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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:38 am Post subject: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Hey all. After having a dead van the past few weeks, I finally discovered (thanks to this forum) that the blue wire running out of my alternator may be disconnected, which may be resulting in my resulting in a very dead battery.
It feels loose in the plastic connector (picture attached), but I can't really find a way to re-secure it or even open the connector. Any recommendations here? Or is it best to just yank the wires out and find some spade ends to re-attach them to the alternator?
Thanks for the help!
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fxr Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2014 Posts: 2317 Location: Bay area CA
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Just looking at that connector - isn't there a tab each side where the wires come out? Just prise these gently apart and the connector body should hinge open, giving access to the terminals. _________________ Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300 |
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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:30 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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fxr wrote: |
Just looking at that connector - isn't there a tab each side where the wires come out? Just prise these gently apart and the connector body should hinge open, giving access to the terminals. |
That's what it seems like, but when I trued to pry them apart both snapped. It almost looks like the connector body is glued shut. |
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VicVan Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015 Posts: 1840 Location: Vancouver Island, BC
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:59 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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If you want to keep the connector, and it is glued shut, you could cut it open at the seam using a small cutting whell (i.e. Dremel) or a saw with qa metal blade. You can reclose it using glue, or a zip tie and/or silicon _________________ '90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH) |
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crazyvwvanman Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008 Posts: 9918 Location: Orbiting San Diego
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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:08 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Worked with it a bit more yesterday and had no luck prying the connector apart. It seems to either be glued or molded shut, and I don't have much slack to pull it out of the engine bay to get a better shot at it for prying open.
Would you all recommend to just cut the wires off to get it out, then just buy a new one of these connectors? I assume its a pretty standard Bosch fitting. It looks like I can also attach the wires with spade fittings, but then the terminals would not be insulated. Not sure how important insulation is here, but it looks like later vans don't even have this plastic connector. |
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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:11 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Awesome, thanks! I see the pigtail one has a 14 AWG wire for the blue one, while the Bentley specifies it as 20. Would this still fit/be good to use? |
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crazyvwvanman Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008 Posts: 9918 Location: Orbiting San Diego
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 9:18 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Yes, that is fine. In wire size the smaller wire has the bigger number.
So 14 is heavier wire than 20.
Mark
Hexie wrote: |
I see the pigtail one has a 14 AWG wire for the blue one, while the Bentley specifies it as 20. Would this still fit/be good to use? |
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buspor63 Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2005 Posts: 1179 Location: Knoxville,TN Where America stops for gas
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:55 pm Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Hexie,
That Westy in your pic looks familiar, did you get it from Bryan and Nicole? _________________ Imagine that, theres not an "h" in either Westfalia or Syncro? |
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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:21 pm Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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buspor63 wrote: |
Hexie,
That Westy in your pic looks familiar, did you get it from Bryan and Nicole? |
I did! Got it from them back in November. They are the coolest people and we still stay in contact. I see you're from Knoxville... I imagine Delilah was definitely hard to miss around town! |
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Hexie Samba Member
Joined: November 10, 2020 Posts: 29 Location: Charleston, SC
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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Quick update that I could use some assistance on:
I purchased this connector that was recommended above, and am going to keep working today to get my old one off.
Could anyone give me some tips on how to seat the wires into these sort of connectors? I'm unfamiliar if you need a special crimping tool, etc.
Thanks! |
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DanHoug Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016 Posts: 4765 Location: Bemidji, MN
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Help reconnecting blue wire on alternator! |
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if you still have the bare, female, disconnect on the end of the wire it, inserts into the housing and there is a barb on the disconnect that latches into the housing when inserted far enough. it is common for the barbs to get folded flat so just bend it back so the tooth sticks up a tad. _________________ -dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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