electrical cleaning tips

so I've been having e-demons for a while now and I decided time to excorsize...

I pulled out my wiring harness after reading a bunch of posts on these types of problems. maybe overkill but I want to do this right once and (almost) for all.

check this out

back of fuse box


So anyways no more mystery why it was giving me so much problems, but what I wanted to know is what in the world should I use to clean this up?

I am going to get some kind of electrical contact cleaner, but I don't think that will cut the mustard for the really greasy stuff. brake cleaner?? or will that eat the crap out of it?

Thanks guys I know someone's been through this kind of thing. The clutch MC spilled all over this thing

if you have a NAPA near you get some QD electrical contact cleaner, otherwise use some battery terminal cleaner it will eat up all the corrosion then spray it down with some WD40 to keep it from corroding up again.

I think brake cleaner will just eat it up...I'd try the electrical cleaner. Ive used simple green on connections before and its cleaned them up but then again ive never had anything like the stuff you pictured above. The pics make it look burnt from first glance.

GrimmJeeper said:

if you have a NAPA near you get some QD electrical contact cleaner, otherwise use some battery terminal cleaner it will eat up all the corrosion then spray it down with some WD40 to keep it from corroding up again.

Click to expand...

If I only had a nickel...

Electrical contact cleaner is good - I like CRC, which I can find at the hardware store. Use an old toothbrush to break loose the really heavy crud.

While you're at the hardware store, stop off in the electrical section and look for Ox-Gard, or something similar. DO NOT USE LIQUID ELECTRICAL TAPE! Do not use WD-40!

"WD" stands for "Water Displacer" - when you spray the stuff on anything, there's a film that "gets under" the water on the surface and then deposits itself on the surface under the water. It's great for storing metal stock, and I've used it as a cutting lubricant (when working with aluminum and I'm out of kerosene,) but under no circumstances use it on electrical contacts! The film that's deposited is going to interfere with electrical conduction.

Clean the terminals, coat with Ox-Gard (or some other corrosion inhibitor designed for electrical use) and reassemble.

Battery terminal cleaner may not work for you - what you're seeing isn't corrosion. It's cheap corrosion inhibitor - scrub it all out and replace with quality stuff. For contacts that have oxidised badly, use a regular pink pencil eraser to scrub the terminal after you've removed all the yock - it's cheap and works very well.

5-90 I was hoping you would answer this post. Thanks, I'll do what you said. Some of it is pretty heavily corroded, like the other side of the fuse block.

I have one other related question: at least one of my fusible links needs replacing(the one from alternator to starter relay post), is there something better to replace it with than a fusible link, like should I add in an inline fuse instead?

Mahalo (Hawaiian for thanks)

purvisdotcom said:

5-90 I was hoping you would answer this post. Thanks, I'll do what you said. Some of it is pretty heavily corroded, like the other side of the fuse block.

I have one other related question: at least one of my fusible links needs replacing(the one from alternator to starter relay post), is there something better to replace it with than a fusible link, like should I add in an inline fuse instead?

Mahalo (Hawaiian for thanks)

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Which one? I'd have to do some digging, but I may be able to suggest a fuse size for you (which you would then use at your own risk. I've been thinking about getting rid of those fusible links for a while, but I haven't had time to put any serious thought to it.) I don't like fusible links anyhow - they're a pain to service in the field. Fuses are far easier - ATO, MAXI, or ANL preferred.

If it's the alternator output fusible link, 10AWG fusible link wire is a pain to find. I can help you select an ANL fuse to use - in addition to the wiresets I build, I also offer ANL fuse kits to replace the fusible links. Contact me backchannel (via my website - link in sig) for more information.

Oh - for corroded terminals - instead of using the pink "pencil" eraser, try to find one of the grey "ink" erasers. We used to use them in school (not that they would remove ink worth a damn...) but they're a bit more abrasive. If you need to get more aggressive than that, use an emery board (find those in the "nail care" section at your drugstore, Target, or whatever.)