Imagine you lock your truck up for the night. You use the keyfob, hit the lock button, hear the horn, your vehicle is secure. Or so you thought.
Now imagine that on the inside of the rear door that the lock actuator never got the burst of energy to trigger the lock to move. Now your vehicle ISNT secure. Or even more comically, you unlock your truck the next morning, but only hit the button once, which may not unlock the rear doors as well, and upon cracking the rear door, the alarm goes off and you jump or even worse, you now need a change of shorts.
How did this happen? and GD why is that horn so loud and scary!!?? AND WHERE IS MY CHANGE OF SHORTS!!!!!?????
To figure out what happens is not really rocket science if you understand physics, fatigue and different wire types.
Chrysler had this genius idea at one time to produce these harnesses with an extremely low count wire and, on top of that, with a jacket stiffer than a 15 year olds wake up time. So, inevitably, the also too short accordion boot and wire harness inside begin to stretch and tear with each opening of the door. If you use the doors a lot, a new harness wont last long. Try repairing it according to what everyone on here recommends? Same problem. Until now.
With the problem area identified and just a smidge of hobby luck, I was able to come up with an idea that with the right parts and a lot of time, a complete straight across fix for this issue could be made.
There are really only 2 components to this fix; the proprietary pins in the harness plug and the wire that goes inside the accordion boot. Here they are!
Wire;
14GA Wire(Need 5 Feet) 8awg Power Cable, Battery Cable [5 ft Black and 5 ft Red] 8 Gauge-1650 Strands of Tinned Copper Wire, Solder Through Quickly - - Amazon.com
18GA Wire(Need 10 Feet) https://www.amazon.com/14awg-Wire-F...one+wire&qid=1564956764&s=gateway&sr=8-8&th=1
Any silicone RC/slot car lead wire will work, it uses extremely high wire count with a silicone jacket. Addressing the issue of flexibility entirely. Keep in mind the slot car lead wire doesnt come in different gauges, just 18. So you will have to purchase the 14GA wire separate.
You will also need..
Pins;
Need 20(2 10-packs) TERM181
Yes, those pins are almost 3 bucks a piece and, no, you will NOT find them anywhere else. Been there, done that. I credit Eric-07 with finding the pins. Him and I have done this fix.
Lastly, you will need some kind of wire connectors for inside the door.
Posi locks, as pointed out by Dudeonthenet are a great idea. Toolless and secure. Remember to order the correct sizes for the wires!
Here is a link to some posilocks Amazon.com : posi-lock
One could use bullet connectors like I did, but what a mess and a pain to make them work. I absolutely recommend the posilocks!!!
To get started into this project, you will need to get the door panels off.
Tools needed are a #2 phillips, T40 phillips, 10mm on a ratchet with long extension and a door panel removal tool set. I also used a couple plastic spring clamps, large or small makes no difference.
If you have a mega cab, the first thing you need to do is remove the switch bezel and unplug the switch. Use your panel tool and get under the bezel and give it a gentle pry up while pushing in. It should pop out. Set the bezel aside.
Now, go ahead and remove the door handle. this is where the T40 comes in handy. I do believe the hex on the screw is 10mm if you do not have a T40. Remove the handle, it might need a tiny bit of coercion.
There will then be 3 phillips screws, one where the door handle is, and two screws at the bottom of the door panel(all the way down there!) set the screws in your magnetic dish.
With all the attachment hardware/trim taken off, the panel will now simply lift up and then off. Usually takes a little bit of jiggling and movement to get it to come off. Set it on the ground face up.
Time to pull the speaker and actuator. The speaker uses 3 phillips screws and has a plug you need to detach from it. Use your 10mm to take the 2 nuts off for the latch actuator and detach it and set it with the nuts.
This part is where the job can get a little messy. The water shield uses some shellac around the perimeter to hold it in place. carefully pull the shield away, the shellac will stretch but eventually give way and shrink back. DONT try and clean it up. It will win the mess war. Once you get the shield pulled up to the top, take your quick clamps and hold the shield in place with 2 of them.
Now its looking like we can swap the harness! Go ahead and unplug all the connectors, some are a royal pain and require small hands. Go ahead and pop the connector off in the jamb area as well. There are little teeth on the short sides of the plug where it goes into the cab pillar. Use your panel tool to get behind the rubber boot and depress one and pry out the pigtail. Unplug the connector and push the accordion boot through the door. This is a lot of fun and the door metal is thin, so try to not mangle it up, door panel tools are your friend here, again. Soapy water would also help.
To be continued.... we still have to actually fix the harnesses themselves!
Now imagine that on the inside of the rear door that the lock actuator never got the burst of energy to trigger the lock to move. Now your vehicle ISNT secure. Or even more comically, you unlock your truck the next morning, but only hit the button once, which may not unlock the rear doors as well, and upon cracking the rear door, the alarm goes off and you jump or even worse, you now need a change of shorts.
How did this happen? and GD why is that horn so loud and scary!!?? AND WHERE IS MY CHANGE OF SHORTS!!!!!?????
To figure out what happens is not really rocket science if you understand physics, fatigue and different wire types.
Chrysler had this genius idea at one time to produce these harnesses with an extremely low count wire and, on top of that, with a jacket stiffer than a 15 year olds wake up time. So, inevitably, the also too short accordion boot and wire harness inside begin to stretch and tear with each opening of the door. If you use the doors a lot, a new harness wont last long. Try repairing it according to what everyone on here recommends? Same problem. Until now.
With the problem area identified and just a smidge of hobby luck, I was able to come up with an idea that with the right parts and a lot of time, a complete straight across fix for this issue could be made.
There are really only 2 components to this fix; the proprietary pins in the harness plug and the wire that goes inside the accordion boot. Here they are!
Wire;
14GA Wire(Need 5 Feet) 8awg Power Cable, Battery Cable [5 ft Black and 5 ft Red] 8 Gauge-1650 Strands of Tinned Copper Wire, Solder Through Quickly - - Amazon.com
18GA Wire(Need 10 Feet) https://www.amazon.com/14awg-Wire-F...one+wire&qid=1564956764&s=gateway&sr=8-8&th=1
Any silicone RC/slot car lead wire will work, it uses extremely high wire count with a silicone jacket. Addressing the issue of flexibility entirely. Keep in mind the slot car lead wire doesnt come in different gauges, just 18. So you will have to purchase the 14GA wire separate.
You will also need..
Pins;
Need 20(2 10-packs) TERM181
- Yazaki | 090IIU-PIN - Corsa Technic | 090II Unsealed Series Pin Contact
Motorsport electrical products: OEM and hard to find terminals and connector kits, wiring, harness supplies, tooling, and sensors for modern and vintage motorcycle, automotive applications. Easy online shopping, low cost shipping options, to expedited around the world. We accept Paypal and...
www.corsa-technic.com
Lastly, you will need some kind of wire connectors for inside the door.
Posi locks, as pointed out by Dudeonthenet are a great idea. Toolless and secure. Remember to order the correct sizes for the wires!
Here is a link to some posilocks Amazon.com : posi-lock
One could use bullet connectors like I did, but what a mess and a pain to make them work. I absolutely recommend the posilocks!!!
To get started into this project, you will need to get the door panels off.
Tools needed are a #2 phillips, T40 phillips, 10mm on a ratchet with long extension and a door panel removal tool set. I also used a couple plastic spring clamps, large or small makes no difference.
If you have a mega cab, the first thing you need to do is remove the switch bezel and unplug the switch. Use your panel tool and get under the bezel and give it a gentle pry up while pushing in. It should pop out. Set the bezel aside.
Now, go ahead and remove the door handle. this is where the T40 comes in handy. I do believe the hex on the screw is 10mm if you do not have a T40. Remove the handle, it might need a tiny bit of coercion.
There will then be 3 phillips screws, one where the door handle is, and two screws at the bottom of the door panel(all the way down there!) set the screws in your magnetic dish.
With all the attachment hardware/trim taken off, the panel will now simply lift up and then off. Usually takes a little bit of jiggling and movement to get it to come off. Set it on the ground face up.
Time to pull the speaker and actuator. The speaker uses 3 phillips screws and has a plug you need to detach from it. Use your 10mm to take the 2 nuts off for the latch actuator and detach it and set it with the nuts.
This part is where the job can get a little messy. The water shield uses some shellac around the perimeter to hold it in place. carefully pull the shield away, the shellac will stretch but eventually give way and shrink back. DONT try and clean it up. It will win the mess war. Once you get the shield pulled up to the top, take your quick clamps and hold the shield in place with 2 of them.
Now its looking like we can swap the harness! Go ahead and unplug all the connectors, some are a royal pain and require small hands. Go ahead and pop the connector off in the jamb area as well. There are little teeth on the short sides of the plug where it goes into the cab pillar. Use your panel tool to get behind the rubber boot and depress one and pry out the pigtail. Unplug the connector and push the accordion boot through the door. This is a lot of fun and the door metal is thin, so try to not mangle it up, door panel tools are your friend here, again. Soapy water would also help.
To be continued.... we still have to actually fix the harnesses themselves!