It is definitely no fun. Get your arm in there as far as you can to get the best grip, push the tab and wiggle the coupler as you pull. Just keep wiggling as you give it a steady pull but don't yank it. It'll come, but your fingers will be hurting. If you don't already have them, get a pair or two of extensions from @Alfissimo to make this job easier in the future and prevent SGW bent pins if you plan to install and remove multiple times.

 

Do you have to remove the SGW bypass plug when done with it or you could just leave it in place?

 

Assuming this is a Giulia, Reach under steering column, find the plugs, press the tabs, push the harness in and then pull out. Might take a few tries. You can wiggle it a little too. They will come out.

You won't damage it as long as you don't pull on the wires themselves although it can help a little to get them out. It's tough but they will come out.

I can install the SGW now with one hand under the dash. You will get it.

 

Assuming this is a Giulia, Reach under steering column, find the plugs, press the tabs, push the harness in and then pull out. Might take a few tries. You can wiggle it a little too. They will come out.

You won't damage it as long as you don't pull on the wires themselves although it can help a little to get them out. It's tough but they will come out.

I can install the SGW now with one hand under the dash. You will get it.

Ya I tried pushing in and then pulling out. It’s super jammed in there. My fingers are actually blistered from fighting it.

 

apparently not an easy thing to do, early in my '18 QV's ownership, from new, my SGW had to be replaced by an alfa service mechanic, who damaged a pin, leaving me soon stranded, and another mechanic repaired the damaged pin, all good since. I don't have the bypass. NV

 

unscrew knee airbag should give you access from bottom. you don't need to unplug airbag itself.

PS if you think Giulia SGW placement is bad you should try connect bypass on Stelvio or Levante

 

All who provided tips, thank you. I was headed out to shoot my car because I could not get the large harness unplugged and after reading these offerings, I gingerly slid a small flat tip screwdriver over top of the release lever and just kind of levered it and the damn thing came out. Merry Christmas!

 

Got one of these stupid fuckers out in 3 mins. I have no skin or nails left for this last one—three hours later. I should have just taken the bottom panel off.

 

After taking an hour break—went back out and tried one last time before going to bed, and it finally popped loose.

It occurred to me in the shower that I needed a different leverage point due to the odd angle (the SGW back rests towards the LHD, and you kind of have to pull down and towards you if sitting in the driver’s seat, or up and away if outside the door, on your knees, praying to the auto Gods).

I put my back on the driver’s seat, face pushed against the steering wheel, legs dangling out, reached all the way in under the steering column with my right hand like I was pulling a newborn calf from a cow.

Instead of using my index finger to apply pressure on the tab and pull with my middle and thumb, I turned my my hand clockwise, used my thumb for the tab.

This provided me with more fingers to grip, and I just wiggled a bit and then pulled towards me with what leverage I had and any muscle fiber stretched across my pecs to delts—and boom came out in the first try.

I got everything connected and closed back up. Plugged in my shiny new Performance Logger from Squadra via Alfissimo and all was right.

MES changes today… what I was really after with this install

 

Ha! I just posted a reply to your post on installing the dash cam about how it's easier to get to the SGW by sitting in the driver's seat. Looks like you came to the same conclusion.

 

I was lucky enough to have a Jeep tech install my SGW. Took him all of about 5 minutes; sitting in drivers seat with lower column cover off.

 

In hindsight, I would have certainly removed the lower column. The first one just came out so easily...

 

they say that you should unplug the battery before starting the procedure of unplugging and repluggign the sgw,
can enyone confirm that?

 

no you don't. ignition off is enough.

 

Takes about 5 min. all you have to do is pull the steering wheel out and all the way up, reach through the hole under the column, can be done one handed easy-peasy, but sometimes the clips don't want to release and you will need to use a small flat tip screw driver to help release the clip.

 

Those clips are Satan. Glad yours was/is easy. I’m already dreading the Stelvio Quad — I understand it has a higher level of difficulty.

 

My fingers are so sore from trying to take out the larger plug. The smaller came out super easy.

I tried a small flat head screwdriver to get some leverage with no luck. I tried with my thumb on the clip and wiggling.

Any other suggestions? Do I have to take off the lower dash to get both hands in?

 

I tried again today and my fingers are super sore. I'm still not successful getting the larger plug to come out. I took off the steering wheel cover to give me more room and I was actually able to fit both my hands in. I pushed the tab down with my right and used my left to try to pull and wiggle the other end. No luck. 🤬🤬😤

Anyone else have suggestions?

 

I personally just leave my SGW bypass installed. I'll take it out if I ever end up having to go to the dealer, but do my own maintenance so just leave it in so I don't have to fool with it whenever I need to connect to MES. No effect while driving.

 

It’s very confusing, some people say you have to take it off and others say otherwise, I don’t know ho to lessen too anymore.

 

Or get the SGW extension cable and unplug of the SGW become much less of an issue and you can just leave it off until it's needed to clear codes..etc

 

If I unplug it when I’m done with it, don’t I have to plug the SGW module back or it’s not necessary?

 

That's what the extension cable is for, it allows you to plug the original back in without having to deal with the hassle of reaching the original SGW connector

 

Ok I totally understand now, so I just have to order the extension.

 

No

 

push connector in, press on tab, pull connector out.

 

😑🙄

 

I just did mine easy enough by just lifting the column stalk all the way up and feeling were the SGW and connectors are, the 8 way is definitely more difficult to get out but keep persevering 💪 and you will win.

 

Thanks. I'm going to let my fingers recover and try again later this week. Maybe the 3rd time is the charm.

 

Sorry for revisiting this sore subject (pun intended). I have been trying for an hour. When people say press on tab what do you mean? I am pressing towards the connector and can't get either connector to budge. Should I be pressing it towards the SGW or away from both?

 

Lol 😂 Sometimes it's easy, usually not.

You want to push on the tab circled below.

You also want to pull away from the module (aka unplug it) from the opposite side, circled in blue.

I found that using a small flat head screwdriver on the spot in blue gave me enough leverage to unplug the cable.

I destroyed my nails and fingers trying to get the bigger one unplugged.

Good luck!

 

@NJGuiliaDriver

Thank you for the picture. That really helped. I was pushing on the metal piece not the plastic tab. Once I pressed on the plastic tab below the metal they came right off.

Where in NJ are you? I am in Columbus in Burlington County near the Farmers Market.

 

@NJGuiliaDriver

Thank you for the picture. That really helped. I was pushing on the metal piece not the plastic tab. Once I pressed on the plastic tab below the metal they came right off.

Where in NJ are you? I am in Columbus in Burlington County near the Farmers Market.

Monmouth County

 

I've been going at it for over 2 hours, have tried everything that's been recommended in this thread and can't even get them loose. I've never wanted to blow my brains out more than I do right now. Is there a certain way to wiggle them or something? Or am I just incredibly stupid?

 

You're not stupid... The connectors are! I would look back a few posts to mine where I talked about using the small flathead screwdriver to leverage the thing out.

 

My two plugs are already unplugged but that's where they go.

 

And that picture is taken thru the space just under the steering wheel/column?

 

Crappy picture, but I don't see anything that resembles the SGW or any wires going to anything. Could mine be somewhere else? Mine is a MY2018 build date of 06/2018. I know I have a SGW because I ran a scan of the modules and it came back at the end saying: Warning :SGW Module Detected! Active Diagnostics will not be possible on this vehicle..

 

 

Now that I was able to find the SGW module. I had to reach pretty far up there and I was able to unplug the two connectors. I don't know if I just got lucky but they both come off pretty easily, the smaller one came right off and the bigger one took a little wiggling, but it was not crazy difficult like I have read from some other posts....
Getting the bypass on is a little challenging because the wires that come off the SGW aren't that long, and you can't get two hands up there to hold the wires to plug them into the bypass, so you have to do it one handed, which takes a few times to get it plugged in but it worked...

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this, I really appreciate it.

I ran the scan of the modules in MES, the same scan as I ran before that said I have a SGW, and now it doesn't say I have a SGW, so I should be good to reset things.

 

you can get a special pliers from harbor friend that helps with this. Best $10 I ever spent

 

@dananton485 Can you please send a link for this tool from HB?

 

Finally got around to pulling mine yesterday, pain in the A. Tried under the steering column method, not a chance. So, pulled the knee airbag, four bolts, easy. This gives one the ability to gain leverage on the clips, was able to get the eight plug connector out in about fifteen minutes using just my hand. The twelve plug wouldn't come out no matter how much I jiggled and tugged. Finally had to use a screwdriver and/or angled pick to press down on clip and an angled pick on lip of connector to gain leverage hand couldn't supply, this did the trick! I assumed job was going to be tough since I practiced with my sgw bypass module and pigtails out of the car, even with ease of access I always had to use a screwdriver to finally get total separation, hands alone could never do it. I'd say expect the worst, hope for the best, these connectors are designed not to come apart, very little space to press clip down and no lip on male connector with which to gain leverage.

i also purchased mine with two pigtails so I can pull sgw bypass out through steering column and have great access to unplug the sgw bypass when not needed. Hacking into one's car is an issue with push to start, this has already been an issue with my drivers side instrument panel notifying me of an attempt to hack into my car. Without sgw car can be hacked, I also keep both key fobs in faraday bags at all times.

 

Hacking into one's car is an issue with push to start, this has already been an issue with my drivers side instrument panel notifying me of an attempt to hack into my car.
Without sgw car can be hacked, I also keep both key fobs in faraday bags at all times.

Car can be hacked and stolen even with the SGW in place, so I don't really know why you would be worried about it either way.