RKCRLR
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This is a little bit of a rant. I frequently remove my tailgate to haul my slide in camper. There are three connectors that have to be disconnected, the main multi-wire plug on the connector bracket, the backup camera coax connector on the connector bracket, and a two wire connector that isn't attached to the connector bracket.
The paper owner's manual just says to disconnect the wires. The online video only addresses the main connector and just says to depress the locking tab to remove. The downloadable manual has some more detail but none have instructions on how to disconnect the the two wire plug. I figured out through trial and error that there is a red locking pin that needs to be slid back to allow depressing in the black locking tab so the plug can be disconnected. The problem is the two wire harness is too short and you can't pull the plug through the hole to easily access it. There is no way to disconnect it without removing the tailgate from the pivot points to get enough working room. All the instructions have you disconnecting the plugs before removing the tailgate. So I leave the tailgate straps connected, disconnect the tailgate from the pivot points, rest the tailgate bottom on the bumper, and have my wife hold the tailgate with a few inches of working room to fight with the connector which difficult to remove even with the locking tab depressed.
Well, the last time I removed the tailgate I broke the two wires off at the female connector that is part of the wiring harness attached to the truck. I couldn't find any instructions online to depin that connector so I mangled one of the female pins figuring out how to remove it. I managed to get the mangled pin back to close to its original shape and remove the other pin without damage. I managed to solder some extension wires on to the stubs on the pins (these wires are very small and easily broken) and verified the pins had continuity with the pins in the mating plug but I don't have confidence that I'm not going to have problems.
Does anyone know what that two wire plug is for? I'm thinking the tailgate open warning light but, if it is that, it must know the tailgate is removed because the light isn't illuminated. Is that plug available as a pigtail or connector kit, or do I need to buy a whole harness?
I'm thinking that the next time I take my truck to the dealer I'm going to ask if I could get it covered under warranty. I realize that I broke it but if it is my fault they should be able demonstrate how to properly disconnect the plugs following the instructions in the manual.
The paper owner's manual just says to disconnect the wires. The online video only addresses the main connector and just says to depress the locking tab to remove. The downloadable manual has some more detail but none have instructions on how to disconnect the the two wire plug. I figured out through trial and error that there is a red locking pin that needs to be slid back to allow depressing in the black locking tab so the plug can be disconnected. The problem is the two wire harness is too short and you can't pull the plug through the hole to easily access it. There is no way to disconnect it without removing the tailgate from the pivot points to get enough working room. All the instructions have you disconnecting the plugs before removing the tailgate. So I leave the tailgate straps connected, disconnect the tailgate from the pivot points, rest the tailgate bottom on the bumper, and have my wife hold the tailgate with a few inches of working room to fight with the connector which difficult to remove even with the locking tab depressed.
Well, the last time I removed the tailgate I broke the two wires off at the female connector that is part of the wiring harness attached to the truck. I couldn't find any instructions online to depin that connector so I mangled one of the female pins figuring out how to remove it. I managed to get the mangled pin back to close to its original shape and remove the other pin without damage. I managed to solder some extension wires on to the stubs on the pins (these wires are very small and easily broken) and verified the pins had continuity with the pins in the mating plug but I don't have confidence that I'm not going to have problems.
Does anyone know what that two wire plug is for? I'm thinking the tailgate open warning light but, if it is that, it must know the tailgate is removed because the light isn't illuminated. Is that plug available as a pigtail or connector kit, or do I need to buy a whole harness?
I'm thinking that the next time I take my truck to the dealer I'm going to ask if I could get it covered under warranty. I realize that I broke it but if it is my fault they should be able demonstrate how to properly disconnect the plugs following the instructions in the manual.