Defeated by mate-n-lok connector - Grrrrr :(

[Nick67GT]

I’ve spent about 2 hours trying to get these little blighters to ‘lok’ far enough into their connector.



They weren’t particularly easy to crimp onto the cable (I’m wiring up a trailer light board from the Sargent unit in our Motorhome) in the first place, but just about refused to be inserted into the connector. I pushed them in as far as they would go (they just about held themselves in on their tang) and inserted the whole lot into the mating connector on the unit.



Switched on ignition and …… nothing. No contact whatsoever with the male pins in the Sargent unit.

Can‘t push the crimps in any further.

All the functions to the light board work fine if I use jump leads from the cable to the unit, so it’s 100% this flippin’ mate-n-lok thing.

Is there a knack to assembling these? Do I need a special crimping tool or assembly tool to push them in far enough?

I’m on the point of trying to find a local auto spark to pop round and do it for me.……

 

[jsf55]

Could it be the housing is bottoming out before the pins make contact or the pins are of the wrong diameter too make contact ?

 

[Hopefuldave]

Yeah, they're a pain, once inserted do the contacts pull back out? if you use the wrong crimpers it can distort them just enough that you can't fit them far enough into the housing to latch and they just back out when you try to connect them...

Got a close-up pic of one of them on its wire?

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Scalarocco]

You do need to make sure they are correctly crimped. Just trying to use a pair of needle nose pliers won't be good enough. Also, I've got to ask the daft question of are you sure you're pushing the pins in the correct end of the plastic body? Sounds a stupid thing to say but sometimes it is the daftest of things holding you back and a double check is never wasted!

 

[Robotstar5]

I use one of these, slide the groove down the wire and it pushes against the connector instead of relying on pushing the wire.

 

[Nick67GT]

I think I’ve sussed out where the problem might be @Hopefuldave and @Scalarocco. I used a crimping tool, but not one specifically for this type of terminal.

I‘m too embarrassed to show my efforts .

I think I’m inserting them into the correct end of the connector, but will double check tomorrow.

 

[Scalarocco]

You need the type of crimps that curl the tags round to crimp the wire. These are similar to the ones I use...

 

[hotponyshoes]

If you've used a "normal" red/blue/yellow type crimper the terminals will have squashed out and they won't fit the housing.

If you don't have any more terminals you could probably save those by unbending them, snip the wings off and solder the wires on.

 

[Hopefuldave]

If you've used a "normal" red/blue/yellow type crimper the terminals will have squashed out and they won't fit the housing.

If you don't have any more terminals you could probably save those by unbending them, snip the wings off and solder the wires on.

Gawd, I wasn't thinking Bodgers' crimpers, but there are DIN, JIS and SAE versions of those crimpers, all look the same but give slightly different crimps on slightly different terminals... I think I have one or more of each! I like the ratchet ones best

Dave H. (the other one)

 

[Shox Dr]

Yeah, they're a pain, once inserted do the contacts pull back out? if you use the wrong crimpers it can distort them just enough that you can't fit them far enough into the housing to latch and they just back out when you try to connect them...

Got a close-up pic of one of them on its wire?

Dave H. (the other one)

Even the correct pliers can screw them up.
2nd of a piccy

 

[Keithmac]

Make sure the two "wings" are spread out nice and wide to give it a good latch.

To be honest as connectors go even factory crimped ones are rubbish imho, far better systems out there.

 

[Nick67GT]

You need the type of crimps that curl the tags round to crimp the wire. These are similar to the ones I use...
View attachment 395150

Here are the crimps I have and the offending items.

View attachment 395229

 

[mike os]

you need the correct crimper and the pins need inserting in the correct orientation into the block... most only go 1 way

 

[Nick67GT]

These are the tools I have:

 

[Shox Dr]

These are the tools I have:

View attachment 395239

The problem with both of those are they have no torque setting. So you can over crush the pin deforming it.

 

[sparkysy]

Top pair should do it with some care not to deform the pin and what @Robotstar5 said use an insertion tool to seat them in the connector. Should be fine, have you enough left for a practice?

 

[Nick67GT]

Top pair should do it with some care not to deform the pin and what @Robotstar5 said use an insertion tool to seat them in the connector. Should be fine, have you enough left for a practice?

I’m short on pins, but hopefully Sargent are sending some after my grovelling phone call to them this morning.

 

[blackolive (Ste)]

Where are you ? Happy to pop round and do them if youre localish to preston

 

[Nick67GT]

Where are you ? Happy to pop round and do them if youre localish to preston

Thats much appreciated @blackolive (Ste) but I’m quite a way from you - about 160 miles!

If you’re passing by though…..