orig944

It'll be a while since part of my order is coming from Germany. I'm not really anticipating any problem with this. For these full size Molex connectors I use a tool made by AMP that I've had for >30 years. The cheezy set with ring handles from ebay/amazon/aliexpress are pretty flimsy, but I've used them with some success on some things as well.

Tiger03447

On my early car, there are 5 block connectors that go into the back of the fuse panel. They all have the same female mini molex connector. One article I saw recommended the use of a thin piece of Mylar to slip in under the molex front lip. This would depress the two whisker springs and release the connector. This only works however if you can get the wire to move forward slightly to provide enough space for the Mylar “sleeve” to be inserted. All of my wires seem to be stuck in their positions and refuse to move, even slightly. Thoughts? TIA😀

orig944

I've not had those connectors apart in my car, but if there is minimal clearance around the pin you could try one of the cheezy depinning tools as the metal is quite thin. Here's an example.


This has several duplicate sets, which isn't a bad thing since they may not last very long. 10 bucks when I looked.

Ish_944

I've got one of these sets but had zero luck when doing this exact job. I wanted to replace the connector as well because the little fixing clip on it was broken. I ended up cutting the old plastic connector up, feeding the wires through the rubber boot, then installing the new connector. Chopping up the old plastic was not at all easy.

But now I'm back to square one because pin D3 is burnt on the fuseboard and I'd need to depin the entire thing...

orig944

I'd have to say, not as well as I had hoped. I did, however, successfully depin the connector, install the new cover, and reuse the connector shell.

Condensing a multi-day ordeal with numerous failed attempts into a solution for posterity here...

Take the cheezy depinning tool with outside diameter of 1/8" and remove the ring and plastic retainer. You need all the length of the tube part (about 3/4 inch) for this to work. Chuck it lightly in a drill and file off the lip, retaining all length. This leaves a flared entrance which will help with the extraction. Turn it around in the drill chuck and file off the chrome plating on the other end. Barely insert this end into a 5/32" brass tube (K&S #8128) and carefully solder these together, with minimal solder on the exterior of the depinning tube. The brass tube will bottom out without going into the connector shell hole, but the thinner 1/8 tube will go all the way in and release the pin.

orig944

Upon further research, I believe McMaster 6100K471 tubing would work.