anyone know how to disconnect these E-locker wires from the diff?

[ratty]

Trying to rebuild my rear diff, mostly to get to my destroyed pinion bearings.... got the bearing caps off and about to pull the diff, can't figure out how to disconnect the wires from the external connector so I can pull the diff. Any ideas? Yeah, I don't have a manual, and I've never worked on a diff with this mystery E-locker deal (I didn't even see a locker in there, looked like an open diff to me, then the wires were my clue)....


Copied from another post I did, thought this should get its own post....


Ok guys, what's the deal with this E-Locker... trying to pull my diff, and at first I was like, what locker, I don't see a damn thing, this just looks like an open diff. But alas, ah, the mystery wires.... I guess this tiny locker must be hidden in it on the left side (or this isn't even an e-locker, but just wires to a sensor plate or idk). So I'm trying to figure out how to disconnect those wires so I can pull the damn thing out, but I don't see any obvious connectors. The only connector is the external one on the housing, which I disconnected, and figured maybe if I remove the connector itself, that it's one of those things where you turn it sideways and you can fit it through the opening in the housing, and then one can remove the diff with it all intact.

Not sure if that's the way to do it, I had to take a beer break (working out in the snow, fun times) because even though I got the one bolt out that holds that connector on the housing, the connector wouldn't budge... and I know better not to get to crazy on plastic when it's below freezing outside.

Does anyone know how to disconnect these E-locker wires from the connector (or sensor position wires or whatever it is)?? I just don't see anything obvious in the diff itself. And I don't see any connectors on the back side of the external connector.

Like I've always said, 'There's always somethin'!'.... I should've had this thing apart 40 mins ago, only have an hour or so left before it starts getting dark and temps drop even more, the next three days will be single digits and below negative at night, and I sure as hell ain't gonna work on it outside then.

 

[Gumby]

Trying to rebuild my rear diff, mostly to get to my destroyed pinion bearings.... got the bearing caps off and about to pull the diff, can't figure out how to disconnect the wires from the external connector so I can pull the diff. Any ideas? Yeah, I don't have a manual, and I've never worked on a diff with this mystery E-locker deal (I didn't even see a locker in there, looked like an open diff to me, then the wires were my clue)....


Copied from another post I did, thought this should get its own post....


Ok guys, what's the deal with this E-Locker... trying to pull my diff, and at first I was like, what locker, I don't see a damn thing, this just looks like an open diff. But alas, ah, the mystery wires.... I guess this tiny locker must be hidden in it on the left side (or this isn't even an e-locker, but just wires to a sensor plate or idk). So I'm trying to figure out how to disconnect those wires so I can pull the damn thing out, but I don't see any obvious connectors. The only connector is the external one on the housing, which I disconnected, and figured maybe if I remove the connector itself, that it's one of those things where you turn it sideways and you can fit it through the opening in the housing, and then one can remove the diff with it all intact.

Not sure if that's the way to do it, I had to take a beer break (working out in the snow, fun times) because even though I got the one bolt out that holds that connector on the housing, the connector wouldn't budge... and I know better not to get to crazy on plastic when it's below freezing outside.

Does anyone know how to disconnect these E-locker wires from the connector (or sensor position wires or whatever it is)?? I just don't see anything obvious in the diff itself. And I don't see any connectors on the back side of the external connector.

Like I've always said, 'There's always somethin'!'.... I should've had this thing apart 40 mins ago, only have an hour or so left before it starts getting dark and temps drop even more, the next three days will be single digits and below negative at night, and I sure as hell ain't gonna work on it outside then.

I posted on your other post!!!!

 

[ratty]

ah thanks.... but it took me another hour and then some to finally get at it.... It turned out to be just a typical plastic snap-in connector for both wires, but because the main connector that connects to the outside of the housing, is so deep into a cavity of the housing, you can't see it much less get to it. After some very creative use of the macro function on my cellphone's camera, barely squeezing in next to the ring gear to take a peak in it, I realized how it was connected but still couldn't get at it. I loosened up the outer connector enough that I could spin it, exposing the locking clip as it was facing the other way hidden from view. I tried a bunch of various picks and even dentist tools that I picked up awhile back (they come in real handy sometimes), and I still couldn't get at it to release the connector on the inside. Eventually after ******** with it so much, and copious amount of WD-40, I managed to finally break loose the outer connector. But then I ran into another problem, the wires to the E-locker are so short, that i could barely pull the outer connector out far enough to access the inner connector... But after many expletives, I finally got it apart. Holy crap that was a major pain in the ass. Yeah, sure, let's put that connector so buried inside the rear end housing that no one could ever get at it... I hate engineers, I really, really hate engineers.

Well, fought a bit getting the diff out, she was tight, but after a few creative uses of a big pry bar, I finally got it loose, just in time as it's snowing harder and getting dark. I wanted to get the pinion out but I was just too cold and beat, gonna try to get at that tomorrow morning if the temps aren't too low, expecting some low single digits and below zero action coming, which is why I was trying to get this out so i can work on it in the warmth of my basement shop. Phew!

Thanks for the help.... (think I'll copy this post on my other post where you posted your pics too, for anyone's future reference)..

 

[TomDirt]

TLDR. when you disconnect it, does that mean it remains unlocked?

 

[ratty]

just an update if anyone's interested... got the pinion bearings replaced... the main rear one was completely destroyed, though the smaller front one was in surprisingly good shape, though I replaced that one as well. The below zero temps at night and single digit temps in the daytime, though not fun to be working outside rebuilding my rearend in, did make it conveniently easy to install the main bearing on the pinion, as after some cutting and fire, I got the old one off, and then I left the pinion outside to freeze up for a few hours, and in the mean time, heated up the new bearing in a pan of fresh motor oil on my kitchen stove... and it just slipped right on easily, no need for a press. Got the pinion installed that day, then came back the next day for the fun part... stuffing the 45lb. diff back in. I took it almost completely apart first, everything but the bearings, and completely cleaned everything, spider gears, E-locker, bearings, etc., as the oil was heavily contaminated with metal debris. I found the inside corner of 8 of my ring gear teeth were chunked off (the pinion was undamaged), but no money for a new ring gear so I did some die grinder work on them and smoothed the chunks out... not worrying about it as the mesh of the pinion gears doesn't even come close to it. Then pulled the axles completely out and cleaned the axle tubes in the housing as it still had a ton of the contaminated gear oil in it... I used a length of some steel fuel line, and tied a long length of rope and a rag to the end, and used some 19th century chimney sweep tech, soaked with the limited amount of Gumout I had left, and cleaned the tubes suprisingly well. Then the fun part was wrestling the diff on my lap under the truck and managed to get it in without too many expletives, or a hernia. And the most nerve racking part, gently tapping the remaining fragile cast iron spacer in with a piece of wood and a small hammer, paying very close attention to it... and got her in just fine. Buttoned it all together, filled her up, and got her done. Took her for a test drive and she runs smooth as silk. It's the first time in 2 years that it didn't have that loud mystery whine.... so yeah, that definitely was the source of the sound. I've run her in 4x4, up to 95mph, and hard through the twisties, and she's perfect. I still haven't cleaned up my shop though and put my tools away, was gonna do that today but my body is still recovering from the task (don't get old... it makes jobs like this way harder, especially the day after... or rather, the whole week after lol)....