Re: Headlight headache...do you have water in you trunk?
I've achieved some progress but still have some problems
First, i was able to loosen the broken pins by heating them with a soldering iron and shoving them through with a straight pin from my sewing basket. the chrome plated straight pins were a tight fit, so I soldered two of them into the holes as replacements. I inserted them from the back of the board, adjusting them to the right length to match the other pins, and cut off the excess from the backside after soldering. It worked well enough for me to recommend it as a fix. It is important to get your replacements aligned with the other pins so the connectors will fit together smoothly.
The 18-pin wiring harness connectors for the central lock module have a cool lever action rack and pinion type device that engages when you slide the connector into the mating connector on the module. When you rotate the lever over the top into the locked position it drives the connector halves firmly and smoothly together. It also works in reverse to pull them apart. A really cool bit of German over engineering.
The broken wire on the alarm module posed a different problem. Upon inspection of the connector on the harness, I discovered a plastic cover that I was able to unsnap (it was not a pretty result as I damaged a bit of the plastic.) I uncovered a slot through which I could, using a paper clip, press down on the locking tabs on the tiny metal sleeves that make up the contacts. I inserted a straight pin into the metal sleeve through the same hole the connector pin would use, and simultaneously pushed down on the locking tab and shoved the sleeve out of the back of the connector. To be more clear, the locking tabs for most of the sleeves are accessable through this slot. The two center sleeves are unlocked through small holes at the face of the connector, alongside where the pin goes in.
The sleeve is a tiny little thing, and I was unable to open the crimped tabs that clasp the broken wire. I gently flattened the tabs a bit with a few taps of a hammer and punch, and soldered the wire back on, keeping the joint as slender as possible because it all has to fit back inside the connector. The sleeve slides back into the connector with a faint but satisfying click, and the wiring harness for the entire car is back to working condition.
More to come...
Last edited by fastfunfor2; May 17, 2010 at 11:20 PM.