KC 2013 Tahoe
Member
Replacing the three primary positive battery cables w/new GM parts... should be pretty easy, right?!
The cable that runs from the positive battery terminal to the underhood fuse panel requires the fuse panel be extracted as it connects to a conductive "finger" on the underside of the fuse panel. 2006 and earlier models used a conventional ring terminal and nut to secure to the fuse panel from the top. Much better connection than the '07-'14 style.
Two grey levers on the ends of the fuse panel aide in pulling the fuse panel out and pressing it back into multiple female plug blocks in the tray below.
Surprise-1:
Used the levers to pull the fuse block from the lower tray and its plugs. Four of the lower connector blocks pulled out of the lower tray and came up with the fuse block.
It wouldn't come up high enough to get at them to remove, as the wire bundles are all attached at various places with plastic connectors and don't move much.
Had to cut several zip ties and unsnap several retainers to finally raise the fuse block high enough to get at the connector blocks and gently pry them off the underside of the fuse block. (moving around and flexing 13-year old cable harnesses is a nightmarish scenario to me, given the propensity for wires to break or connectors to pull out!)
With the fuse block now free I removed it from the tray assembly. From what I can tell it looks as if someone manhandled the connector plugs (we bought our Tahoe at 4 years old), breaking off the retainer tabs that normally would secure them to the bottom of the tray. Removed the old positive supply cable from the tray and clicked the new one into place, routing along top of cowl and over to the battery. So far so good.
Carefully laid the four errant connector blocks back into the tray and proceeded to vacuum them to assure nothing dropped into the open pins while doing all of this. Positioned the fuse block back into the tray and carefully engaged the ends of each lever and proceeded to press down on each which forces the fuse block down and reseats the lower connector blocks to the male pins on the underside of the fuse block.
While the rearward end of the fuse block fully seated, the front simply wouldn't completely go down... thinking one of the male pins bent, I again pulled the whole fuse block out to check the male pins... all were straight and undamaged! OK, so re-tried installing it again and still the same issue. Repeated this about a dozen times with no effect.
Surprise-2:
At this point I'm thinking, perhaps I'm just being too gentle, so pressed harder on the grey lever and SNAP!
The levers ears snapped off near the curved/grooved end. One on each lever... shit!
13 Arizona summers took its toll on the plastic... it got hard and brittle! Too bad there isn't an aluminum aftermarket version!
Pulled everything back out, still no bent pins or other obstructions. This time I removed each plug block from the tray and discovered the broken plug retainer tabs were laying in the bottom of the tray, preventing the blocks from going completely down in the tray cavity, causing the problem.
This time I thoroughly vacuumed the tray removing any/all bit of plastic and reinserting the connector plugs in their places.
Surprise-3:
Went online to discover there are no replacement levers to be found anywhere! Delphi doesn't sell them, nor does GM, nor any aftermarket supplier. None on e-Bay either.
Only GM option is to replace the entire fuse block/arm ass'y for $400! nice.
The following morning I went to several pick a part yards to pull a couple levers off a wrecked Tahoe/Escalade/Sierra, but all were already stripped.
This is when I saw how much better the '06 and older setup was!
Ended up buying a used fuse block on e-Bay for $70 so I could scavenge the levers ($330 savings).
FWIW - There are a ton of these fuse blocks being offered on e-Bay!
Still awaiting delivery.
Also ordered a new lower tray ($63 new from GMParts Warehouse) which just arrived via Fedex this morning.
Will update once the fuse block arrives and I can give it another go. Having the new tray with fresh locking pins should really help simplify the install. In hindsight, should have stopped and ordered a new tray when I discovered it was damaged. Looking forward to each connector block snapping firmly into place and the fuse block latching positively into place on top.
Keeping my fingers crossed all those wires/pins will still work once it's all back together!
Kevin
UPDATE: 4/2: Discovered the new tray arrived w/shipping damage. The four locking tabs were against the bottom of box with no protection. Box was apparently dropped rather hard, so 2 of the four tabs were broken... nice. Sent it back this am and ordered another, supposed to arrive in 2 days (Saturday)
The fuse block I ordered to scavenge the levers from back on 27th has been mishandled by USPS. Now won't arrive until 4/7 or 4/8... will be doing some JB weld on the broken originals tonight as a temporary solution.
UPDATE: 4/6: As the grey ejector latches now remain in USPS limbo until Mon/Tue, went ahead and repaired the broken originals (1 ear on each). First used superglue to carefully reassemble and hold in correct/straight orientation. After fully dried, roughed up the surfaces inside and out with 80 grit sandpaper and applied a generous amount of gray JB Weld to each side of the broken ears. It sets up in 5 minutes and is rock hard in 4-6 hours. I actually think they're now stronger than before!
Saturday morning I started replacing stuff with the parts received so far: Positive Cable w/175A fuse/terminal block, Battery to Fuse block cable and removal of the broken/damaged fuse block tray. Starter cable was a pretty easy job, going through RF wheel well to access starter solenoid nut and clip/bolt holding cable to the frame. Next I removed the old battery to fuse block cable. Left fuse block end dangling by M/C while I proceeded to remove the 5 cable blocks from the lower fuse block tray. Wouldn't you know, that just as I pulled the lower tray out, a USPS truck pulls up with both the new tray and the used fuse block which I'll be scavenging the unbroken ejector latches from! Fortunately this tray was well protected and had no broken fingers - Yeah! Also now have two repaired ejector latches I'll keep as spares. Also confirmed all the little tabs in the old fuse block tray were broken off, the root cause of this whole problem.
Proceeded to install the new tray, carefully snapped each of the 5 wire harness blocks into it. Each one snapped into place with an authoritative CLICK! Also snapped the end of the new positive cable into the back of the tray. Used cotton swabs to clean all the little fingers/contacts on b/s of fuse panel with De-Oxit to clean off any dirt/corrosion from the past 13 years. Attached the replacement ejector handles onto fuse block and carefully inserted into the new base. Amazingly, it seated with just a little effort into the connector blocks and with aide of the levers, locked right into place, fully seated... Yeah!
Double checked everything and carefully reattached the new negative cable replaced earlier in the week. Rewarded with a tiny spark and the underhood light blipping brightly on. Opened driver's door and the interior courtesy lights came to life just like normal. Got into driver's seat, crossed my fingers and cranked the ignition key... she fired smoothly to life with no odd noises, clicking actuators or check engine light! Let her warm up a little and took her around the block testing HVAC, lights, windows, locks, etc., All Good! Got back home and reset the time/date on the radio and breathed a sigh of relief! Going to call this fixed.
The cable that runs from the positive battery terminal to the underhood fuse panel requires the fuse panel be extracted as it connects to a conductive "finger" on the underside of the fuse panel. 2006 and earlier models used a conventional ring terminal and nut to secure to the fuse panel from the top. Much better connection than the '07-'14 style.
Two grey levers on the ends of the fuse panel aide in pulling the fuse panel out and pressing it back into multiple female plug blocks in the tray below.
Surprise-1:
Used the levers to pull the fuse block from the lower tray and its plugs. Four of the lower connector blocks pulled out of the lower tray and came up with the fuse block.
It wouldn't come up high enough to get at them to remove, as the wire bundles are all attached at various places with plastic connectors and don't move much.
Had to cut several zip ties and unsnap several retainers to finally raise the fuse block high enough to get at the connector blocks and gently pry them off the underside of the fuse block. (moving around and flexing 13-year old cable harnesses is a nightmarish scenario to me, given the propensity for wires to break or connectors to pull out!)
With the fuse block now free I removed it from the tray assembly. From what I can tell it looks as if someone manhandled the connector plugs (we bought our Tahoe at 4 years old), breaking off the retainer tabs that normally would secure them to the bottom of the tray. Removed the old positive supply cable from the tray and clicked the new one into place, routing along top of cowl and over to the battery. So far so good.
Carefully laid the four errant connector blocks back into the tray and proceeded to vacuum them to assure nothing dropped into the open pins while doing all of this. Positioned the fuse block back into the tray and carefully engaged the ends of each lever and proceeded to press down on each which forces the fuse block down and reseats the lower connector blocks to the male pins on the underside of the fuse block.
While the rearward end of the fuse block fully seated, the front simply wouldn't completely go down... thinking one of the male pins bent, I again pulled the whole fuse block out to check the male pins... all were straight and undamaged! OK, so re-tried installing it again and still the same issue. Repeated this about a dozen times with no effect.
Surprise-2:
At this point I'm thinking, perhaps I'm just being too gentle, so pressed harder on the grey lever and SNAP!
The levers ears snapped off near the curved/grooved end. One on each lever... shit!
13 Arizona summers took its toll on the plastic... it got hard and brittle! Too bad there isn't an aluminum aftermarket version!
Pulled everything back out, still no bent pins or other obstructions. This time I removed each plug block from the tray and discovered the broken plug retainer tabs were laying in the bottom of the tray, preventing the blocks from going completely down in the tray cavity, causing the problem.
This time I thoroughly vacuumed the tray removing any/all bit of plastic and reinserting the connector plugs in their places.
Surprise-3:
Went online to discover there are no replacement levers to be found anywhere! Delphi doesn't sell them, nor does GM, nor any aftermarket supplier. None on e-Bay either.
Only GM option is to replace the entire fuse block/arm ass'y for $400! nice.
The following morning I went to several pick a part yards to pull a couple levers off a wrecked Tahoe/Escalade/Sierra, but all were already stripped.
This is when I saw how much better the '06 and older setup was!
Ended up buying a used fuse block on e-Bay for $70 so I could scavenge the levers ($330 savings).
FWIW - There are a ton of these fuse blocks being offered on e-Bay!
Still awaiting delivery.
Also ordered a new lower tray ($63 new from GMParts Warehouse) which just arrived via Fedex this morning.
Will update once the fuse block arrives and I can give it another go. Having the new tray with fresh locking pins should really help simplify the install. In hindsight, should have stopped and ordered a new tray when I discovered it was damaged. Looking forward to each connector block snapping firmly into place and the fuse block latching positively into place on top.
Keeping my fingers crossed all those wires/pins will still work once it's all back together!
Kevin
UPDATE: 4/2: Discovered the new tray arrived w/shipping damage. The four locking tabs were against the bottom of box with no protection. Box was apparently dropped rather hard, so 2 of the four tabs were broken... nice. Sent it back this am and ordered another, supposed to arrive in 2 days (Saturday)
The fuse block I ordered to scavenge the levers from back on 27th has been mishandled by USPS. Now won't arrive until 4/7 or 4/8... will be doing some JB weld on the broken originals tonight as a temporary solution.
UPDATE: 4/6: As the grey ejector latches now remain in USPS limbo until Mon/Tue, went ahead and repaired the broken originals (1 ear on each). First used superglue to carefully reassemble and hold in correct/straight orientation. After fully dried, roughed up the surfaces inside and out with 80 grit sandpaper and applied a generous amount of gray JB Weld to each side of the broken ears. It sets up in 5 minutes and is rock hard in 4-6 hours. I actually think they're now stronger than before!
Saturday morning I started replacing stuff with the parts received so far: Positive Cable w/175A fuse/terminal block, Battery to Fuse block cable and removal of the broken/damaged fuse block tray. Starter cable was a pretty easy job, going through RF wheel well to access starter solenoid nut and clip/bolt holding cable to the frame. Next I removed the old battery to fuse block cable. Left fuse block end dangling by M/C while I proceeded to remove the 5 cable blocks from the lower fuse block tray. Wouldn't you know, that just as I pulled the lower tray out, a USPS truck pulls up with both the new tray and the used fuse block which I'll be scavenging the unbroken ejector latches from! Fortunately this tray was well protected and had no broken fingers - Yeah! Also now have two repaired ejector latches I'll keep as spares. Also confirmed all the little tabs in the old fuse block tray were broken off, the root cause of this whole problem.
Proceeded to install the new tray, carefully snapped each of the 5 wire harness blocks into it. Each one snapped into place with an authoritative CLICK! Also snapped the end of the new positive cable into the back of the tray. Used cotton swabs to clean all the little fingers/contacts on b/s of fuse panel with De-Oxit to clean off any dirt/corrosion from the past 13 years. Attached the replacement ejector handles onto fuse block and carefully inserted into the new base. Amazingly, it seated with just a little effort into the connector blocks and with aide of the levers, locked right into place, fully seated... Yeah!
Double checked everything and carefully reattached the new negative cable replaced earlier in the week. Rewarded with a tiny spark and the underhood light blipping brightly on. Opened driver's door and the interior courtesy lights came to life just like normal. Got into driver's seat, crossed my fingers and cranked the ignition key... she fired smoothly to life with no odd noises, clicking actuators or check engine light! Let her warm up a little and took her around the block testing HVAC, lights, windows, locks, etc., All Good! Got back home and reset the time/date on the radio and breathed a sigh of relief! Going to call this fixed.
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