I have a 2000X with factory fog lights and the RH fixture has rusted apart. I have a replacement kit but can not seem to seperate the wiring harness from the old light. I do not want to damage the harness and would like some help if there are any tricks or tabs I have to seperate. The replacement connector looks straight forward so I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Any info would be appreciated.

FIRST OFF, WELCOME TO THE CLUB
now post up a pic of said harness
that way we can better advise a course of action

Thank you for the welcome to the group. It has already helped with one other fan problem (on high or off) as well as a whole host of other issues I'm having that I need to dig into. I have attached pics of the harness both still on the X as well as the replacement kit connector. Thanks again for any help.

Well there's probably a little push tab that you need to press, while you pry apart the connector. Sometimes I use a couple screwdrivers, one to press the tab and another to pry the connectors apart. If they're really stuck together, fingers just might not do it alone. Another option is to just leave it on there. Pop the metal tabs off the new light and pull the lens/reflector assembly out of the plastic housing. Then you'll see the spade connectors. You can fish the old wires in through the new plastic housing, and clip them directly onto the new light.

So how bad was the old light? Are you sure you couldn't have just replaced the bulb?

have you sprayed it with anything?
i suggest some pb blaster to loosen it up, spray it down and let it sit for maybe 10min or so
make sure you disconnect the battery during all this

Thanks for the info. I have not sprayed anything on the connector yet because I thought it might be harder to hold (it's a small connector) with either my hands or pliers. I will try that. As far as how bad was the assembly, it melted in my hand when I was trying to open the bulb cover. When I tried to open the cover, the brackets crumled from the mounting bolts (I am sure this will be another problem to overcome), the main housing crumbled and the whole assembly fell off of the wires. The pics I posted don't show the bare wires hanging at the end. From just trying to open the bulb housing, I only have flecks of metal left. I'm not sure how it stayed intact so long "looking" like a fog light. Hey, it's an 8 year old X next week and it has 125K. Guess a pain for fog light replacement is a small repair for what she's gone through.

Wow. Mines an 00 sitting at 159K, and the fog lights are in great shape. Same ones that are on my 93 pathy with 292K, and they're fine as well. Hard to believe your's disintegrated that soon.

also depends on location
if he is where rust is a prob then its understandable

I live in New England (MA) and the long winters with snow and ice and the road salt and sand eat everything metal. I think this is what ate the fog light. Strange thing is that except for the lens cover being cloudy, the driver's side light looks brand new. Oh well, still a fairly cheap fix.

Yeah, fog light assemblies are pretty common replacement fare here.

Man, it's a shame you guys have to deal with that. I don't think I could handle it, I'd have to pick a different hobby. Would be sad to see all my toys rot away like that. My 30 year old trucks would probably look a lot different....

Well on the first non rainy day since I asked about the wiring harness I was able to get it done. For the benefit of others, and to avoid the frustration I was having, there is a small tab cover between the two connectors that needs to be lifted and a tab underneath that must be pressed in. The harness will seperate fairly easily from there. I have circled the picture where the tab cover and tab are located. Another thing to be aware of is that if the fog light is rusted enough to be replaced, so are the mounting screws. They snapped immediately. Make sure to have new ones before starting the job. Thanks again for your help.