Autel connector won't plug into my OBDII connector !?

ok, so I bought the Autel MD802 MaxiDiag Elite but I'm trying to plug in into the connector in my sprinter and the Autel connector won't go all the way in.

I played with it for an hour trying to push it in harder but still it doesn't want to...so I though, well I have to go to the scrap yard the next day, so i'll try there see if I can connect it into one of the 2 sprinter they have there. no luck! both connector there where exactly the same as me and it was not working. So I though maybe the cable they sent with the reader was wrong, so I went down to find a car to which it will fit...and it did fit in everyone I tried it in except for the sprinter.

huh!?

so I went with my second plan, I took a connector i could connect and a spare connector from a sprinter while i was there at the scrap yard, thinking I'll just have to swap the connector I took form the scrap yard and transplant it into my sprinter at home but removing the pins, and voila! it would be done! and I had the spare sprinter connector so I can figure out how to safely remove the pin from it before doing on my van. Sounds easy


well now I'm at home with both connector in my hand, been trying for the last 45 minutes to reach inside the connector with needles, small screwdriver, paperclips...name it! And I can't figure out how to remove the pins. there should be a little leg on the pin that i should be able to pry/press and the pin should come right off. I did that several tie to other type of connector, but this time I just can't do it :/

So now I don't really know what I should be doing!

anybody has ever run into a connector that won't connect?

I was thinking I could maybe cut the connector in my van and solder the good connector I have in, but the one I have only has 8 wire out of the 11 wire there is in the van, so that won't work unless i go back to the scrapyard and find a good connector with the correct amount of wire on it and I don't really want to have that kind of fix as this wouldn't be as neat!

I'm kinda lost now....


included picture of 1 and 2 the connector I have that I can't remove pins from
3 how it fit onto the Autel connector
4 how it should fit all the way in

I assume there is nothing stuck in the pin positions. I've found that the iCarsoft MBII connector doesn't easily fit into the 2006 port when it is cold. Seems fine on the 2004. Maybe use a hair dryer on the Autel connector to warm it, and then try to plug it in?

I found a bit of silicon lube helped with the iCarsoft MBII connector. One downside is that it may attract dust/dirt over time.

vic

There is often a locking bar or insert which prevents the pins from backing out in use. You need to unlock or remove the locking piece before you can remove the pins. Look for either a separate piece in the back of the socket (like the blue piece in your last photo) or a hinge and locking tabs.

Keith.

I don’t think I would transplant another connector from another car, rather contact Autel and ask them what it happening? The OBDII port is supposed to work on/with everything. If Autel sold you a connector that doesn’t need work, that is on them.
Btw for reference you are welcome to come by my place and compare connectors/OBDII ports as I have a Maxi Diag and a Sprinter that play well together.

For jobs like this, most (all?) connector manufacturers also sell Pin Removal Tools ...

Usually in the form of a plastic handle with a springy (steel or beryllium copper) slit tube as the working end.

The slit allows you to place the tube around the wire, and then insert the end of the tube into the plastic connector body.
The tube presses down the individual pin's springy "tangs" that are holding it in place.
Once fully inserted, you then pull the tool and wire out together, and the pin follows along.



The one on the right approaches from the pin side, and pushes the pin out once the tube has compressed the tangs.

Each brand of connector had its own carefully-sized tool, although some could be used somewhat "universally".
Depending upon the connector's pin shapes, some tubes were circular, some were rectangular in cross-section.

Googling "pin extraction tool" will find (far too) many.
Look at the OBD socket's plastic to see what brand (AMP?) of connector it is.

--dick

hey!

so all of that was really complicated for nothing....i went with Aqua Puttana solution, used a hair dryer to warm it up, then I kinda forced the connector in and bam!

so now I can connect the Autel

and I'm gonna leave the cable there for a while, wrap around the steering column !!

My T1N connector is very tight, too. I have great difficulty with insertion and removal. (no jokez, please ). I took Vic’s advice and wiped a tiny bit of silicone spray around the inside of the plastic shell on my icarsoft plug and it’s a little better now. It improves with time and use. I used a toothpick to apply the silicone to avoid contact with the pins.

glasseye said:

I have great difficulty with insertion and removal. (no jokez, please ).

Click to expand...

I just can’t describe the feeling when I finally got it inserted..

I just bought an M805 (newer/cheaper version of M802) for my recently-purchased 2004, and I've run into the same issue. However, it definitely feels as though the pins are the problem. A couple of the receivers on the Sprinter side look like they are being damaged from me trying to force the two pieces together. I tried to get one of the receiver pins out, but I can't figure out how they're held in there. A gray piece on the connector can be slid to one side, but it doesn't release the pins. A nearby shop (MB specialist) helped me the day I bought it, and they got their scanner to connect. Has anyone had any luck getting pins out of the OBDII port? I haven't been able to do much with this rig as I've been waiting to get the scanner. The shop replaced the MAF sensor and installed a new air filter (had a small desert in it), but the CEL came back on. Hopefully, I can get this thing scanned soon. It's currently on a battery charger as it kills the battery after sitting for several days. These old Sprinters are not unlike the old Cummins-equipped Dodge pickups I've been driving around. They have their quirks, but they sure are awesome once you get them all worked out. Can't wait to have this baby out on the open road.

ions82 said:

... It's currently on a battery charger as it kills the battery after sitting for several days. ...

Click to expand...

Not that you asked...

2004. Battery going dead. Has the T21 recall been performed? It could be related.

Read/skim the T21 Recall sticky.

vic

Aqua Puttana said:

Not that you asked...

2004. Battery going dead. Has the T21 recall been performed? It could be related.

Read/skim the T21 Recall sticky.

vic

Click to expand...

I thought the same thing. I called the local dealership, and they said the VIN wasn't showing any open recalls. The van is a retired FedEx vehicle, so it saw regular maintenance.

As for the OBDII port problem, I am thinking about chopping it off and making an extension. It would make it far easier to connect to, and I could replace the whole plug if need be. Just have to be very careful as shorting OBDII wires can quickly fry the ECU.

An ’04 would likely have been targeted for the T21 recall, so if there are no outstanding recalls it has likely been performed. The 2004 instrument cluster needs to be updated (replaced) to play nice with the new engine firmware, but this wasn’t known in the early days of the recall rollout. Call your local dealer and ask them to explore the van’s history. Good luck!

Back to topic...
The OBDII cable connector pins are flat, so are often stamped from sheet metal. The cheap ones can have burrs left on the leading edge and no taper. Use a small flat file, a rolled tube of fine sandpaper, or similar stuff to smooth and taper the pin ends. This may help them enter the cavity in the data socket.

-dave

Nautamaran said:

An ’04 would likely have been targeted for the T21 recall, so if there are no outstanding recalls it has likely been performed. The 2004 instrument cluster needs to be updated (replaced) to play nice with the new engine firmware, but this wasn’t known in the early days of the recall rollout. Call your local dealer and ask them to explore the van’s history. Good luck!

Back to topic...
The OBDII cable connector pins are flat, so are often stamped from sheet metal. The cheap ones can have burrs left on the leading edge and no taper. Use a small flat file, a rolled tube of fine sandpaper, or similar stuff to smooth and taper the pin ends. This may help them enter the cavity in the data socket.

-dave

Click to expand...

I think I'm going to lop off the ODBII connector and add an extension into it. That way, it'll be easier to connect to, and I can replace the factory one if it's no good. It looks like a couple of the receptacles are a bit mangled (and probably the reason the plug won't go in.) I dropped by the electronics supply house, but it was closed for the holiday. I'm not excited about the idea of cutting into a harness, but I guess that's the nature of using DIY to keep a 15-year-old van alive.

Well... if you mess up you’ll only impact the diagnostic side...
The T1N modules chat with each other on a canbus network that doesn’t come to the data port.
You’ll need lots of pins... a dozen or more for 7 k-lines, 2 grounds, rpm, power signals... But no canbus.



-dave

I ordered an OBD2 splitter/extension that I will try before I go chopping into the wiring. If I can get that on, I'll just leave it installed.