Tool for plastic connectors

[BMWTurboDzl]

So many electrical parts have connectors which stay connected with tiny tabs. As these parts age the plastic tabs become brittle and break.

Is there any tool which makes it easier to pop these connectors off without breaking the tabs? I've found some which appear to be used for pulling wires out of the connectors but nothing for popping off the connectors from each other.

Am I making sense?

TIA.

 

[user52165]

Yes you make sense on this common problem. A small screwdriver will often work assuming you can access it properly. A good tool would be nice but would have to adjust for different sizes, etc.

Ideally it would hold one half while releasing the tab on the other.

The biggest problem is connectors that can only be held with one hand (or sometimes no hand!) because of mounting location.

 

[SnowDrifter]

I have a small flatheat bent at ~70 degrees that seems to work well for basically everything

 

[Donald]

Warm weather. Don't touch anything plastic on your car in the cold winter.

 

[user52165]

So you should wait "X" number months to fix something?

 

[Kestas]

It would be better if they could commonize the connectors. Every time I meet up with a connector, I have to press, pull, and break things before it comes apart.

The worst are those connectors where tabs have to be spread apart to get it undone. A well-designed connector should have one tab that needs to be pressed to get it apart... ideally with a colored dot on it.

 

[earlyre]

for the plugs in my fords, the videos i've seen, used what they referred to as a "Cat's Claw", but is sold as a "trim/Clip removal tool" like this guy:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...s-g-tool-clip-removal-tool/87810/4711951

 

[eljefino]

Small screwdriver. Clean it if at all possible; grit adds resistance to opening.

On the "seesaw" types where you squeeze the tab to pivot another tab open, it is sometimes better to just hook that inner tab and lift it directly. Less motion lost to plastic flex. Sometimes a razor blade can get in there to pry upwards and slightly reshape the plastic so it can be convinced to come apart.

If they break, I can usually cobble something with a few zip ties to hold things together. "Collars" on both sides' wires just outboard of the connector then a central tie to connect the collars.