Please help identify this fuel pump connectors

[Feliciano]

Hi,

The extension wire in my fuel tank got damaged, and I haven't found an spare part locally. Could somebody please help me identify these two connectors so I could look for online sellers?

Thanks,

[langwadt]

this is a place to start? https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003087494772.html

[Feliciano]

It doesn't tell the real name of the connector, but the OEM name of the fuel pump to which is connected (plug GSS341/GSS342 GSS315/GSS317 for Walbro 255LPH, perhaps). Anyways, looking at some related products I found another connector that resembles the other one, so I can try buy both and wait. Thanks,

[jpanhalt]

Is the male portion a spade (attached photo of spade)  or other shape?

If spade, with the correct dimensions, the female and male parts are fairly common in the US.

[CaptDon]

If the O.E.M. connector failed why replace it with same??? You like repeat failures? Obvious you don't want flame near a fuel tank, or connectors hot enough to ignite leaks or vapors!!! I'd chop off the connectors, solder the wires together and use some self-sealing heat shrink tubing sold at most auto parts stores. I hate almost all 'automotive' connectors and especially those used on trailers!!! I have repaired countless number of trailers with faulty wiring ALWAYS by cutting out the connectors, soldering and using self sealing heat shrink tubing!! Remember the parts marketing slogan from General Motors....."Keep your GM all GM! Use only original GM parts!" Well, if their junk broke in the first place I'm buying aftermarket upgrade and not O.E.M.!!!

[Feliciano]

Yes, I understand your point, but the are ongoing political and technical reasons behind, and you don't want the long story. To keep it short: Mitsubishi and others left the country years ago, and we have to import it from overseas, or do the poor man solution (which already got me an arguement with the workshop). That's why I asked for somebody to identify the connectors, so I can look on Amazon and such.

[Stray Electron]

   That failure was clearly caused by a loose connection that overheated. You need to replace the fuel pump or at the very least make sure that the electrical contacts are clean and undamaged and a tight fit or you'll have the same problem all over again.  As Jpanhalt pointed out the contacts look a standard (in the US) spade lug. Try those and if they fit you can put heat shrink over them and use them without the one-of-a-kind plastic connector.  If you want the plastic connector housing you're going to have to buy it from a dealer or more likely you'll have to buy the entire harness. Or you can try buying a used harness or connector from Ebay or a junkyard.  Seeing as how it's used in an automotive application these is a 99.5% probability that the plastic connector shell is a custom made one of a kind and isn't used anywhere else in the world except very similar model cars.

[jpanhalt]

As for individual spade connectors, they come in shielded versions which are water resistant, not waterproof. 

A quick Amazon search for "2-pin spade connectors" and "battery connectors" gave a lot of options. Examples are in attachments.  #3 is available in qute high current ratings (> 200A).  I would not suggest anything nearly that high without a suitable fuse.  Hopefully, the circuit for the fuel pump is fused.  If not, I would definitely add one inline.  Some of the 2-pin spade results have built in fuses.  #2 is rated at 25A.  #1 looks like it is that current rating or more.   

[targit]

Hi, what is the make, model and year of the car? how many km has it done? This might just be a bad connection causing the overheat - which does happen, but could also be a sign of a tired old pump that is drawing more current than it should. Most of them pull in the order of 6-8 Amps (when they have fuel in them and about 2-3 Amps when run dry - don't do that for long though) and those connectors should handle that no problem - unless they are loose or dirty as others have said.
I have seen this many times over the years as an auto-sparky and the male to male bulkhead connector that goes through the mounting plate in the tank (often carries the fuel gauge sender too) will frequently have been cooked and need careful cleaning and inspection to see if it can still be used.

I have seen guys drill holes in the mounting plate and pass wires through and epoxy them in, but I wouldn't do that to a customers car.

[Feliciano]

That failure was clearly caused by a loose connection that overheated.

In the past, when all our refineries worked, we used to have 95 or 91 octane gasoline. Now we pour low_octane+water+mud brought and ship-transfered overseas. To change fuel pumps and to read news about burned vehicles is common nowadays. My impresion is the pumps now demand more current for moving the low quality fuel. And the low quality workmanship doesn't help. Mix that with old vehicle fleet, and you get and idea of the problems we face.

Obvious you don't want flame near a fuel tank, or connectors hot enough to ignite leaks or vapors!!!

Indeed I already had to repair that 3 times due low qualified workmanship. In fact, I changed the fuel pump due a lazy initial diagnose, but at least now I have a new one.

Now I have two pigtails soldered and with heatshrink. But I still would prefer to have the proper solution just in case it happens again.

what is the make, model and year of the car? how many km has it done?

Mitsubishi Montero Dakar GLX 3000. 2005. 120000Km. Known as Pajero on other countries. Note: for Venezuela the models 2000-2006 look the same, but those were made in Colombia with spare parts of when the assembly line here ceased operations, so for other countries it will be older model. (In fact, I don't know the year equivalence in USA). My fuel pump and wiring were original (and every mechanic that see under the hood ask me whether I'm willing to sell the SUV).

Is the male portion a spade (attached photo of spade)  or other shape?

Both internal metal parts are female. The black connector goes to the pump, the white connector goes to the upper lid. Atached pictures for details.

[Stray Electron]

  Well the good news is that any vehicle that uses that same fuel pump probably also uses the mating connector (the white one). 

[jpanhalt]

Both internal metal parts are female. The black connector goes to the pump, the white connector goes to the upper lid. Atached pictures for details.

 
The last image in post #8 shows a non-gendered connector.  The two prongs slide over each other and form a latch -- sort of like two hands grabbing each other.  .

The bottom of the two images (image 3) you show (post #10) looks like a typical female spade connector with the curled edges.  The male spade slips between the curls on each side and the base.  I don't see how they can both be female without a third male spade.  In any event, if the female part with curls is OK, then I would put an appropriately sized male spade on each wire and connect.  It will not be weatherproof.  A suitably sized , 2-pin weather proof connector (see Amazon) would be my preferred solution.

Those Contacts on the mate seem melted.  Was there a short before the fuel pump, and is the fuel pump OK.  Do you have inline filters between the tank and fuel pump.  If the fuel pump is in the tank, of course, that probably is not practical.

[Feliciano]

There wasn't a short on the cable itself. The two black wires have their covers in perfect working order, and are separated, as shown on the attached.
The connection is: Pump connector - black side of the pigtail - wires - white side of the pigtail - internal side of the lid's coupler - external 12V connector.

My theory is: the corrosive, thin and low quality fuel + old fuel pump + old wiring = overheating destructive cycle. The old pump was working, as I tested at home. Several mechanics tell me the same: this is the typical failure for most vehicles lately. (Note: I heard the old pump doing 3 cycles before engine start. The new Bosch pump and wiring works continously since preparing for ignition).

Anyways, to further identify the set, I dissasembled the connectors trying not to destroying it. The metals took a bit of damage, but still I could take a photo of the group.

[jpanhalt]

Interesting.  I had not seen that style before.  While one side alone looks like a spade connector, that disassembled view makes clear what you meant by both being female.  I might call them double barrel or double bullet connectors that fit inside each other.  The larger one might be called the female as they are clearly gendered. 

Both contacts of a non-gendered connector are identical.  Knife connectors are another type of non-gendered connector (attachment).  They are easy to work with and strong but more complicated to insulate.  We used to slip plastic tubing over the assembled pair and tie it with lacing cord.  They were used extensively in general aviation aircraft because  they did not simply pull apart.

I struck out trying to find anything similar.  "Dual" barrel or bullet only returned dual female versions that are for attaching 2 males to each. A Mitsubishi fuel pump pigtail was outrageously priced and might not even be the same, if you could get it.

[Feliciano]

Doing a gardening (showels) analogy, I would call both females: (wider than usual) "spade", and the other "trench spade" (thick, almost square).

I don't want to modify the connectors of the assembly, as I don't want this higher volatile than normal fumes scaping the fuel tank.

Right now somebody found me the upper connector with short wires, so both wires are soldered with heatshrink. I don't know how petrol-resistant that can be. I know for a fact that electrical tape is not an option, though.

[jpanhalt]

This chart shows some results for polyolefins, which are what most heat shrink is made of.  https://www.polyonedistribution.com/sites/default/files/0901b803808e059f.pdf
Note: Different formulations differ in stability.  I suspect one rarely knows exactly what a particular piece of made from.

1) Always stagger such soldered joints.  I suspect you did that.
2) Heat shrink Teflon tubing is made, but you may not have access to it.
3) If you know what the wire insulation is, then that is probably safe to use is insulating tubing.  We used to use carbon tetrachloride to soak tubing.  That makes it swell.  It will work on many different elastomers.  The swelled tubing can then be applied over a joint and as the solvent evaporates, it shrinks back to its original size.
4) You can use a chemically resistant, non-heat shrinkable, thin wall tube, slide it over the junction, and secure it with a nylon tie strap or tied cord.  Approved silicone tubing for fuel (it's usually clear yellow in the US) could be considered.  It's not thin wall, but space does not seem to be an issue.

I suspect you have already got the job done.  So, I would just see how it works.  My usual solution for difficult to find automotive connectors is an auto junk yard. In fact, I just got the connector for the EVAP solenoid of my 2012 Ford Fusion that way. 

[tooki]

Hi,

The extension wire in my fuel tank got damaged, and I haven't found an spare part locally. Could somebody please help me identify these two connectors so I could look for online sellers?

Are you able to order from abroad? Just a simple search for "mitsubishi fuel pump harness" finds things like https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004069790231.html

[Bsas3]

These are what I would use here in Australia. You would have them in the USA AU$4.50 a pair

[Feliciano]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. As I said, because the mating part of the white connector is part of the lid cover of the fuel tank, and the mating part of the black connector is part of the fuel pump body, For safety reasons I shouldn't modify either one. The only option for me would it be to find the real connectors (specially for the white one), or a good quality generic*, or to solder directly on the upper part (which I rather don't).

*the question mark woul it be, how to judge a good quality generic, if bought from any marketplace.

[targit]

Hi, You have plenty of pictures of the burnt white top connector, but what condition is the connector that passes through the top plate in? I would imagine it would be pretty cooked looking at the other half of the connector, did you get a good look at it?  - sorry if this is obvious, but if the lid "pass through" connector is no good then the problem will repeat with your new plug after a while.

[BrokenYugo]

What I think happens is the connection isn't quite tight enough for the current so it heats and loosens itself further and then you get the runaway meltdown until it goes open circuit.

So what I do is tighten up any remotely loose feeling spade connectors I come across with a pair of pliers, tight enough it yields back the other way a bit when first mated again, maximum pin tension. I've cleaned up stuff that looked nearly that bad and put it back together tightened up, worked fine and held up.

[FIXITNOW2003]

on the rare time i have had a connector fail i just visit the local car scrap yard .most car makers use several of the same connector in different place on the car , so find a good one chop it out with a length of wire , and solder splice it to old loom

[tooki]

on the rare time i have had a connector fail i just visit the local car scrap yard .most car makers use several of the same connector in different place on the car , so find a good one chop it out with a length of wire , and solder splice it to old loom

I’d be hesitant to do that in this specific instance simply because, if I understand it correctly, this cable is inside the fuel tank, and you cannot be 100% certain that the connectors used outside are actually capable of surviving continuous submersion in fuel.