How to Remove Dummy Wiring Harness Cap from 1998 Ford Eddie Bauer Explorer
Question:
I literally cannot remove the plug from my tow connector on my 98 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer does the plug screw, out pop out, how? I feel like I will destroy the plug if I continue doing it wrong, please help
asked by: Dj
Expert Reply:
Thank you for the photo of your 1998 Eddie Bauer Explorer's trailer wiring harness cap.
Between the age of the plastic material and the exposure to road grime (that might be trapped in the gaps, making cap removal as difficult as possible) I am not too surprised you're finding it tough to get the cap off. Add the fact that there appears to be no way to get a hand around it AND at the same time press the cap release (red arrow) and I can feel your pain.
Here is my thinking. There probably IS dirt/grit/salt inside the space between the cap and the connector housing. A spray of warm water might help dissolve and remove some of that. Also you can try warming the whole assembly up with a blow dryer. This will help make the material more flexible and less prone to breakage. I suggest doing both of these things.
Usually these caps are NOT threaded and they pull straight off. Just the same, some twisting/rotating of the cap (if you can get it loose enough) may help loosen things. If you can get one hand around the whole connector and with the thumb of that same hand depress the cap release you may be able to hold pliers in the other hand to let you pull the cap straight off.
You might even try WD40 in that gap (allowing it to soak for a while) before trying to twist/pull the cap. If you can find a way to securely hold the main connector housing to prevent it from being pulled off the inserted wiring, then you could just apply the necessary force to get the cap off.
Since I doubt very much that you will ever want to reinstall the cap (!) I would not worry too much about it getting chewed up in the process of removing it. Once you get the darn thing off the connector you can burn it and wish it good riddance.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Tow Package Wiring Harness with 4 Pole Trailer Connector
- Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring
- Trailer Hitch Wiring
- No Converter
- Custom Fit
- 4 Flat
- Tekonsha
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