Having to pay $8000 for a bad fuse clip

I'm thinking maybe an RV repair shop might have someone with the right skills (although maybe also not wanting the liability). They deal with a lot of different stuff that has various electronics.

If faced with an $8,000 bill, I'd certainly opt for ~$10 in parts and some of my time to re-terminate that wire, but I'm comfortable with electrical work. As long as there's no damage further down in the harness, it seems extremely wasteful to replace the whole harness and box just because that's the way they sell the part.

 

Most RV and marine shops I've called always seem to be on a 3-6 month backlog. Funny, I just had this issue when I lost my trailer suspension in the Outer Banks. The mechanics I called didn't want to touch it, the marine/RV/trailer shops weren't willing to put me in front of their backlog. I wound up finding replacement leaf packs at a NAPA and installing them myself.

Though that does give me an idea - the parts counter guys. There are quite a few that know cars, but for some reason are working the parts stores instead of wrenching. One of them might be willing to take it on as a side hustle.

 

Nothing about this requires an "electronics wizard" I see many mods on this forum that are easily as complex as this repair being done by members of the forum. I get it if the OP doesn't want to tackle it themselves but none of this is rocket science. Dealers have the deeper pockets and more to loose if someone manages to get something like this into court, I'm sure Toyota doesn't want it repaired because they're in the lawsuit revenue stream also. Them quoting $8K is saying they only want to fix it one way, RnR everything which is unrealistically expensive considering the severity of the problem.

 

Good point on the potential backlog -- I've never tried to get work done at one. But I'd have trouble trusting a parts counter guy, but I have trust issues in general and try to do all my own work.

You can get a terminal removal tool at a local parts store, although if it has a broken tab it may just pop out. This is assuming the problem is the terminal and not the actual plastic box. The actual part is something like this: https://www.waytekwire.com/catalog/...aptiv-12020334-pack-con-female-loose-terminal

$8K vs a sub-$1 part (shipping would cost more than the part).

 

This exactly.

Dealerships maintain their franchise by following what thw manufacturer wants them to do, whether it's troubleshooting, repairs, etc.

"Patching" that up as you expect it would cause for a huge liability.

To immediately go into "class action lawsuit mode" is nuts.

Take it to someone that does basic electrical work and it'll be good as new.

 

I agree. That's just the way the dealer is structured. Too much risk of "the vehicle stalling in traffic and causing an accident". 8k is their "go away" price they can hide behind

Somebody just needs to take the fuse box apart a bit, dig that relay terminal out, crimp on a new female spade terminal and put it back together. The entire thing is nothing but plastic tabs that can be gently pried apart. Wiggle and jiggle..

Do it yourself or find somebody who will. Its not a complex repair

 

Where in VA are you located? I've never taken apart the fuse box, but I have experience de-pinning terminals and soldering. I'm in the Lynchburg area. I installed my own Viper alarm/remote start and sound system.

 

Relay terminals are crimped on the wire, and then clipped into the fuse box. There is a good chance it's a one-way clip that's not designed to be pulled out, with will make things a little more difficult. But you can definitely pull it out somehow, crimp a new terminal to that wire and put it back in.
Dealer may not be 'allowed' to do this, but I'm sure it can be done.

This might help -
https://www.toyota-tech.eu/wire_harness_rm/RM06H0E.pdf

 

That is what I’d do.
If you can find a shop willing to replace the damaged wire/terminal, we will be happy to help with diagrams.
It would help if you can tell us what fuse it is, I assume it’s the 10A INJ fuse?

 

It’s not a fuse, she has the D INJ relay removed in her pic. I think the use of the word “fuse” throughout this thread was a misnomer.

 

I agree its an easy fix....I cant tell from the pic,but is it pushed down not connecting or broken off

 

Yeah. It looks like a relay pin to me. Worst case scenario, she would solder new wires to extend them out and plug in the relay outside of the fuse box. It's just 4 wires.

 

This!

This should be a $5 fix. These connectors are essentially universal based on size. Cut it off and replace if the tabs are broken. If not bend back into place. Pull a little slack on the wire which should be easy to get a half inch or so. Clip it back into place.

I get the Toyota liability and maybe there is some regulations in there that require this...I don't know but another option needs to be there for this.

 

$8k??? Don't pay that. Find a cheaper alternative.

 

I don’t have first hand experience.
But the fuse box looks to be a 3 piece unit.
We need to now more about how the fuse box is connected and built.

If one unit plugs into another, then it isn’t as easy as “replace” a spade terminal.
If it’s just a wire going straight to the fuse plug, then it should be pretty straightforward.

 

It’s certainly a relay terminal as was mentioned, not a fuse terminal. It probably will be a little bit more of a pain in the ass other than what everyone is suggesting if it is to actually be fixed.

To get access to some of the internal wiring you’d probably have to remove the inner panel from the outer casing by depressing the multiple plastic clips around the box. Then the wire itself isn’t necessarily directly accessible until you get enough slack for yourself which might require cutting the electric tape off your loom. The terminal itself should be able to be depinned using a terminal tool set. A paper clip or tiny tiny screwdriver can be made to work depending on the terminal type.

Either way it is fixable so long as it’s just the female terminal pin that’s damaged and no the box itself. If the box itself is damage I personally would just make a terminal extension harness and plug the corresponding relay in to that and call it a day.

 

Look at this thread if you want an idea how the box is assembled and comes apart. It’s a pain to deal with. Sure you can depress the pin but getting the wire from the underside will be annoying. And again that’s assuming the OP is correct in that it’s the terminal clip that is broke and not the retention divot on the fuse box.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-box-battery-wire-replacement-upgrade.420450/

 

I presume you own a third gen Tacoma.

In any case, I mean no disrespect but I find it incredibly hard to believe this cannot be fixed simply - that you must completely rewire the truck.

There are small terminals which are crimped to wires sheathed with rubber seals over wires. Those terminals are inserted into slots in the fuse box and held in place with a small, metal tang. I have never seen or heard of any fuse box which works differently. More, even if we suppose there is a massive connector - just repin the connector.

Again, I mean no disrespect but my B.S. radar is blaring.

Either they are flagrantly lying to you or incompetent. If the shop prefers to completely rewire your truck instead of fixing a single terminal - it's probably because they are anxious with wiring. In my experience, most mechanics loathe electrical engineering issues to the extent they would rather do more work just to avoid it.

 

Earlier theory confirmed . . .

That is a simple terminal crimped to a stripped wire, probably 18 gauge.

Again, either this shop flagrantly lied to you or they are lazy to an insane degree.

If you are in the Seattle area then bring it to me. I will fix it in twenty minutes for free. That's how easy this is.

 

It's funny you mention the "risk of vehicle stalling in traffic"....that's actually exactly what happened. 150 miles away from home on my return trip the throttle died in the middle of 123 (highway). Fortunately I was able to let it roll over to the median out of the way of traffic. Fun story, I was about 1 mile away from getting on 95. If this had happened on 95 I legit would have been screwed (and probably killed).