Daughter had the car in for emissions inspection (state agency, operated by a contractor). They had trouble accessing the ODB connector. I looked, and the connector is hanging loose next to what I think is its mounting bracket – metal bracket w/ rectangular hole that looks same size as connector. One of the workers at the test station had said “this happens all the time with Hondas.”
Will that connector pop back into the bracket and stay there, or should I expect that some mounting tabs have broken off, or is some retainer missing? Is this a common problem with Hondas?
It would be almost impossible to say. None of us have seen it to tell.
If you look close, and with good light YOU might be able to figure this one out yourself.
Yosemite
Yes, I might be able to see for myself. But the car is here only once a week, and this is one of those hang-upside-down-from-the-steering-wheel jobs (or maybe have to pop off the dashboard cover). I’m just trying to get a hint as to whether it’s worth the effort. E.g., if somebody here knows that it’s common for the mounting tabs to break, and that I’d have to replace the connector, then I would not bother to try to fix it.
My car, the connector has always been loose. If it works, it’s fine.
The side of the connector has little plastic clips which secure it to that metal bracket. Those clips break when you have a reader plugged in and then whack it for some reason. The reason it happens all the time with Hondas is because they put it right where your foot passes if you’re getting in the car to start it, so you end up kicking the reader’s plug and breaking those tabs.
I did it to my TL last summer. Still haven’t gotten around to fixing it, but I figure I’ll just get some steel wire and wire the thing into place.
Just apply a couple of dabs of RTV to the connector sides, push it into the bracket and tape it in place until the RTV cures.
I’m just trying to get a hint as to whether it’s worth the effort.
Just avoiding aggravating the inspection folks is enough reason to do it. Poking that nest is not worth the risk compared to the actual effort required to secure the connector back into the bracket. IMO anyway…
Common problem with all makes and models.
Thanks, all. This one goes on the low priority list. Something like TT’s RTV sounds like a simple enough approach.