Lisle 37160 Disconnect Pliers: Reach Tabbed Fittings at an 85-Degree Angle

The retaining tabs are visible, but your fingers cannot reach them comfortably. That is the situation Lisle’s 37160 disconnect pliers are built around: releasing a compatible tabbed fitting where the space above or beside it makes a straight approach awkward. The tool presses the release features rather than treating the connected hose as something to pull harder.

Its distinctive feature is an 85-degree bend in a low-profile head. That puts the working ends at a different angle from the handles, useful when the connection and your hand cannot occupy the same line. For a technician who regularly encounters this fitting style, the combination of access and spring action gives the tool a specific place in the kit.

Buy for the release tabs, not just the vehicle

Lisle identifies fuel-line and EVAP-line fittings with tabs that must be depressed to disengage. It names Delphi two-tab connectors and some import-vehicle applications, and says the tool can also serve some electrical connectors. Those are conditional applications, not a compatibility list covering every line or plug on a car.

Before buying, identify the actual connector and how its lock releases. A tab that needs pressing is different from a coupling that requires an insert tool, a separate retaining clip or another release mechanism. Calling all of these quick-connect fittings does not make the same pair of pliers suitable for them.

That narrow fit is also the buying advantage. When the jaws can contact the intended release tabs, the handles let you apply the required movement from a more accessible position. Forcing the tool onto a different latch defeats that purpose. Check the vehicle service information and the condition of the connector before choosing the tool.

The 85-degree head changes your approach

The manufacturer describes the low-profile bend as a way to fit between the top of a fuel tank and the vehicle. It is a concrete example of the intended access problem, rather than a promise that the tool will reach every hidden connection without other preparation.

Look at the space as a whole: room for the head, room to open and close the handles, and enough visibility to identify the release feature. An angled head may solve the first problem while leaving the other two unchanged. A crowded fitting with no usable approach can still require a different tool or the access procedure specified for that vehicle.

The exact-product gallery makes this distinction useful to see. The isolated product view shows the bent tips and spring, while the working view shows the jaws beside a connector. Neither photograph proves fitment on your vehicle. Compare the head’s orientation with the job instead of choosing solely by how compact it looks.

Spring action helps with repeated positioning

The 37160 has spring action, which Lisle describes as making the tool easier to use. The spring helps open the handles again after you relax your grip. That can make repositioning more convenient when the connector’s tabs are difficult to approach directly.

It does not lock the connector open or guarantee that a brittle, dirty or damaged fitting will release intact. The useful distinction from a general gripping tool is its dedicated contact shape and return action. This is a release tool, not a substitute for diagnosing why the connection remains stuck.

Fuel-system work also demands more than the right pliers. Follow the vehicle’s complete service and pressure-relief procedure, use appropriate protection, and keep ignition sources away. If you cannot safely identify or prepare the system, have a qualified technician handle the job. The tool’s purchase benefit is access to the release tabs, not permission to skip that preparation.

Confirm 37160 and the angle before ordering

Lisle also offers the separate 37140 with a 45-degree bend. The two models should not be treated as interchangeable merely because their names and handles look similar. Choose the approach angle that suits your recurring work, and confirm that the listing is the 85-degree 37160.

Buy this version when compatible tabbed fittings and restricted access are a repeated problem. Skip it when you need a broad disconnect set, a different locking mechanism or a tool for occasional work you will have a shop perform anyway. Its value is focused: reach the correct tabs, reposition conveniently, and avoid buying a general pair of pliers for a specialized release task.