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WHAT2USE to clean electrical connectors

There's a CRC product for cleaning electrical contacts that you can pick up at NAPA or Home Depot. I only removes crud, not corrosion.
 
Electronics cleaner...let it dry and then apply dilectric grease. :)
 
depends on where the connection is. You may want to use oxguard instead of dilectric grease
 
This is gonna sound stupid, but the liquid toilet bowl cleaners do a good job of cleaning corrosion. Most of them contain some mild acids, and will eat up corrosion in short order. If left on too long, though, they can eat up MORE than just the corrosion, so be careful.

I usually dip the connector in the toilet bowl cleaner for 30 to 60 seconds, and then flush it THOROUGHLY will clean water, followed by a hair dryer to evaporate the water. Then, I put silicone or polyethylene grease on the connector contacts before remating the two halves.

The grease keeps OXYGEN off the contact, and that elminates corrosion.
 
I like all the ideas. Will try the liquid bowl cleaner on some deep connectors. I guess the trick is going to be the access to connectors with short harness or hard to reach spots under the hood.

Thanks for replying fellows ... Maz
 
AZ Jeff said:
This is gonna sound stupid, but the liquid toilet bowl cleaners do a good job of cleaning corrosion. Most of them contain some mild acids, and will eat up corrosion in short order. If left on too long, though, they can eat up MORE than just the corrosion, so be careful.

I usually dip the connector in the toilet bowl cleaner for 30 to 60 seconds, and then flush it THOROUGHLY will clean water, followed by a hair dryer to evaporate the water. Then, I put silicone or polyethylene grease on the connector contacts before remating the two halves.

The grease keeps OXYGEN off the contact, and that elminates corrosion.
Click to expand...

Sorry to ressurect this thread, but I was intriqued with your method, Jeff, so I tried it. I used Lysol brand (white plastic bottle with crook neck and blue liquid). Didn't work for me. I tried leaving the contact in for 60 seconds, then rinsing - nothing. Then I tried it for 3 minutes followed by a good rinse. Nada.. What brand do you use? Or am I doing something wrong?

I tried to email you, and spare the resurrection, but you've got email turned off.

I've also ordered some small files that should work as burnishing tools as suggesting by others. And I'll try the vinegar and the baking soda and water paste, too. But a dipping solution would be great for those connectors that are deeply recessed, so I was hoping to find something like your method. Maybe the vinegar will do it..

Thanks, Rick
 
For flat connectors you can access, a couple passes with an Emery board works wonders.

For connectors you can't get to easily, I've used things like Lime-A-Way to remove corrosion - just don't leave it too long. In a pinch, straight muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) can work - but I seem to remember being REAL careful and conservative with the stuff.

I need to check out the barrel brushes for the very small calibres (.17 and down) to see if there's anything there that will work for small connectors...

5-90
 
Tomato ketchup or Coke both do the trick (try putting a penny in either for a few minutes... makes you wonder what they are doing to your guts...)

Whatever you use, make sure it doesn't get into the backside of the connector, cos it will be hard to flush it out after it'd finished doing the cleaning... and you don't want it "cleaning" all the way through the wires...
 
Ginger Ale just eats the crud, not the copper, or at least not fast. I know it's funny, but it really works, and won't eat your fingers or plastic components.

I also reccomend eating mouldy bread if you happen to get pnuemonia....
 
Last edited:
The coke and ginger ale (and maybe ketchup) works because of the phosphoric acid they contain. Lemon juice/citric acid would also probably do a good job.

I have a small bottle of Kop-R-Shield, that I use on contacts to enhance conductivity. It has to be used very sparingly, however, or it will cause shorts......
 
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