Spent 5 hours tracking down a faulty connector pin on a 737NG that was intermittently dropping the right VOR signal.

It turned out to be a single pin that was pushed back maybe 1mm in the connector shell, and I only found it because I got frustrated and started wiggling each wire one by one with a pick - has anyone else wasted half a shift on a stupid pin issue like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_flores2525d ago

Tbh that 1mm thing is brutal because most people's first instinct is to check for broken wires or bad grounds, not a pin that's technically still connected. Ngl I've started keeping a dental mirror and a good light in my toolbox specifically for connector shell inspections after a similar experience on a CRJ's autopilot servos. Something about that tiny gap just lets the pin barely touch sometimes and then lose contact with vibration, drives you nuts until you physically see it.

zara_hunt25d ago

Man I've been there with a Bell 212, chased a fuel pressure gauge acting up for a good three hours. Turned out to be a pin in the cannon plug on the engine harness that was just barely not seated right. I finally took a magnifying glass and a tiny pick, went pin by pin like you did, and found it. That 1mm gap is a killer. Now I always check pins first when I get something intermittent, saves me from chasing ghosts later.