I’m trying to re-install the original stereo in a 1989 Nissan 300ZX. Some owner prior to me had cut the connector off of the wiring harness presumably to try to install an aftermarket stereo, but gave up. I have the stereo. I just need to reattach the wires coming from the wiring harness in the slot where the radio is supposed to go, to the plug that connects to the stereo unit itself.
The wires were cut too short for me to effectively reconnect them. I tried taking the pins out, but failed. I just want a new one of those connectors - as cheaply as possible. Where can I obtain it?
I had something similar happen in my car, I had to buy an AC control unit but I also needed the plug in the back. So I asked the seller on ebay to cut off the plug along with half a foot of wire so it could be wired into the car.
However my car was a 2007, yours is a 1989. You probably won’t find parts on ebay.
Those pins should come out. First check to see if you can push them through from the back. If that doesn’t work they probably have 1 or 2 little metal tabs sticking out the sides that keep you from pulling them out from the back. You should be able to slide little flat head screwdrivers in from the front and compress those tabs so the pin can be pulled out the back.
As Tripolar notes they should be removable. A screwdriver from an eyeglass kit would help to hit the tabs, along with a bit of forehead sweat and a little cursing.
There is a full wiring harness up on ebay at the moment, though its a bit on the spendy side at $60.00. Not sure if you could do better at a junkyard.
I tried for hours to remove the pins, I was only able to get two of them out. I put one of them back in to try to replicate the technique of getting it out, but I couldn’t get it back out. I destroyed the whole thing in frustration. (Yeah. I know.)
No, I don’t think that’s it. It looks nothing like the one I had, and it doesn’t appear to be made to plug INTO the back of the stereo unit. This on the other hand looks like it MIGHT be what I need but it’s impossible to confirm. It looks similar to the original part, but has a slightly different number of connectors.
I’m absolutely kicking myself for ruining the original one. It’s quite absurd how hard it is to find this one part and I already HAD it before, I just let my fucking temper get the best of me and now it looks like it’s going to be a fool’s errand trying to replace it; I feel like every single part for a 1989 Nissan 300ZX is easily found for sale EXCEPT this thing.
Oh and - do I even NEED the plastic housing, or can I just buy the metal pins, crimp them onto the ends of the wires of the connected harness that’s already in the car, and then plug the pins directly into the back of the stereo? That would make my job a million times easier to not have to fuss over finding the specific plastic plug.
Yes, you can do that. It’s hard to tell the shape of the pins in front from the photo but hopefully you they are like a split metal tube that you can compress or expand so they don’t slip off their mates in the stereo. You may have trouble finding just the pins, you may have to get them along with some kind of connector
But first, do you have enough wire sticking out of the car that you can attach a crimp connector? That’s what you should have tried first. Ok, can’t go back in time…yet. Is the current connector at all usable? Can you extract the pins even if you destroy the connector?
I used to do well going to an auto junkyard for parts, and saved a lot of money over the years. The last two times I did a lot of driving and saved pennies over purchasing new.
Yes they are split, flattened-rectangle shape not rounded, but yes, a tube that could be easily fitted over the flat metal tabs inside the back of the stereo.
I have more than enough wire sticking out of the car to attach the pins to.
The pins were tossed in the garbage along with the shattered remains of the plastic housing, and the garbage was hauled away a few hours ago. I’ll need to find new pins. What are the pins made of? I could probably MAKE new pins by hacking some existing wiring component at a standard hardware store, if I can’t buy them outright. I am no stranger to all manner of mechanical jerry-rigging, a quality I inherited from my grandpa.
Those sound like they’ll fit on spade lugs. You should be able to get something similar at a hardware store or electrical/electronic supply. Even if they are the wrong size the thin metal is formable and you could get them tightly onto the male tabs in the stereo with a little manipulation. Get some heatshrink tubing to cover the connector and any bare wire since you don’t have a connector housing to keep things apart. I had to do this the other day with just a 2 pin connector when I wanted to add a switch to a machine. I found just two small pins in my electronic parts cabinet (bet they are more than 30 years old), they were a little too big so a little crimping with the needle nose pliers and they were a tight fit on the round pins, and I have no connector housing.
I think we may be talking about different cars as the only rotary engine I’m aware of is in the Mazda RX-7. My car is a Nissan 300ZX. But they’re both small RWD 5-speed Japanese 2-seater coupes and the first generation of RX-7s look very similar to the first generation of 300ZX.
OK, if the connector I suggested isn’t right, you still ought to check Crutchfield for the right one. They’ve been the go-to place for DIY car stereo installation parts for a long time. They should be able to help you find the right part and for probably less than that Amazon listing.
There’s a fair chance you could find new female wire terminals (what’s being called “pins” here, though that term more accurately describes the male terminals in the radio socket) of the right size. Having at least one old terminal to use for matching would make this much easier and more certain of getting the right ones. The place to find them would be an auto parts store.
You might be able to find some other harness connector in the car that goes to something else but uses the same type of terminal to use as a reference, but you’d have to remove the terminal from its connector (see below) and again you might need an old terminal to verify that it is indeed the same type and size. Alternatively, take the radio to the parts store and try to find a wire terminal design that fits the male terminals in the radio. If you do find terminals that fit, you can connect the wires to the radio without the plastic harness connector. It’s important to make sure none of them can touch each other and make an unwanted electrical connection between the various wires. Using heat shrink tubing would be a good way to do this. Note that without the plastic connector, the only thing to keep the wires in place is the friction fit of the female terminals (on the wires) to the male terminals (in the radio).
For future reference and the benefit of anyone trying do a similar project, note that the wires shown in the photo have enough sticking out to have been connected to wires in the car with the right size of butt connector: I would have used non-insulated connectors and heat shrink tubing since the insulated connectors are too bulky. Also be aware that there are special tools available to easily remove the terminals from the plastic harness connector.
This is what I wound up doing. And I’ve got all the components, I just haven’t started on it yet because I’ve got a million other projects, but in a few days I will, and I’ll report back on how it went.
