How do I: Remove terminal wires from NAV electrical connector

[cutty01]

Was trying to connect BriGuyDIY aux video input kit into the Nav of my 2013 4Runner w/o JBL and am having trouble removing the terminal pins from the white connector as shown below.

I first loosened the wire retaining clip at the bottom of the connector. Then I stuck in a pin and then a flattened paper clip in the larger of the two holes to try and disengage the plastic retaining clip for each wire. What ever I have tried, the terminal will not dislodge.

Am I correct that I should be pushing a pin/paperclip in the larger of the two holes? Am I correct that the little plastic tab should be pushed up while I pull the wire from behind? Does anyone know what type of connector this is called so maybe I can find a web reference to help me?

Brian from BriGuy has been extremely responsive trying to help me, but his 4runner is a different year and the white connector is different.

Any tips from any of you who have dislodged terminals from this type of connector before? After trying for 2 days, I have given up for now :-(

Thanks.

 

[flyrv9]

It's hard to tell, but if you look in from the wire side with a magnifying glass while you lightly pull and push on the wire, you may be able to see the locking tab (or tabs) on the contact. Then you can figure out what type of extractor is required. If you have contacts in your kit, that would be a big help in figuring out what you need to remove one. One of the holes in the front may indeed be a release hole. It will be the one that doesn't line up with the wire.

Also you could go to the dealer and ask a tech what kind of tool they use. I'm sure they have a set to accomodate all their connectors.

 

[cutty01]

Thanks flyrv9. I will try again. Good idea about asking the local dealer.

 

[flyrv9]

You're welcome. Another thing I've done (if you can see the part # of the connector - not the Toyota # but the manufactures number). I doubt Toyota makes those connectors. They probably have a vendor make them. If you can find a number, type it into Google. It just might give you an engineering spec sheet. Very helpful with a mechanical drawing of the connector and cross section. Part number for insertion and extraction tools etc. You may also see the brand name like Molex for example. It does look kinda like a molex too.

From the drawing you can see how the pin or socket locks in and then perhaps figure a way to remove it. Good luck.

 

[rigtec]

"...Any tips for any of you who have dislodged terminals from this type of connector before? After trying for 2 days, I have given up for now :-(

Thanks."

Hi cutty,

If I may suggest: don't change the pins on the factory navi connector. Just order a male to female harness extender from "Metra-online"! They can be found on amazon, ebay or the metra website. This way if you happen to break a pin-lock you won't have to worry about buying the whole new harness from Toyota!

Cheers!

 

[rigtec]

Hi folks,

for those of you who may need "Metra-online" extension harnesses of any kind e.g., headlights, fogs, audio systems, even power seats... Here's their contact info:

Metra Electronics
Sales / Manufacturing
460 Walker Street
Holly Hill, FL 32117-2699
National: 800.221.0932
Local: 386.257.1186
Fax: 800.647.8091

"Their customer service is really good so they'll be very happy to help you!"

rig

 

[cutty01]

Hi folks,

for those of you who may need "Metra-online" extension harnesses of any kind e.g., headlights, fogs, audio systems, even power seats... Here's their contact info:

Metra Electronics
Sales / Manufacturing
460 Walker Street
Holly Hill, FL 32117-2699
National: 800.221.0932
Local: 386.257.1186
Fax: 800.647.8091

"Their customer service is really good so they'll be very happy to help you!"

rig

Great tip and I appreciate you trying to help. I gave the 1-800 Metra number a call and they said they only sell to people with an account. I got transferred to a sales department for a distributor in California but he didn't think he had anything like I was describing. He transferred me to their tech support but the hold time was 30 mins so I hung up. I will try again another time.

Brian at BriGuy said I am looking for a 16 pin 0.64III terminal connector (Toyota part #90980-12155) as shown in the attached PDF. I just need to find someone who can make me a male-female extender or buy all the parts and see if I can make one myself.

 

[rigtec]

"Great tip and I appreciate you trying to help. I gave the 1-800 Metra number a call and they said they only sell to people with an account..."

Hi cutty,

You're not asking them to sell you the part so you don't need an account. You only want the part number so you can buy it cheap from amazon or ebay... my last 'metra harness' that I bought (this one was special) only cost about $19 bucks on amazon but I had to call Metra first because I needed a male to female and the catalog was so confusing... No hassle!

Cheers!

 

[rigtec]

Sorry,

I guess I should have explained that Metra-online is a whole sale company but has a great c/s department that is glad to help you find the right cable (model#) for the task over the phone!

rig

 

[cutty01]

Hi cutty,

You're not asking them to sell you the part so you don't need an account. You only want the part number so you can buy it cheap from amazon or ebay... my last 'metra harness' that I bought (this one was special) only cost about $19 bucks on amazon but I had to call Metra first because I needed a male to female and the catalog was so confusing... No hassle!

Cheers!

Good call for highlighting that. I did not tell them I was just looking for a part number. I will try calling tech support again and tell them just that. Again thank you for being so helpful.

 

[flyrv9]

I did a little research starting with the info on the pdf sheet posted above.

Googling the 0.64 III contact gets you info as well as googling the toyota part # of 90980-12555.

The connector is a rear insert front release type. In other words the wire is inserted in the back until it locks in. To remove, an extractor is inserted in the front and the wire is pulled from the back. Sometimes to get this to work, you have to be pushing from the front and pulling from the back at the same time.

I also found that the extraction tool looks a lot like a very small jewelers screwdriver. So you might try that. It looks like it's inserted into a small hole above the contact. This releases the lock tab allowing removal to the rear.

I tried to copy and paste these pages, but it didn't work. The extraction tool part # from the TE connectivity site is 1729375-1.

Another thing that works for removing contacts is a T pin. You can get these at craft stores and come in a few sizes. They also work well for pushing contacts out or into connectors. The less pulling on wires the better.

Also these sockets / pins require a crimp tool to attach them to a wire. On many connectors the tolerances are pretty tight; so if you use pliers to crimp the wire and get a flat crimp instead of a rounded crimp, the contact may not fit or lock in the the connector; or it will be impossible to remove in the future. You'll just have to see.

 

[cutty01]

Nice! Thanks for all the leg work. If I can't find a harness/extender I will try again with a extractor tool. It's nice to see the community coming together to help each other out!

PS - I found what looks like a FSM dedicated to servicing any type of Toyota connectors. I hope it's a good reference for others doing electrical work. Page 17 shows the extractor tools they use and it has the dimensions for what they call a "special tool". I just ordered this extractor tool set from China which has a 1mm and a 0.8mm tool that I hope will work.

 

[bjohnston115]

Sorry you are still experiencing some challenges... If you weren't on the other side of the country I would help out! I am still seeing if i can source the plug in small quantities to make these harness' so you do not have to take the pins out but it has proven to be difficult.

It really pisses me off that toyota uses different connectors for all of these radios. The power and speaker plugs have been standard for the past 30 years, why cant the others be uniform across models!

 

[cutty01]

Sorry you are still experiencing some challenges... If you weren't on the other side of the country I would help out! I am still seeing if i can source the plug in small quantities to make these harness' so you do not have to take the pins out but it has proven to be difficult.

It really pisses me off that toyota uses different connectors for all of these radios. The power and speaker plugs have been standard for the past 30 years, why cant the others be uniform across models!

Brian you have been nothing but great throughout this process. I really appreciate all the emails you have answered and the how-to video you made for me. The backup camera dongle works great and I am sure your video aux kit would normally work too, if it weren't because of my own ineptitude with this pesky plug on the 13' 4Runner. If it weren't for you, we would all have to cut and splice the factory wires.

I am going to send you an email with an idea. I am thinking of buying the plugs from Toyota and then paying you to make a male-to-female adapter for me since you have the terminals, tools, and skill. You can then use it as a prototype should you be able to source the plugs cheaper from elsewhere.

 

[cutty01]

Problem solved thanks to [MENTION=129513]bjohnston115[/MENTION]. Talk about EXCELLENT customer service. I had trouble finding the correct adapter. The places I called didn't have what I needed or I couldn't explain myself well.

Brian, who offers the rear camera dongle and video selector kit[/URL], took it upon himself to build a harness for me. He sourced the plugs and wired everything up. I tested it this morning and it was truly plug-n-play. I now am able to feed a front camera to my factory NAV screen and switch back and forth between the front and rear camera. I just noticed that Brian is now offering to make factory custom harnesses. He has a form on his website to put in a custom order if you have a need.

Thank you so much Brian and special shout out to [MENTION=83083]rigtec[/MENTION] and [MENTION=90148]flyrv9[/MENTION] for their suggestions.