Having to pay $8000 for a bad fuse clip

So it sounds like no matter how you slice it, this is not as difficult a fix as they are claiming it to be. Hubs and I have talked it over and we are going to contact our original dealer location to see if they will take a look and have mercy on us. A lot of people in this thread have alluded to mechanics at dealers just being lazy or doing more work than is warranted to avoid a hefty lawsuit (both of which I can see being the case). If the other dealer we go to in Leesburg doesn't help us out then we're having it towed to an independent shop for them to fix. Ain't no way I'm paying the 8K.

 

I read a couple of your responses. You raise some good points. Without seeing OP's fuse box, it's hard to say anything precise. But, in my experience, there are ways of dealing with this problem even if the plastic retention clip which holds the tang of the terminal - is broken. OP could bend the tang so that it bites onto whatever is left of the clip, or they could use needle nose pliers to press the terminal tight around the male terminal. Additionally, there is nothing wrong with relocating the fuse / relay out of the fuse box completely. Sure - it'll be a pain but so what?

 

You're likely correct. I know nothing about cars and am just trying to repeat what the mechanic told me. All I really remember him saying is that there's a "clip" that secures the wire into the fuse box. He said the clip is broken but looking at the pic I posted earlier I'm beginning to wonder if the box itself is broken and won't hold a terminal in place. It's hard to tell bc the pic the mechanic took is garbo.

 

I understand. I would be really surprised if the plastic housing was broken, usually it's that the tang on the metal terminal wasn't bent outward enough and while it initially clipped into place at assembly time, it worked its way loose as the years went on. It would most likely take some sort of trauma to screw up the plastic enough to break it to where the wire comes loose.

But, anything is possible. More pics and looking closer into the problem will clarify that.

 

Thanks for that! We're definitely going to look into this more and are going to explore all our options. If anything, reading all of these posts has actually gotten me interested in learning more about cars and I've been googling things like crazy. Maybe I'll become a master mechanic in my next life (with a heavy focus on electrical repairs )

 

From what I have read, this repair won't be that bad. I will say what most other people here won't. Namely, you can probably fix this yourself with some basic crimping, stripping, and soldering tools, as well as some basic knowledge from YouTube or folks here. Pro tip: use Waytek and-or WireCare if you need to buy parts. Regardless, good luck.

 

There were plenty of people on this thread who suggested that she could fix this on her own, but no replies to indicate that she was up for it.

 

You obviously didn't read some of the responses.

 

Pretty much everyone including myself are noting that it can be fixed. My only addition to the people speculating on the construction of the fuse box is to provide some additional info. I didn’t say it can’t be done, just that it IS a pain.

I’m sure the slot or terminal retention clip itself can be modified to stay in place but my concern is why did it break in the first place all on its own, unless it came defective off the lot, and when someone goes to swap the relay in or out for whatever potential reason, is it going to hold up.

If it was me I would certainly diy fix it but we really aren’t entirely sure if it’s just the terminal or the terminal receptacle, or both that’s faulty.

 

OP, if you rather have a shop repair it I would call around to some performance automotive places and ask around who builds their own wire harnesses and would be willing to repair it. Not because it needs a harness but because that sort of shop would be the best electrically inclined to not totally Jerry rig a solution and give you something that would be respectable on a <30k mile Tacoma. Just my opinion.

 

Chrysler integrated fuel pump relay in the breaker box. It is prone to shortening and making the fuel pump run when the vehicle is off.
My mechanic did exactly what you said. Wired a separate relay otside the fuse box and connected it to the wiring harness. Works great.

 

That is correct, I would never try to fix this on my own. That said, we are 99% NOT going to have the dealer do it and are going to look for an independent mechanic to fix the issue. I think everyone is in agreement that 8K is an absolutely ridiculous price for what is a minor fix. Everyone's input has been extremely helpful though because it's helped us better focus on what the REAL issue is and not what the dealer is trying to tell us needs to be done to fix it.

 

OP. This completely fixable as many have mentioned. IMO I’d pull the fuse box pull the wires for that fuse, cut back the wire loom far enough so you just relocate the fuse safely. The are other ways too but for me the above is easiest. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

You're right. I didn't. Cry about it.

 

Can’t tell from the pics but could be the locking table or the terminal opened up and is loose. You can de-pin to verify. There are many types of pin styles so it may be different than the one below. Most manufacturers sell the terminals, if not you can match up to aftermarket. It’s easy to crimp a new terminal on if the locking mechanism or terminal has failed. Even in a disaster scenario you could buy a aftermarket socket and relay and splice it into the factory wiring and zip tie it next to the fuse box or on a harness. Many cheap ways to do a repair to get your truck running. If I was local I’d help

 

Something that people haven't mentioned before. Look for an import performance shop. It doesn't need to be truck related. Any successful import performance shop will have people who are very good at electronics.

 

This is a good idea as well. Parts on this one should be pretty cheap. Someone that has the know-how and is willing to do the work should probably charge 3 hours or less of labor. Depending on the labor rates, should be around $300, but maybe as much as $500.

And to be honest, I'd rather someone fix that connector than tear out and install an entire harness. Opportunities for failure increase significantly.

 

We have a full harness and wiring set we pulled from our shop build. Shoot me a PM and we may be able to help.

 

if you were in the midwest, i'd easily do this for you as well.. i pin/re-pin mack, international, and western star trucks at work almost daily for upfitter needs.

this isn't a case where the dealer can't do it, it's that they're not willing to accept the liability of doing it.