Arsenii

Hello,

Decided to share how I replaced a voltage regulator connector on my 2000 Lexus ES300. Those methods can be used on any Toyota connectors, like I am also planning on replacing the ABS connector housing, since its clip also broke off.
A lot of mistakes were made during that process, so I hope this will help someone avoid at least some of those.. I also included a PDF file that has all the part numbers for each connector in the car, hope it will help someone..

Prologue: The story started when all the lights in my car started to flicker. Since this issue showed itself only when the car was started, I immediately thought that it may be a bad alternator, and even confirmed* it when the voltage dropped below 12V during the load test (more on that at the end). After all that, I've got myself a rebuilt alternator with new brushes, seals, bearings, rectifier and voltage regulator. But during the replacement, the voltage regulator connector clip snapped, and the whole connector started to fall apart, quite literally. I also noticed that the wires, which came to the connector had a torn isolation. That is how it all began.


Condition in which I removed my connector.

Choice: But before we begin, a little bit more about the connector choice that you have. My first thought was to visit the junkyard and pull it from there, and that's what I did, but the ones I found weren't much better than mine. At least that is what I thought at first - if you will take a close look at the first photo, it really seems like that white insert got shredded to pieces, hence why I initially assumed that those connectors have some really soft plastic in them, and they won't hold up for long. Only after I finally replaced that connector I realized that it is just a grease of some kind, and the white insert is perfectly fine.. So you can actually go to the junkyard and pull the housing off of there, and I will show an easy method on how to take it all apart later in this post.
Since Toyota dealer was close to the junkyard, I figured why not to have some fun and ask them about it, and to my legitimate surprise, they did have it in stock alright. However, that stealer charged me $12 for the housing (P/N: 90980-11349) and $8 for each terminal (P/N: 82998-12440). With that said, that trip opened my eyes - one really friendly employee showed me a number on the back of that connector (11349), which I was able to type in Google and find some other ones.
After some digging through some utter junk, I came across a connector from a Japanese company called Kubota. That company mostly specializes on heavy machinery equipment, but they also have that connector, terminals and rubber seals for the same price as Toyota's housing alone.. The Part Number for it is 16678-6583-0, and you can easily find it on eBay. That is what I did, and I would say I'm pretty pleased with it, the only thing is that I didn't like are rubber seals that came with it, they are a bit smaller than OEM ones. Those can be easily replaced though (more on that later).


Blue is Toyota; White is Kubota

The Repair: After we made our choice, we can proceed with the repair process. The next thing you need to do is to assess the carnage that you have - in particular, you need to find out if your wiring is any good. That will determine your next steps. The first method will show what to do if you have a damaged wiring and the housing.

Supplies:

1. Side Cutters (Method 1)
2. Crimping Tool (Method 1)
3. Soldering Iron or Butt Connectors (x3) (Method 1)
4. Heat Shrink Tubing (Method 1)
5. Long Sewing Needle (Method 2)
6. A lot of patience (preferred)

Method 1: The first thing that you need to do is to take a picture of the current setup to then be able to get your bearings. In my case, it didn't really work out, because for some really interesting reason I have two wires with the same color (?).. So I had to go grab a marker and some painter's tape, and mark each of those wires.



Also, do not try to pull those rubber seals out, it was another mistake that I did.. As I later realized, that rubber seal is crimped together with the terminal. You can just salvage your old seals and use them in a new connector. More on how to take your connector apart later. If you use the second method, you don't have to worry about it.



The next step is the most nerve-racking one of the whole process, at least for me - cut your old wiring off. Be careful with cutting, once it is off, you cannot put it back! Be sure to measure the area first, determine how big the damage is, and how far it is from the beginning of the wire - if it is just an isolation that damaged, use some silicone and heat-shrink tubing. If the damage is deeper and far away, you will have to cut that wire off and solder a new one on to extend the wiring. In my case, the wiring was damaged right at the beginning, so I saw no reason to try to salvage it.

After you overcome yourself and cut that wiring (it took several minutes for me), you can start preparing your terminals. In my case, since I chose to go with Kubota connector, I had to crimp those on myself. And since I am not that good at crimping wires, it didn't really work out for me... If you have same problem, don't you worry, here is a terminal just like the one I've messed up.



After a few obscene phrases, I remembered that I've actually pulled off a few connectors off of junkyard, so I figured to use those. That was where I've made yet another mistake - I took an old connector apart with brute force, while I should have thought for a moment and salvage it. But again, more on that a bit later.

After I've got terminals off of old connector, I decided to solder them in place, since I am much better at soldering than at crimping, but you can totally use some butt connectors to do the same.



The last step is to put those terminals back into the housing. The clip that holds terminals in place is located on the bottom side of the housing. The terminal should have a cutout on one of its sides, that cutout should go towards the clip in the housing. You should hear a distinctive click once it is seated.



And you are pretty much done! Just put a sleeve back on the connector and put it back where it belongs.

Method 2: The first method is kind of aggressive and time-consuming, so if you only have a housing that is damaged, you can significantly shrink this process. Remember how I wrote that I've had to destroy one of those connectors to get terminals out of it? Only after I did that, I realized that there is a far easier way to remove the housing only, and that is basically why those connectors have that white insert in the first place.
What I found most effective is to use long and really sturdy sewing needle to push that clip aside, so the terminal could slide out. The trick is to use the terminal as a point of leverage, meaning that you should push that clip against the terminal, so that when the clip is high enough, the terminal could slide out without you pulling on it. I really hope you followed my point, because it is kind of confusing, but if not, feel free to ask!



I did use tweezers in this shot just so I can hold and film it at the same time. In your case, you should use the needle from the previous picture and leverage against the terminal, not against the housing. Just turn tweezers around if you will..

That is basically how you remove the terminal from the old housing without breaking it.
But if it is not your way, you can always go into berserk mode and completely destroy your old housing, like I did the first time..



Follow the same assembly procedure as in the first method. And you are done!

Conclusion: In the end, what can I say about the repair? It is tedious, but it works. I took my car for a spin, and it didn't explode or anything, which, in the meaning of itself is already a plus. Besides, I've got the charge, and I can now sleep tight knowing that I won't stall in the middle of the road, because my alternator stopped charging.. But it didn't solve my initial issues, the alternator is still weak, and the lights are still flickering. I also noticed a few shredded Ground wires, so I'll have to replace those at some point.

And about that alternator testing - the problem was not a bad alternator to begin with, alternators on those ES300 (P/N: 27060-20120) could give only 80 amps, and it is not nearly enough for this car. That is why I'm getting 12.4V with heated seats, climate control and headlights turned on. In reality, it should be replaced with the one off of Toyota Highlander / Lexus RX300 (not RX330), which has 100 amps (P/N: 27060-20140). It should be enough for this car. If not, you can always opt for the one off of RX300 Towing Package, which has all 130 amps (P/N: 27060-20190). However, I won't necessarily recommend it, since the stock ES300 was not designed for such current, and you will be in risk of frying your car's electrical system.. So now I am on a lookout for a new alternator, and if you have one for a good price, I'm all ears.

Hope I was able to help at least someone.. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please be sure to leave them below! I'll do my best to answer those. And as always, best of luck!

Arsenii

Figured to add a little to the previous post, this time about male connectors. This situation can be particularly useful if for example you are buying a universal sensor, and your old connector is not up to the task, since, let's face it, cars that are in need of such repair may not be in the best of shape. I will be showing the process on my old Air Fuel ratio sensor, since it was the only sealed male connector that I found lying around, yet again, this process is applicable to basically any other Toyota connector.



Almost every single Toyota connector has a number written on the back, the full Part Number for it is as follows: 90980 - and the number of the connector that you are looking for (Example: 90980-10868). If there is no number on the back, the document from the previous post also covers all the male housings, and all of the connectors are organized in specific groups, so it will not take long to find a desired Part Number.
I have also linked the PDF file that contains Part Numbers for all Toyota terminals, so if your wiring is damaged, just measure your old terminal and compare it to the chart in the document. It's all there is to it..



And now, to the repair.
The steps are basically the same as in the previous post - pull the white insert out, but not all the way; that will release the locking tabs in the connector housing.



Then use the sewing needle from the previous post and pry the locking tab from the terminal and only then pull the wire out of the housing, otherwise you may bind the locking tab. If it still doesn't want to come out, push the terminal towards the connector and try prying on the tab again. Repeat for all the wires in the connector. It is an exercise of patience, so go slow and be careful.



To put new terminals in, follow the same procedure as in the first post - align the tab and the cutout, and push the terminal until a distinctive click. And now, you are done!

Hope this helps and best of luck!

wmj259

This is beautiful!! But thank you for digging into this and finding a solution!
I had originally been able to replace connectors on Toyota's and Lexus's but when trying it on this alternator connector, the heat just made it too brittle (reason why the connector tab breaks so easily after a long time). I had to get that connector from the junkyard to fix mine.

One thing i need to ask is would a solder joint hold up in this versus a crimp connector?

Arsenii

Honestly, I have no idea which one is better.. I would rather prefer soldering, since that is what I did for as long as I could remember, but it doesn't mean that I am right. I've heard that the solder can make wire weaker, but I when tried twisting the wire with and without solder on it, they fared pretty similarly to each other, even despite the fact that a wire without any solder on it is a bit more flexible..

Admittedly, I never thought of this much before you pointed it out, so maybe someone else can chime in..

EDIT: Just as a little disclaimer, I am not trying to prove any point, it was just my own curiosity that I figured to share with others.
This question didn't leave settled, so I decided to do a little experiment - I soldered one wire, crimped the other, and tried tearing on those. The results were completely identical - in both cases, it was the wire itself that failed, not the connection. For that reason, I don't think it matters, as long as it is done right..



Hope this helps and best of luck!