@wentwest Are you talking about the two thin rectangles on the back of the relay or the two thin plastic rectangles on molded plastic panel thing that’s not part of the relay that the relay sits in?
Thanks for the help and sorry of this is a dumb question. I assume your talking about the ones on the molding that are not part of the relay but I just want to make sure.
You assume correctly.
A little drip of light oil can help too. Just a bit. I often put a dab of vaseline on these latches before I put them back together.
What do you mean by putting the latches on the plastic molding thing back together? They come apart? Do you have like a picture of them apart?
Also I don’t see how these thin plastic pieces on the panel latch the relay, looking at the hole thing on the back of the relay body it looks like the the hole for the mounting the relay on the relay would just sit on top of those two plastic pieces
Those tabs slide over humps on the module.
Relays on Toyota vehicles are typically difficult to remove, the connectors grip the relays very well, you need to pry the flasher off of the module.
I have used a pliers to grip a relay to remove it and only pulled the cover off of the relay, they are in so tight that you can’t remove them by hand.
Thanks for all the help everyone! I was able to get it out after extensive prying. It was an insane. I got the new flasher in there, and it works as expected. I can turn the knob to increase or decrease the flashing rate.
LOL… excellent… good job man. I can relate to your frustration, as I am sure others here in the business can also. The number of different types of plastic fasteners and locks and slots with locks and which way to pry or get something to release can sometimes be maddening. There is a fairly wide variety of these plastic lock mechanisms out there. When you do this long enough you come into contact with them and see new ones arise sometimes.
They arent all intuitive so … I understand your frustration…over time you will learn these mechanisms
I had to replace the flasher on my 1988 Toyota Celica and had the trouble described. The flasher location behind the kick panel on the driver’s side made it hard to access. Even after releasing the tabs I could not remove the flasher. I had to use a pick and then a screwdriver to pry the flasher loose. The information in this post helped me understand what needed to be done.
Thanks to all who took the time to post.
In my experience with older cars it’s pretty common to have to pry relays and connectors loose, even once you figure out what tab(s) you have to simultaneously press. They just get stuck more and more as they age. I often use a dentist’s pick. Sometimes a small bladed screwdriver will work. Good idea to disconnect the battery before, any time working on the electrical system. Pro mechanics do this sort of thing so often they know how hard to pull. Diyer’s don’t and for them prying methods, while slower to accomplish, are usually the better approach.