Bulkhead connector

How do I get the electrical bulkhead connector off in the engine compartment? I removed the center bolt, pulled the best I could, I was hesitant to start prying on the thing with a screwdriver. This little project has started with a simple brake light repair, and the more I mess with it the worse it gets, I now have no turn signals or windshield wipers. Plenty of corrosion on every electrical contact/surface, the thing sat in salt air for years, only occasionally driven, and most certainly never maintained.

Another

 

Mine has a bolt on either side and is a split flange in that it swings open on one side.
I'm rewiring right now and I have been using dielectric grease on a on all pigtailed connection, contacts and anything else that I may want to pull apart later or keep from corroding. Maybe something like that could help you with corrosion.

 

Dielectric grease is the whole reason I needed the info. When you say a bolt on either side, do you mean a bolt on the engine side and a bolt on the inside? Swing open, I had not thought of that.

 

dave,

i don't believe the connector "swings" open. yours is probably just corroded together. it should only have the center bolt to "keep" the two halves attached. just use a large flat-blade to gently pry the connector away from the firewall (engine side).

wally

 

Just took my 75 apart this weekend. Remove the bolt and gently pull the connectors out. It took a little patience, but it came apart with no problems. The factory grease is really thick after 33 years

 

I probably have something different and non OEM. My wires just went thru the firewall with no connection to unplug. What I have is more like a grommet.

 

Thanks everyone, I'll give it a shot. I was just a little nervous about the plastic connector. 33 year old plastic gets pretty brittle, and most of it seems to be made of unobtanium if you break it.

 

as i understand it, that's what your year is supposed to have. the '75's changed to the bulkhead "plug" connector and no longer used the grommet through the bulkhead.

 

if you break yours, and need one, i have my old one. i installed a complete, new wiring harness a few years ago, and the harness included a new bulkhead connector. so, i've got the '75 factory connector in my parts bin. my cj will unlikely ever be "restored" to stock, so i'm not concerned about originality. i've just kept parts as spares, or for those who need stuff.

wally

 

Thanks for the offer Wally, after some major prying and digging, I finally got it off. Really, really nasty inside, cleaned it up, and it cured most of my problems. Everything works except the brake lights, which is the problem I started with. Not getting any power to the switch. Very frustrating. I really wish I could afford to rewire, but it just isn't in the cards right now, so I've gotta deal with what I have.

 

The bulkhead connector on my truck was all gummy when I took it apart. I don't know if the design is the same as yours, but it was a mess. Jeep used some kind of black, tarry substance to seal it, and it seems to have melted into the plugs.

You have to be careful with solvents and plastic, but I was able to clean it pretty well with a graffiti remover called Goof-Off and a tooth brush. That plus contact cleaner fixed it up. After plugging and unplugging a few times, and cleaning, my turn indicators started to work again. They've been fine since.