The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I need to replace my indicator stalk (the plastic on the stalk body totally fractured where the screw securing the body to the column bracket screws in, so the whole stalk just flops around). The replacement stalk is complete with the harness plug on the end. The harness needs to be passed down the steering column sleeve, and all the wires need to be removed from the harness plug to make that possible.

So my question is: how do I remove each individual wire from the harness plug? I have searched the Forum and found a couple of postings that relate to my question, but don't fully understand the conversations. I would appreciate a clear explanation of how to liberate all the wires from the harness plug.

Another question: the Repair Operation Manual's switch removal section 86.65.55 refers to performing operation 86.65.02 as the first step; but there is no 86.65.02 in my copy of the Manual? What is that about?

Thanks!
Mike

I've just done this job, you need to get one of these tools, got mine from Amazon I think

You push the tool over each contact in turn and it compresses the tangs so you can pull the wire out of the connector.






The tool I got was only cheap so it is not very good quality I had to keep crushing it back into shape to make sure it compressed the tangs enough to pull them out, but o ce you get the hang of it it's pretty easy.

I think there are three cable harnesses that go through the sleeve and what I have done is to withdraw the harness with the smallest plug first, then pull the the harness through with the next biggest plug. Then having got these out of the way it is possible to get the indicator harness out with a bit of pushing and pulling. The think I had to bend the stalk harness near to the plug end so that the plug did not present such a large area as it passed through. When you pull the harnesses out pull through a draw cord as you need it to get them back through. When comes to putting then back in it is the reverse order largest first.

Tony - thanks for the tip! These “terminal removal tool kits” on Amazon look like exactly what is needed. Now I need to figure out which kit to order, a gazillion are offered. -Mike

I'm afraid I do these the "hard" way, driving the pin from the clamp bolt on the column adjuster, removing the bolt, dropping the clamp and column down and removing the screw clip and 2 other screws to release the channel. Then you can change it out without removing the pins from the plug. With all the possible pitfalls and fiddling associated with that. You can also inspect the other wiring for chafing and faults. With the amount of practice i've had, I reckon this way is quicker!

When I built the Dolomega, I deliberately left the switch wiring out of the channel and just cable tied the looms to the outer column in a couple of strategic spots. Then, if any of my switches fail, I can change them out in minutes rather than an hour or so. This is a result of having a dipswitch fail during the RBRR in 2018! The switch failure left us with only sidelights and the main beam "flash" function. not much fun at all. Fortunately for us, it happened around dawn on the Saturday morning, approaching John o'Groats. We got into JoG ok and I was able to short round the dipswitch on the hotel car park to get permanent dip (with headlights on) which allowed us to complete the run on time.

I do (of course) have my own method for removing pins from plugs. But I have several scrap looms, it's no trouble for me to remove a SOCKET from an old plug complete with 3" or so of wire. This can then be used to remove pins OR sockets in the same way as the Amazon tool. Like the Amazon tool it needs to be recrimped periodically, but at least it's free!

Steve

Carledo wrote: ↑I deliberately left the switch wiring out of the channel and just cable tied the looms to the outer column in a couple of strategic spots.

Yes me too.

The first time I changed one of they stalk switches,
I acquired a secondhand unit from a Dolomite 1300 in a scrapyard,
it had already been cable tied!
Great minds and all that?


Ian