DIY Ecotech Vortech MP40, MP60 Extension Cable

Not gonna lie... this was a pain in the butt to do!! Had to get a special crimping tool. My hand hurts from all the crimping. Lol.
 

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May have been a PITA, but think of all the money you saved by not having ecotech do each one for $50 a crack. And you won't be without pumps for a few days.
 
I found what I believe to be a black jacketed 5-conductor version. Everything else seems to match.

I'll update if I burn my house down or fry my MP40... But if you don't hear back assume it worked. Or I'm dead. :)

Screenshot 2023-10-24 at 4.11.53 PM.png


$56 shipped INCLUDING the crimping tool.
 
I don't use the ecotech pumps anymore, I have few extension cables sitting in my storage different lengths, if someone wants to buy,
 
I found what I believe to be a black jacketed 5-conductor version. Everything else seems to match.

I'll update if I burn my house down or fry my MP40... But if you don't hear back assume it worked. Or I'm dead. :)

Screenshot 2023-10-24 at 4.11.53 PM.png


$56 shipped INCLUDING the crimping tool.

IMG_7818.jpeg


It works.

Some notes and amateur tips…

Practice the crimping a few times before you do it for realz. It’s a skill and there’s definitely some finesse involved.

If you don’t have self-adjusting wire strippers, get some. They’re clutch.

Buy a couple of extra connectors too. You can practice, and if you screw up you’ve got more.

If your eyes are bad….. good luck. Find a way to magnify this stuff. It’s tiny.

I disconnected the connector inside the control unit and added my extension at the end of the cord coming from the dry side cord. The only problem with this is that you lose the little do-dad that secures the wire to the controller housing. It cannot be removed from the wire and re-applied to your extension unfortunately.

IMG_7819.jpeg



You’ll need to find a way to fatten up the wire as it passes through the housing so it holds in place by friction. I’ll be using a few layers of heat shrink tubing for that. Not perfect but it will have to do.

When pushing the metal male/female pins into the backs of the connectors, I needed to use a tiny screw driver to push them all the way in. They may not seat if you try to push them in with your fingertips. Check the front to make sure they all appear roughly at the same depth.

Finally, the extra connectors I bought (see my quoted post) are *slightly* larger than the ones that come with the Molex connectors. They “fit” but not well. Stick with the connectors that come with the Molex. There are enough to practice a couple of times but leave a couple extra if you screw up on the final run. They are identical to the ones in the OEM connectors as best I can tell.
 
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so is it fine to use 5 conductor? I’m confused as to why everyone was using 10 conductor. It seems like that is double the work for no reason.
 
IMG_7818.jpeg


It works.

Some notes and amateur tips…

Practice the crimping a few times before you do it for realz. It’s a skill and there’s definitely some finesse involved.

If you don’t have self-adjusting wire strippers, get some. They’re clutch.

Buy a couple of extra connectors too. You can practice, and if you screw up you’ve got more.

If your eyes are bad….. good luck. Find a way to magnify this stuff. It’s tiny.

I disconnected the connector inside the control unit and added my extension at the end of the cord coming from the dry side cord. The only problem with this is that you lose the little do-dad that secures the wire to the controller housing. It cannot be removed from the wire and re-applied to your extension unfortunately.

IMG_7819.jpeg



You’ll need to find a way to fatten up the wire as it passes through the housing so it holds in place by friction. I’ll be using a few layers of heat shrink tubing for that. Not perfect but it will have to do.

When pushing the metal male/female pins into the backs of the connectors, I needed to use a tiny screw driver to push them all the way in. They may not seat if you try to push them in with your fingertips. Check the front to make sure they all appear roughly at the same depth.

Finally, the extra connectors I bought (see my quoted post) are *slightly* larger than the ones that come with the Molex connectors. They “fit” but not well. Stick with the connectors that come with the Molex. There are enough to practice a couple of times but leave a couple extra if you screw up on the final run. They are identical to the ones in the OEM connectors as best I can tell.
Carefully slice/cut down the side of the strain relief grommet without cutting into the wire. Then you can take it off and use it with the extension cord. It will still work just as good to secure the wire.
 
Carefully slice/cut down the side of the strain relief grommet without cutting into the wire. Then you can take it off and use it with the extension cord. It will still work just as good to secure the wire.

Yeah I tried that. It’s fused all the way around to the wire jacket somehow.

I ended up ordering a multi-pack of rubber grommets and found one that fits nicely.
 
I know this is an old post, but hopefully someone has the answer.

Why do you need all the fancy connectors? Can you not use a splice kit and splice it together that way?

I have the parts to do it the "right" way in my cart. Just wondering why I am spending the 100 bucks if a splice kit from harbor freight would do the same thing.

-Mike
 
I know this is an old post, but hopefully someone has the answer.

Why do you need all the fancy connectors? Can you not use a splice kit and splice it together that way?

I have the parts to do it the "right" way in my cart. Just wondering why I am spending the 100 bucks if a splice kit from harbor freight would do the same thing.

-Mike
you can do that as long as you can color match the wires, you don't have to have the fancy connector, but these connectors are cheap and easy to disconnect if you don't want to use the extension cables
 

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