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Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:33 pm

I had this connector sideline us last year. I did a campground fix by running some superfine sandpaper inside the toasted connector but I think the thing is acting up again as this pin supplies the ECU, coil and fuel pump and I had a weird stutter today .

What can I do to make sure this connection is good again?

I was thinking about putting a teeny sliver of aluminum foil in there to help the connector snug up to the pin.

Is there anything else I can do short of replacing my fuse block or the connector to help make sure this connection is more reliable?

Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:44 pm

You should be able to replace that one pin socket with a new one. Your local VW dealer might have one or you might try this Samba advertizer: Viande. He sells VW terminals. You'll probably have to get the correct tool to slip the old one out of the plastic terminal block.

Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:48 pm

I haven't checked VW but on BMW's you can remove individual connectors. Most of the tools to remove the connectors are just a couple prongs that push the little tabs that hold the connector in. If you can get the connector out you might be able to crimp another connector on.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am

Just yesterday I made a tool for this exact job, and you can also buy one for about 5 bucks (search on molex connector remover tool etc). I bet if you have a selection of thin wall (brass?) tubing around you can find a size that will work,

see this page on my blog for pics and info;

http://shufti.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/multi-prong-connector-tool/

the VW connectors are pretty close to molex round prong connectors, but are a different brand which I can't recall off hand. The molex connectors I tried do fit the spare connector blocks I have lying around.

I made the remover tool to do the same thing you want to, I to have a sketchy contact on one of my blocks, the one that powers the flasher relay.

alistair

Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:06 am

Obviously, there is too much current flowing through that connector, much like the problems I have experienced on old Rabbit relay panels, circa 1980- ish. Those things were WAY overloaded, and the fuel pump had the worst problems. I think I had actually bypassed a few connectors with wire, but the internal circuit traces inside the fuse-relay panel will not easily work that way. I would find a way to remove the high current drawing items and repair the plug, and use a separate relay to operate the device.
I have some pin removal tools that would work on that, and I believe it would be manufactured by Packard, or Delphi. We use all of these various terminals and connectors where I work, and sometimes they end up at home with me.... 8)

Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:04 am

I agree with the above, but I think you may not be able to remove the connector even with the proper tool. It looks pretty melted. If you get it out, not sure how much would be there to hold the new connector. Is that an "in" or "out" wire? It might be possible with the Bentley manual to find another availble connector on the fusebox and move the wire there. Certainly the load along with resistance and the added heat resulting caused it to fail. Certainly adding a relay would not hurt if you can figure out how it should be working. This sort of overloading of pins has been going on at vw since the late 70s when they went to the stacked type of fuesbox. At least you know of the problem and were able to bypass it when it failed. Good job.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:18 am

I had a similar problem with a single point fueling system while I was in Zambia. Needing fuel, which seems like every time I land, I was desperate to come up with a solution to a pin issue (I needed to re-connect a line that had pulled out of the pin). I found that the silver pen click top cap on a pen one of the guys had worked. So between that and a leatherman I got fuel in the beast and went on. So if you have a bunch of sacrificial pens (being a writer, I bet you do, all with chewed ends), check out the silver metal cap diameter, you may get lucky like I did.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:44 am

Wow - there's some really good ideas here.

That pin is D15 and it supplies to the coil/pump so I suppose any keyed track-15 voltage would work if I can't rehabilitate the connector itself. Does that make sense?

Although I am curious as to why that pin would fry. Is it just a bit if under-engineering? I'm going to see if it's grounding out and pulling too much juice.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:56 am

Here is a link to the fuel pump relay recall for the VW rabbit. http://www.automotix.net/autorepair/recalls/3590-recall It explains what is happening. Basically, resistance adds load. Resistance can happen for many reasons. The added load creates heat. The heat causes the connector to expand, increasing the resistance adding to the load, and creating more heat. It is a cycle. I don't have the wire diagram for your model in front of me to see all that is powered off of that pin, but it was probably adequate when new, but marginal for the stock loads. mark

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:08 am

Yep - that's pretty close to what's going on.

I think maybe I will supply that wire from someplace else and get a nice, tight connection. Maybe one of the G-Pins - on my particular 1986 VIN, it looks like G2 or G5 (p. 97.98 Bentley).

Or can anyone think of a place back there in the engine compartment where I can get some keyed power? The places I can think of are actually supplied by the wire I'm trying to re-supply.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:23 am

You may need unique power. Not only does it need to be hot with the key on, but also during cranking. That is the X relay circuit. Certain key on loads shut off during cranking. So it gets a little confusing. If you want to do a by pass, I would be inclined to do it at or near the fuesbox. I like the weather pack connectors for doing this sort of repair. They come in many configurations from single pin out to 6. They are a good tight weather proof connector.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:41 am

rsxsr wrote: You may need unique power. Not only does it need to be hot with the key on, but also during cranking. That is the X relay circuit.

Ugh! I cannot for the life of me read a wiring diagram worth a shit.

I was going off this page in the Bent which seems to show my burnt D15 pin getting power off of track 15. What am I missing here?

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:47 am

Looking at the diagram you can move the wire to pin D23. It appears to be vacant.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:47 am

And this is what made me think that I could go to one of the G pins for power:

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:50 am

Yes those pins are also available, but the load is through the 10amp fuse. You might be stressing the circuit board not sure. I'd use the pin I suggested above.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:51 am

rsxsr wrote: It appears to be vacant.
So it does!

Saw your reply. 10 amp fuse. See it. Got it. THANKS!

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:53 am

Looking at the diagram, the gray is the fuse box. The tracks that are solid lines are continuous. You need to line them up when you go from page to page. It is a little confusing. When a circuit is on a different page, there is usually a box in the diagram indicating which page to look on. Across the bottom are the current tracks along with the vehicle ground. Does that help?

Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:56 am

Looking at the first diagram there is the number 34 at the coil. That means that wire continues on current track 34. Turn to the page that has that current track and you can continue tracing. I can't see it, but on the page with current track 34, there will be a number corresponding with the current track the coil is on.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:07 am

You can buy the pin tool at Pep Boys. There are two I recall. It has years ago.

The connector in question should be replaced. You will need a new pin. I bought the pins and crimp tool when I was doing a lot of work on VW engine conversions. It is an expensive tool.

What I would do is the following:

Harvest a connector out of a wrecked early 80s to early 90's VW or perhaps Audi. They all used the same fuse box. Just cut all the wires long.

Use the tools to push out your damaged wire and solder and heat shrink the new used pig tail.

Then one by one carefully transplant the wires into the new used connector. Make sure they are well seated and don't pull out.

It is tedious but the procedure does work.

As above find out your root problem and remedy.

Good Luck...

Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:08 am

On page 97.89 it appears that track 34 sends power to activate the ECU relay.

So the stuttering I have experienced could very well be the voltage dropping just enough to allow the relay to open and shut off the ECU - the stutter is accompanied by the tach dropping as well, which is why I immediately remembered my burnt connector. I had this same stutter once about two years ago and then it just went away. When we were stalled in Colorado last and I found the burnt connector I thought, "Ah ha! It was YOU!"

Anyway, thanks for your help. It looks like I can re-power this off of pin D23 which is a considerably bigger pin, so it should be well up to the task.