How To Clean Electrical Connectors

[EasyGoingPat]

I am fixing an electrical fault on a BMW R1150R (2001). I have traced the fault to two wires that have abraded and shorted together where they enter the connector beneath the fuel tank. With a bit of tight fiddling I can repair the two damaged wires. The problem is trying to get a clean area to work. The whole area around a cluster of about six connectors is covered in some kind of black gunge. My guess is a previous owner has sprayed the area with something to keep out moisture and over time it has accumulated grime.

 

Can anyone recommend a good product and method for cleaning up this area, prior to beginning the fix?

 

Any advice is most welcome.

 

Kind wishes - Patrick

[RideWithStyles]

clear the worst off by hand, you might be able to get away using a cloth damp with paraffin but my safe suggestion would be to use electrical contact cleaner as it is pretty much safe on anything and leaves no residue so great for the wires your gonna be working on straight afterwards.

any small autofactor, some fuel stations might sell it or terrible places called halfords.

[husoi]

Unplug the battery and use some alcohol based liquid that won't affect the plastics

Alcohol will evaporate leaving the surface clean.

If safe to do, nail polish remover could work too although you have to be careful with painted surfaces and some plastics will get affected by it 

[Hairsy]

Similar to the above ...

 

I would start with alcohol, rubbing the area with a little children's paint brush if it's fiddly (I buy packs of 5 from Poundland!).

 

If that doesn't work then I'd step up to White Spirit and / or Paraffin. With either of these though, I'd then follow up with alcohol or brake cleaner.

 

Nail polish remover (acetone) can be good but, as mentioned above, I would worry about its effect on plastics so I'd be more cautious with that.

[S-Westerly]

409B Electrosolve although it does come in 20 litre drums. Really cleans crap off.

[EasyGoingPat]

Thank you for those replies. I will avail myself of those products and get to work (though maybe not yet the 409B).

 

Kind wishes - Patrick

16 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

clear the worst off by hand, you might be able to get away using a cloth damp with paraffin but my safe suggestion would be to use electrical contact cleaner as it is pretty much safe on anything and leaves no residue so great for the wires your gonna be working on straight afterwards.

any small autofactor, some fuel stations might sell it or terrible places called halfords.

 

15 hours ago, husoi said:

Unplug the battery and use some alcohol based liquid that won't affect the plastics

Alcohol will evaporate leaving the surface clean.

If safe to do, nail polish remover could work too although you have to be careful with painted surfaces and some plastics will get affected by it 

 

9 hours ago, Hairsy said:

Similar to the above ...

 

I would start with alcohol, rubbing the area with a little children's paint brush if it's fiddly (I buy packs of 5 from Poundland!).

 

If that doesn't work then I'd step up to White Spirit and / or Paraffin. With either of these though, I'd then follow up with alcohol or brake cleaner.

 

Nail polish remover (acetone) can be good but, as mentioned above, I would worry about its effect on plastics so I'd be more cautious with that.

 

6 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

409B Electrosolve although it does come in 20 litre drums. Really cleans crap off.

 

[keith1200rs]

409B Electrosolve also comes in a 12oz aerosol.

 

Plus there are other contact cleaners from companies such as Ambersil, Electrolube & Molykote

Edited April 4 by keith1200rs
Added info