Why is taking out the ECU such a pain in the a--?

[Juans_93_MX3]

Anyone have any suggestions on "un-hooking" the ECU from the harness?

I could do it, but it takes like 30mins. Should I add some type of lube or vaseline to make it easier to unhook?

[Dali]

why is it taking 30 min to push three clips on the harness and pull them out. four ten mil nut/bolts. two push clips on the covers. this is pretty easy and only should take five minutes tops. adding lube on the clips to make it easier?????

[Ryan]

the harness clips can be in there pretty tight sometimes. I sometimes use wide jaw pliers and grab it on the sides to wiggle it. Better than yanking on the wires.

[Whisper]

Yeh, if the connectors are tight, it can be a pain. Usually using a large flat head screwdriver to slightly pop them out while pressing on the clip can work fairly well. Once you take it out a few times, it's becomes easier. First time it did take me quite a while, now I can swap ECUs in 5 minutes.

[mazdags94]

I've swapped out my ecu about 8 times in the past 6 months and it's still a PITA!