Cleaning electrical connectors with salt and vinegar mixed. PICS ADDED!

[b5blue]

Hey Matt! Everyone feel free to post pics also. Try different ratios of vinegar to salt and penny's make good test subjects. I felt like it worked best as a fresh mix, but can't say for sure that was the case. 

[runningman]

Glad to see your project is progressing!  I have been working a ton and have been helping coach my son's football team so haven't had much time to work on mine.  Gonna try and start up again next week though.  I had been wondering how to clean these contacts.  I was thinking of removing each one to clean but this is a much better method!!

Matt

[XH29N0G]

I am aware that this is an old thread, but thought I would add another twist.  It is also possible to heat up the vinnegar.  I did this using a microwave and the baking soda to the rinse and it worked very well for fixing the dash dimmer switch. 

[b5blue]

Good idea! I use table salt but if it works it works! 

[b5blue]

Update coming soon. I finally have new front light and dash harness to install. I'll be examining all areas that were treated very closely. 4 years should be a good gauge of how this holds up over time.       I'll be looking very closely at the crimps where wire joins the connector, the hardest area to deep flush after cleaning. I've had zero issues since cleaning and coating with DL-100 (DeOxIt) 

[HANDM]

Update,
all connections are still clean and looking good. The fuse holders however, which I cleaned with a combo of vinegar/ salt for the copper and metal ready for the actual fuse connectors, are a little rusty. Seems that the metal ready took some sort of protection off of it........ Hasn't posed any problems as of yet

[tsmithae]

I used lemon juice, fine sandpaper, and steel wool IIRC and it had very similar results. It would be a REALLY good idea to coat everything with a dielectric grease before reconnecting everything.  

[b5blue]

I use Caig Lab's products, Protect it Gold and DeOxIt. The same stuff used on assembly of the computer your on!  Under the hood and around the exterior stuff that is exposed the grease is good. CLEANING after treating is most important! I flush very well with a spray bottle of pure H2O then follow with a spray bottle of 91% alcohol to 2nd chase any residue and speed drying. The new harness will be soaked with "Gold" on any connections and bulk head packed after treating.   

[Hop Head]

Hey, the bulkhead looks great. Has anyone tried to clean the female side of the bulkhead. Mine is pretty bad, and it really needs to be treated. I've never removed one, can I assume it needs to be removed from inside the car. And will there be enough room to allow for soaking the whole connector. I really don't want to pay the crazy high price for a new harness.

[tsmithae]

I did clean the female side.  There would be a couple different ways to attack it.  The Caig's Lab products in an aerosol would be a nice way to clean, deoxidize, and protect without having to remove everything. 

If your harness is already removed, you could use citric acid, vinegar, etc to soak and clean. I personally had removed every piece of wiring and took the contacts out of the connectors to inspect for fraying, loose connections, broken shields, etc.  I wound up cleaning everything with a citric acid bath, small brass brush, sandpaper, and replacements when necessary.

The male terminals can be removed by pinching the sides and pushing from the front out the back.  The female terminals have a tab on the top that needs to be depressed from the engine bay side and pushed out the back. A small pick worked great for me. 

Before reassembly, I packed every socket in the bulkhead with dielectric, soldered each connection (to guarantee a solid connection that won't wind up corroding), coated each terminal in dielectric, and reinserted with a nice tug in each to ensure it wouldn't back out. 

Is it a little over-the-top... maybe.  Will I worry about my electrical system?  No.

[b5blue]

Hey, the bulkhead looks great. Has anyone tried to clean the female side of the bulkhead. Mine is pretty bad, and it really needs to be treated. I've never removed one, can I assume it needs to be removed from inside the car. And will there be enough room to allow for soaking the whole connector. I really don't want to pay the crazy high price for a new harness.

I did the bulkhead by unplugging everything and pulling it down. I whipped up a batch of mix and put it in a cut down plastic container that fit the bulkhead size. Put towels down to handle spilling and the flushing, you can prop the container up to let it soak. Just keep checking and when clean flush the heck out of it, you need to remove ANY mix from the hidden crimped areas or it will continue to bite and accelerate corrosion over time! (I really blast water in there several times with any old spray bottle into each connector and repeat with 91% alcohol at least 2-3 times. If you have a compressor blow everything out well after final rinsing and only treat with protection after fully bone dry. 
  For some reason the mix works MUCH better when fresh mixed, stuff I made even an hour earlier was real slow acting? 

[b5blue]

I just grabbed the box with my now removed dash harness and had a good look with a bright flashlight. I can clearly tell what I treated from what I left. After 4 years it still looks good. My camera sucks at close ups but I'll try over the weekend. 

[b5blue]

Just a heads up after many years zero issues from outlined treatment. Cleaned harnesses were even passed on to others when replaced.