What do y'all use to clean the metal connectors that go into the bulkhead on either side of the fw?

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supersoap33

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FW means "firewall." I'm putting in a new bulkhead and the connectors look tarnished. Clean, replace? Tell me how you got good contact.
 
There are aerosol electrical contact cleaners out there on the market and any auto or electrical parts place worth a chit will carry at least one type. I've got one here I've used made by CRC and it works pretty good and it's never hurt anything automotive I've used it on including bulkheads, but there are certain types of plastic that it is harmful to, I used it on a mini flashlight battery housing that holds the 3 triple AAA's and it first just froze it, then it just disintegrated into pieces, and I've been leery of it ever since.

You can always take real small round wire brushes to clean and provide a good contact surface just to be on the safe side.
 
I've used the contact cleaner before and I'm a believer. I also bought a set of MAC terminal cleaning files recently from a member here. They will be a great asset along with the cleaner.
 
Unpin one wire at a time, scrub with a fine steel wire brush and CLR from lowes or home depot. Rinse w water and blow out with compressed air. Squeeze the female spade slightly closed so it fits tighter. Rebend the tab that clips it in to the plastic housing. And repin it. Then unpin the next wire and repeat. Do one at a time. It's very slow going, but is the most thorough way to do it.
 
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Cleaning bulkhead connectors

Also this may be helpful
question on the main harness plug on firewall

I've also been using Deoxit products more recently. Some of them leave a residual protective coating on the metal. This was after discovering dielectric grease is not actually always a good protection against moisture. Its good for spark plug boots and high voltage situations, but not a moisture seal.
 
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This stuff works really well.

AED94E54-430C-48A9-8290-8E5B96175450.jpeg
 
Just watched a restoration video recently where lemon juice was used on terminals (the kind the grocery store sells in the bottles). Personally, I have not used lemon juice.
 
Mattax said:
Cleaning bulkhead connectors

Also this may be helpful
question on the main harness plug on firewall

I've also been using Deoxit products more recently. Some of them leave a residual protective coating on the metal. This was after discovering dielectric grease is not actually always a good protection against moisture. Its good for spark plug boots and high voltage situations, but not a moisture seal.
Click to expand...
That's what the cable company has used for 30 years on their booted outdoor fittings...it doesn't work as a moisture barrier anymore? I've taken some crusty fitting apart and they are usually still bright silver under that crap. IIRC Mopar used axle grease later in the life of the the square era trucks in their firewall plugs.
 
pishta said:
That's what the cable company has used for 30 years on their booted outdoor fittings...it doesn't work as a moisture barrier anymore? I've taken some crusty fitting apart and they are usually still bright silver under that crap. IIRC Mopar used axle grease later in the life of the the square era trucks in their firewall plugs.
Click to expand...
Pishta. I don't know. Maybe different formulations?? Some with better moisture protection??
or maybe they make good seals (like on the boots) but not so good in direct contact???

Here's one of connector plugs I had used dielectric grease in a few years before. I was disappointed seeing this.
upload_2021-5-30_11-2-43.png


It's interesting you mention an axle grease on the trucks. My AMC era Grand Wagoneer has a dark brown grease inisde its firewall connector. Terminals actually look pretty good.
upload_2021-5-30_10-59-59.png
 
Green is oxide, oxide as in oxygen...lack of oxygen is a lack of oxide. That's where the grease comes in, it should fully encapsulate the contacts blocking any O2 contact. Telco figured it out and our new house jacks all have a goo in them now that surrounds the contacts, looks like crystal clear jello. Its nice because it doesnt flow, it just displaces like a blob of kids slime and pops back into form when you pull the plug.
 
Be careful what you use. Stuff like lemon juice is acidic, so you have to be able to completely neutralize it. Another "made for purpose" terminal grease is the aniti-ox sold by all electrical supplyhouses--and last I knew, Lowes/ HD. This has long been known for use with aluminum terminals

Frankly, many times if terminals LOOK bad enough that they need cleaned, they are really beyond cleaning. This is because stuff like pitting on the surface DECREASES the contact area....and the current handling cabability of the terminal. Replacement of the terminal is the correct answer.

My first bad experience with the infamous Mopar bulkhead/ ammeter was way WAY back in the early 70's. My own 70RR failed the bulkhead connections AND the ammeter started to become damaged because of the plastic housing on the Ralley (Charger style) cluster. This obviously is before Al Gore invented the internet. I drilled through the connector body and ran larger gauge wire "straight through" the thing.
 
Not a fan of filing or sand paper on terminals. Most terminals have some sort of corosion protection on them, tinning or plating or the like.

Anything that aggressive will create a starting point for more corosion.
 
Brasso is excellent for cleaning most any kind of oxidation from most any kind of metal, especially copper and brass. A little Brasso on a Q tip will clean them right up.
 
When I had that problem a while back, I just glass bead blasted the bulkhead connectors, sprayed everything with lithium grease, and plug it together. Never had an issue after that.
 
In the '70's I worked as an installer for Cox Communications, at the cable line tap, we used Silicone grease. Dow Corning #4. It also works great on oil filter gaskets, you would never use oil again to lube the gasket.
 
I have use this pencil for cleaning electrical connecters, works great for getting into bulb sockets. Long strands of fiberglass with a knob on one end, like an ever-sharp to adjust strand length..
KTI-70550

pencil.jpg
 
I have soda blasted connectors, and then contact cleaner followed with compressed air. Then a grote electrical sealant.
 
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