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jeff spahn
Im about to doe this job, and like that idea about putting on a water proof connector.
Did you go this route, can you share which connector you used or would use?
The only issue I see is if the connector is large the beauty cover wont fit well over top of it. Without looking at the wire right now, maybe it can be cut above the beauty cover?
For those that have cut this wire, do I need to disconnect the battery, or is having the vehicle off enough to make sure I dont short out anything?
I have had the wheel liners off before when I replaced the upper control arms/upper strut mounts, and its a pain, plus it sounds like there is some risk in trying to pull this wire up enough for slack and working it out of its clips. I dont just want some slack to slide the cover out from under it, especially with all the horror stories of bent cam fingers, I want to make sure I can pull it straight up, and not have the wire over the cover at all via cutting it sounds like the best option to me.
jeff_spahn, I found the end of the ac wire where it connects to the compressor, cant see much more on the way up to the valve cover, I do see one metal clip.
You have commented on several threads to just remove it and pull it up.
Do you have any more details or pics on how best to do this?
Some mention removing the fender liners, but it seems to me that the wire is mainly behind the frame so removing the fender liner doesnt offer much help, but I admit Im not seeing the path of the wire well.
Thanks for any more help, this seems a common time consuming part of the driver side valve cover job and I want to take your advise but not seeing it as simple...........yet.
When i did it, I disconnected the connector and was able to pull out some slack but not that much. i might have been able to squeeze the cover out from under it but i didn't want to struggle or chance screwing something else up so i just cut then reconnected the wires.
The wre to the AC compressor that runs over the valve cover is easy to get to, remove and gives plent of slack. I was able to reach it without jacking the car up or removing the fender liner.
here’s a quick pic of the connector disconnected. I used a small flat bladed screw driver and slid it into the topside of the connector to push the tab down. Slid right off.
I also used a very smal ratchet to get to hard to reach bolts. Used a few different length hex bit connectors with a t40 torx hex bit. Hex bit extensions are smaller in diameter making it easy to get into tight spots.
Just finished the job. Took me half of Sunday, then a few hours each night through Friday. I ended up using a L shaped torx tool that I found at menards for the problem bolt. I found that reaching behind the engine and facing the handle of the tool toward the rear of the car gave me enough angles to find one where the tool would align with the bolt. I did tape a small deep socket to the tool, to extend the 'handle' a little and make it easier to apply torque.
For the a/c wire, over the driver valve cover, I opted to cut it below the beauty cover, and add a deutsch connector for next time.
04-03-2023, 03:08 PM
