Seeking headlight housing (Molex?) connector pins, 2 mm | FerrariChat

Seeking headlight housing (Molex?) connector pins, 2 mm

Discussion in 'Mondial' started by jelliott, Mar 5, 2024.

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  1. jelliott

    jelliott Karting

    Mar 8, 2010
    98
    Seattle, USA
    Full Name:
    Joe Elliott
    This may be a longshot, especially in terms of keywords, since it's become popular to use "headlight housing" to refer to the lamp itself, but in this case I'm actually talking about the housing, which has a 3-pin Molex-type connector between its short internal harness and the vehicle wiring harness...

    I need three more of these pins:
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    They actual contact is 2 mm diameter, and the wider part with the tangs is 2.5 mm.

    I must have had these on hand when I made a new harness for my upgraded headlights on the right side 3.5 yr ago, because I can't find an invoice for having bought any, but now that I've finally gotten around to making the new harness for the left side (to replace the crude adapters used in the interim), I seemingly don't have any (which I discovered only after I crimped the wrong terminal on one wire and discovered that it wouldn't insert all the way into the three-pin plug)!

    Thanks!
     
  2. jelliott

    jelliott Karting

    Mar 8, 2010
    98
    Seattle, USA
    Full Name:
    Joe Elliott
    Addendum: The pins in question populate this connector where the car's wire harness terminates at the back of the pop-up headlight housing.

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  3. PeterS

    PeterS Five Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 24, 2003
    52,086
    Goodyear, AZ
    Full Name:
    PeterS
    If you have any issues, I can get you in direct touch with a technical pro on these connectors and pins at Digi-Key.
     
    Steve Magnusson likes this.
  4. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    26,785
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    That connector looks a lot like an AMP (now TE Connectivity) Universal MATE-N-LOK which uses pins like this:

    https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/350547-1/213765

    Unfortunately, the TE Connectivity website is down at the moment so can't check the diameter of the actual contact -- but you can later ;). Just click on the link "Datasheet". And even if that's not the one, there may be other diameters available (that would still fit in that housing).
     
  5. jelliott

    jelliott Karting

    Mar 8, 2010
    98
    Seattle, USA
    Full Name:
    Joe Elliott
    Well that seemed totally plausible, since most of the "Molex" type connectors on our cars turn out to actually be AMP/TE products, but I think Steve's suggestion is essentially the same terminal that I already have a drawer of on hand (and which I confidently crimped onto my new headlight harness before discovering it wouldn't insert all the way into the connector).

    Now I'm leaning towards these--actually a Molex product, incidentally: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0002082004/133294 Both are 0.084" (2.1 mm) diameter, but this one has a split tip more like the OEM pins shown in my first photo above.
     
  6. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    26,785
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    That's very possible -- it looks like there is more "springiness" function in your male pin (giggity ;)); whereas, the springiness may be more in the corresponding female socket for the male pin that I posted.
     
  7. jelliott

    jelliott Karting

    Mar 8, 2010
    98
    Seattle, USA
    Full Name:
    Joe Elliott
    Confirmed: It's the Molex one. And while the pins are only $0.10 ea at DigiKey, the whole connector + pins is surprisingly available from Amazon for a few bucks with free 2-day delivery—https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DL2S4C6 So now I can leave the removed stock headlight harness that much more intact rather than de-pinning it to re-use the connector (plus one of the tabs is missing from my original connector anyway, as seen in my photo above).
     

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