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11 Oct 2007
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How Do You Clean Those Electrical Connectors?
I am part way through a semi rebuild of a 1989 XT600 2KF Model.
As I was refitting the horn I decided to test it and it would not work, neither was there high and low beam. After much "connector jiggling" I had intermittent Low beam, and Intermittent indicators (turn signals for our American Friends), side-lights work ok though, as did brake lights.
I Removed the headlamp and pulled every 'Multi-Connector' apart to check them..... What a mess!
The pins and sockets are covered in a green verdigris type stuff and there is no wonder that I am having problems.
I have tried squirting with WD40 and then working them in and out a few times, but this was not enough to clean them sufficiently, THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS I am loathe to "tug about" on the loom too much as it is after all 17 years old!
Basically, the question is this...... "How do I remove the verdigris?, and prevent build up in future? and if there is Verdigris in there would it stop the lights working?
I am pretty sure it is this that is giving me the problem anyhow.
Any help/feedback will be much appreciated!
Last edited by Martynbiker; 11 Oct 2007 at 10:06.
Reason: additional info
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11 Oct 2007
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It is almost impossible to clean the contacts by chemical means alone, the toothbrush will help. In really grotty cases I use a small "swiss" file, you can buy small file kits relatively cheaply. If you are tempted to chop the connector off and resolder a new one on, be careful, because you may find the wire itself has a small amount of oxidation and will not solder easily, although a bit of fine sandpaper may suffice to clean it.
To prevent vergris in the 1st place, i reckon the spray silicon grease that plumbers use is as good as anything, because it doesn't dry, doesn't rot plastics, is water repellent and you can really lather it on.
It is also possible to buy switch contact cleaner, it does help, but not in the really grotty connectors.
I find WD40 a tad overrated IMO, discuss.....
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11 Oct 2007
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contact cleaner...
Thanks Joe........ Im gonna have a go with that.
My local ferretaria (hardware shop) sells "limpia de contactos electricos" (electrical contact cleaner) which should help clean up some of the snot.....
I take on board your idea of the toothbrush but also have another idea of my own.....( LISTEN UP>>>> THESE DONT HAPPEN OFTEN) you know those funny little "brushes" for cleaning between your teeth that you can buy in a chemist? they look like a rat tail file and have little bristles on em? come in packs of about 50 for 3 quid or so........ well one of those soaked in contact cleaner will fit inside the 'female' part of the plug.
Nice one on the silicone grease...but im gonna go for Vaseline.. it tried n tested in my book and I have loads of it already..... I had forgotten all about Vaseline.untill you mentioned silicone grease. 
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11 Oct 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martynbiker
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][SIZE=3][B]"How do I remove the verdigris?, and prevent build up in future?
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You could try the self cleaning flux used for soldering plumbing joints.
Smear it on and then use a *small* gas flame to heat it and all that crap may disappear... worth a try on a test sample.
J
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11 Oct 2007
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the flame idea may have one snag, too hot, the metal ferrules will become sloppy fitting in the plastic housing. Little tooth cleaning thing sounds good!
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11 Oct 2007
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The verdegris is the result of contact metal corrosion. Regardless of what chemicals you use (electrical contact cleaner is better but any good penetrating oil should also work), you need to scrub off the corrosion to bare metal. The bullet ends are no problem - use a small brass brush. The "female" receptacles are a different story. If you can find a very small cylindrical brush (think microscopic baby bottle brush - maybe jewelry or fine machinery supply?) that would fit, you would be good. In mild cases, just inserting the plug into the socket repeatedly cleans it up (but it sounds like you have a severe case). Trick is to liberally coat the connectors after cleaning to ensure future connection. I use Vaseline petrolium jelly; others use No-Ox jelly or the grease that you can find in an electrical parts supply - should keep the moisture out of the connectors.
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11 Oct 2007
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It's called a proxa brush 
But it is not stiff enough to remove the really adherent stuff. You could use a 320 grit sandpaper cut into strips and folded to increase stiffness, then add the vaseline/silicone grease/spray to prevent further problems AFTER using compressed air to get rid of all the particles detached while cleaning.
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12 Oct 2007
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Something else that might work with the "female" contacts - I just came across a BMX bicycle forum thread pertaining to the use of an oxialic acid/water mix that cleans rust off chrome and other metals without harming the metal (except aluminum) by soaking. No more scratching chrome with steel wool. There are some forms of this oxialic acid/water available in spray bottles (look for wood bleach in the household cleaning or paint departments - or make up your own mix from crystals) that might work - you could surround the area with paper towels, spray some on the contacts and let it soak for 30 minutes or so, rinse off, blow dry, add Vaseline and re-assemble.
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13 Oct 2007
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Heres something I have tried a few times with good success.
Works wonders with car switches too. Especially electric windows switches..
Soak they components in soluable degreaser, the longer the better.
Then boil them in a pan of hot water for about 20 minutes. This dislodges all the crap and dirt.
Obviously you need to use common sense with what you can boil or not.
Most switches and connectors are perfectly fine but I wouldnt boil an ECU etc
Remember to dry thoroughly !!
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15 Oct 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redboots
You could try the self cleaning flux used for soldering plumbing joints.
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NO .. not the plumbing flux! It is highly corrosive .. do not use on elecetrical connections .. Yes it will clean thse connectors .. and than keep going to eat them all away in 5 to 7 years time .. If you have used this stuff.. clean the flux all away .. then clean the flux away again!
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To seal the joints - dielectic grease is the stuff designed for the job. The job is simply to stop air getting at the joint .. no air =no oxegen = no corrosion. Petroleum jelly will do the job in non critical aplications .. and so will grease (wheel bearing etc) for battery terminals.
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sandpaper
you can try some sandpaper on the corrosion till there all bright. If the corrosion has gotten in to the copper wire it may be to late and a new wire job is the right fix. Use Di-Electric grease and use more than you need to seal up the wires, leads, and the plug ends its not that expensive and will last years.
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17 Oct 2007
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What a great thread! I think we've all had this problem at some point or other. Black Wire corrosion, eh? Well I never.
The oxalic acid idea sounds the best to me. I normally struggle with needle files and rolled up wet-and-dry abrasive paper - both of which have already been suggested, and which often leave a lot of contaminants of their own behind. I remember in the early eighties my father used to make electrical circuit boards by using an acid to etch a thin copper sheet bonded to a plastic sheet. I've noticed that the acid layer of black mud at the bottom of stagnant water also removes copper corrosion. In that case the acid is sulphuric acid (a biproduct of the sulphate reducing bacteria), so battery electrolyte should work too. Failing that, phosphoric acid definitely works on copper (and steel). I think you should be able to source some dilute phosphoric acid from gun shops as I believe it's what they use for gun barrel blue. Perhaps the salicylic acid used to treat veruccas would also work, and comes in handy tubes of gel.
One obvious thing to watch for would be traces of grease; those circuit boards my father made used wax to preserve the parts he didn't want to etch. Oil or grease would do the same.
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17 Oct 2007
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ferric chloride is the stuff used to etch copper clad circuit board, entertaining stuff, not nice, and dyes everything YELLOW, not yellow.
dont even think about getting it anywhere near your electrical stuff, it eats copper, thats its job 
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24 Mar 2013
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Re: How Do You Clean Those Electrical Connectors?
I think those melted on covers are done that way to stop the cover from sliding away,thus exposing the bare brass connector,the water still gets in the other end.
Wurth do sell new bullets,but you need the micro crimper to fit properly.It isnt the crimper you associate with red blue and yellow crimps.
Snap on do sell a tool to take apart the sealed multi connectors btw,it kinda looks like a sheriffs badge in anodised green.
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800 grit wet and dry, but use it dry, then Vaseline the connectors.
If the corrosion is too bad, or has reached the wire, cut off and wire in new connectors, often the quickest and best way.
Don't forget to heat shrink sleeve where possible.
Bikes don't have very complicated wiring, with the right gauge selection of wires you can rattle up a new loom in an evening if needed. Helpful for those awkward breaks in a single wire in the heart of the loom that take forever to locate!
Last edited by Big AL H; 3 Apr 2013 at 12:47.
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