Tuned Mass Module Damaged

[PRY1782]

I was on a road trip and couldn't get out of the way of a shredded tire and it hit my Mass Module. It snapped one of the connectors off (see pic). Is it possible to just replace the connector/wire? Or would the whole system need replaced?

Also, is this something that needs to have an immediate fix? Your thoughts are much appreciated.

 

[Drewster]

That sensor needs to be replaced - I would either glue it or let it hang out with some electrical tape to seal it in the mean time since the truck is still drive-able without it.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

The 100% proper thing to do is what Drewster said, and buy a new sensor.

If you're not afraid of soldering and cutting wires, one could cut the wires, solder them to the appropriate "prongs" sticking out of that sensor, and see if that works. (Including proper heatshrinking and electrical taping.) There is always a chance that its not just physical damage, and that the sensor itself won't function properly anymore, keep in mind.

I would not take that chance myself and end up with sliced/diced wires too, but if you want to be cheap and have the solder/heatshrink/etc. on hand, it is an option.

 

[Drewster]

The 100% proper thing to do is what Drewster said, and buy a new sensor.

If you're not afraid of soldering and cutting wires, one could cut the wires, solder them to the appropriate "prongs" sticking out of that sensor, and see if that works. (Including proper heatshrinking and electrical taping.) There is always a chance that its not just physical damage, and that the sensor itself won't function properly anymore, keep in mind.

I would not take that chance myself and end up with sliced/diced wires too, but if you want to be cheap and have the solder/heatshrink/etc. on hand, it is an option.

We're actually looking at the male terminals - based on what broke, he could theoretically unplug the broken part of the sensor, jam the female connector onto those male pins, tape it up, and it might work for a bit without a soldering iron.. but there's a reason I didn't originally suggest that

The problem is that the sensor is a sealed unit. With it cracked open and hanging out under the car, you're asking for water and corrosion to fill that sensor and potentially ground it out, killing communication if that sensor is on a bus. I'm not sure what it's connected to, but if it's something like a SENT bus with other sensors you might create a bigger problem by taking down the bus and losing sensors you actually need to drive. If you let it go long enough, corrosion can actually wick up wiring harnesses meaning you'll eventually trash that expensive body harness rather than just a little sensor.

Hence, my actual advice would be to just tape up the open female connector until you can replace the sensor properly.

 

[Scram1500]

I don't think they are "required", it's only there to mitigate vibration from MDS. When I was chasing vibration gremlins a while back I unplugged both modules and drove around for a couple weeks without any problems. The V6 and ecodiesel do not have these damper modules

 

[Tones1975]

Could you not straighten the pins out and epoxy the broken plastic back onto the module? This way it would still be watertight and the connector could just be plugged in once the epoxy is cured.

 

[piening2150]

Could you not straighten the pins out and epoxy the broken plastic back onto the module? This way it would still be watertight and the connector could just be plugged in once the epoxy is cured.

This is exactly what I'd try first. It's basically free, and if it doesn't work you can always just buy the new module and replace it.

The 100% proper thing to do is what Drewster said, and buy a new sensor.

If you're not afraid of soldering and cutting wires, one could cut the wires, solder them to the appropriate "prongs" sticking out of that sensor, and see if that works. (Including proper heatshrinking and electrical taping.) There is always a chance that its not just physical damage, and that the sensor itself won't function properly anymore, keep in mind.

I would not take that chance myself and end up with sliced/diced wires too, but if you want to be cheap and have the solder/heatshrink/etc. on hand, it is an option.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT cut and solder the wires OP! You will then have a damaged module AND a cut wire harness/plug. The wire harness/plug itself looks totally intact so cutting that off would just compound the problem, especially if the module needed to be replaced down the road.
*I realize you are just throwing out options and you don't actually recommend doing this, I just wanted to clarify to OP the added risk of this possible course of action*

 

[PRY1782]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I do not plan on soldering it myself. I really like the idea of the epoxy and sealing it. Thank you again

 

[Icecoldak]

This seems really simple---get you a new module and then unplug the Red part circled (broken part) and the Plug end is ready to push on to new module!!

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

This seems really simple---get you a new module and then unplug the Red part circled (broken part) and the Plug end is ready to push on to new module!!

Agreed, replacing it is the best option.

The module itself isn't terrible... $185 MSRP. Found it online for $140 or less after a quick look around. We're just throwing out cheaper alternatives.