the centre section of the plug upwards, but it doesn't seem to work.

You can see the lower release channel here at the front of the plug.




Here's a couple of the offending terminals.



The bottom one is one I managed to release using a tool in the lower release channel, along with some brute force. You can see how the upper barb has bent over, rather than being released. This bent over barb also took a chuck of skin out of my finger when it eventually came flying out of the back of the plug. I know some of the electrical connectors take a little jiggery-pokery to get them free, but something isn't right here.

What am I doing wrong?

[waad_uk]

Sorry, I cant see the pictures whilst I am at work, so my reply is working blind....

Is there not a locking arrangement that holds the terminals in... i.e. you have to slide one half of the connector sideways to release the terminals? Much the same as the multi-pole connectors for the dash instruments, and column switches?

Just a guess....

[4WheelDrifter]

Hmmm... I've had another look and it looks like the sliding/locking centre part of the plug is releasing the upper barb. It is the lower one that the tool pokes in to that is not releasing. I'll keep poking about, but I'm not sure how much more my fingers can take.

[Rusty]

I got bored trying to pop the terminals out of the diff lock plug and took a pair of snips to it Keep going mate!

[HPmuirt]

Can I be nosey and ask why you want to remove these connectors? Or more accurately, what you want to attach to the wires once removed?

Cheers n

Si

[4WheelDrifter]

I think I've sussed it anyway.
I ended up chopping the wires off, and dismantling the plug to see what was going on.

The trick is to hold the base of the terminals to stop the tool from trying to push them out the back, that just makes the barbs bend and hold on even more. So you have to push the release tool right in, while pushing the terminal towards it using long nosed pliers, and you can feel it scrape over the barb. The terminal pulls out the back easy then.

Can I be nosey and ask why you want to remove these connectors? Or more accurately, what you want to attach to the wires once removed?

No. You can't.

I'll give you a clue:

I have a 3B Coupé but the distributor isn't staying.

[HPmuirt]

No. You can't.

I'll give you a clue:

I have a 3B Coupé but the distributor isn't staying.

Ah, another 3B owner who really should have bought an ABY eh?

We understand

Cheers n

Si

[4WheelDrifter]

Ah, another 3B owner who really should have bought an ABY eh?

We understand

Cheers n

Si

Nope. A 3B owner that wants to make the best of both, starting with the better base naturally.

[4WheelDrifter]

Here's the terminal release tool in action. Easy once the plug is dismantled.
Now I just have to go sit in the passenger seat and swap a few terminals about. Sounds almost too easy.

[S2central.net]

Well thats fair enough - weakest point (IMO) in the 3B is the 'dinstroibustaur' - its biggest advantage in terms of engine dynamics is the SM flywheel so yes I agree that a hybrid is a good way to go when doing a ground up rebuild like that.

Assume you have RS2 bearings and metal gasket already in place. Are you building up to ABY spec, RS2 spec or something more hairy ?

[4WheelDrifter]

Well thats fair enough - weakest point (IMO) in the 3B is the 'dinstroibustaur' - its biggest advantage in terms of engine dynamics is the SM flywheel so yes I agree that a hybrid is a good way to go when doing a ground up rebuild like that.

Assume you have RS2 bearings and metal gasket already in place. Are you building up to ABY spec, RS2 spec or something more hairy ?

I'm not sure the distributor is that bad. The high horsepower quattros of old managed ok with them, as did Tom C.
I decided to swap due to the better diagnostics, knock detection, better spark, etc... And to keep the Motronic tuner happy of course. You know what mapping these 3Bs is like, twice as much work.

Stay tuned to my project thread for more details on my build.

[Nuvo]

Anyone know what the VAS part number would be for this tool? I only need it for the ECU connector terminals so I have no need for a full set of extraction tools.

Maybe someone can identify the correct tool from another manufacturer?

Thanks for any pointers.

One solution is to use to paper clips if you only need to remove a few terminals.

Heres a little illustration of where to place them: (I'm still interested in finding out if a single tool can be obtained for this purpose)

Very helpful photos Stu.

I think the tool I need is VAS 1978/4A, can anyone confirm this please?

[4WheelDrifter]

Rob, I've got the Laser Tools Terminal Tool Set. Link.
It's about half the price of one tool for the whole set.