2006 2.5T ETM connector release Topic is solved

[ogatrulle]

What's the trick to unplugging the ETM connector? With some contortion I can get my right hand in there under the intake manifold, and I can squeeze the sides of the connector (one side faces front of car, the other faces rear), but can't pull it out. How do the locking tabs work on that connector?

Yep, I'm a noob when it comes to Volvos. I'm sure it will be obvious once I have the connector off

Thanks!

[mrbrian200]

I fussed with it too. There's nothing all that special about the connector release tabs, but there are two of them, one on each side, that have to be spread just right or it won't come off and you can't see what you're doing under there. I tried to cut/use flat metal strips but they kept ending up between the outside of the throttle connector and the plug where the weather pack seal is instead where I needed to release the tabs. As the throttle body had to come off anyway I gave up trying to unplug it blindly and unbolted the throttle body at which point the whole thing can be reoriented to see what you're doing. At that point it's easy. The wire is long enough to accommodate this without pulling/stressing it. I'm sure a Volvo dealer tech or indie that messes with this more often knows the method of releasing this connector in ten seconds or less.

[ogatrulle]

After much web searching I found some images of the connector on the ETM:

This first one is from cn90 in his thread DIY: 2005 XC90 2.5T Throttle Body Cleaning

throttle-connector.jpg (6.11 KiB) Viewed 1904 times

These pictures show two barbs, one on each side, at the distal edge of the connector on the ETM.

When the corresponding harness is attached, the barbs fall about halfway along the side of the harness connector. To release the harness, the harness connector must be squeezed at the extreme back (closest to where the harness wires enter the connector, distal from the ETM). This results in a lever action that spreads the harness connector where the barbs are (roughly 1/4in more proximal to the ETM). A bit of wiggling side-to-side seems to help.

Once I knew to squeeze only on the very back of the connector, it came off with very little force.

[Botbasher]

Distal... Proximal... someones in the medical field!!

K "former dive medic" S

[ogatrulle]

Heh. Not in the medical field, but, like many engineering types, I am inclined to pick up useful bits and bobs along the way. Those words seemed to capture the desired meanings more efficiently than any others I could think of.

"brevity is the soul of wit" - WS