Any tips for cleaning up wiring?

Anyone got some tips for cleaning 39+ years of dirt on crimps and terminals?

Not really keen on using sand paper on every single crimp and terminal.

Thanks
Rob

Cut them off and crimp some new lugs on would prob be quicker.That cuts the sanding in half I guess. I am just about to do the same thing so I be intrested in what others do to.

It will take you a lot less effort clean the current terminals with steel wool etc than changing them plus the factory terminals wil be better than the elcheapo narva ones not to mention what you can spend on a decent set of crimpers

I think it is a CRC product that you can get called "terminal cleaner", we get it from Repco, spray it on, it eats all the crud off of the terminial and then there is another spray "terminal protector" that you can spray on after you have reassembled theconnection

57 oval wrote:I think it is a CRC product that you can get called "terminal cleaner", we get it from Repco, spray it on, it eats all the crud off of the terminial and then there is another spray "terminal protector" that you can spray on after you have reassembled theconnection

I'd go this way, dont cut the og off unless they are damaged. You will still need a good set of crimpers, the elcheapo are crap, and will create more problems than they're worth.

if you have access to nitric acid get a small jar of it and dip the terminal in was of under running water

will bring them up like new

use prepsol to remove and paint n crud from the wires and covering

works a treat

The nitric acid sounds really good but don't have access to it that I'm know of. Unless I find some other product that has nitric acid in it.
Is the CRC product the one for cleaning battery terminals?

crc contact cleaner and then 5-56 to protect.
scrub with a green scourer

spray on brake and tyre cleaner ...shit will take paint off anything it touches.....be carefull though🤘

bead blasting brings them back to new with no damage.

I'm going to be doing it with the wiring in the car, so my options are a bit limited. I will probably give a try with the crc contact cleaner.

I was speaking to a fellow at work who was a former biologist, and he reckons I should be able to obtain some nitric acid from some scientific suppliers with not too much difficulty. But he also mentioned that he has seen a 20 cent coin almost dissolved in the acid!

He also said that hydrochloric acid may do the trick also.

What about Coca Cola?

rob53 wrote:Anyone got some tips for cleaning 39+ years of dirt on crimps and terminals?

Not really keen on using sand paper on every single crimp and terminal.

Thanks
Rob

thats normally the only way...
as the copper wire becomes contaminated...

the acid thing may do it... not My cup of tea though..
very dangerous..


cutting the ends off and re soldering and crimping new terminals usually won't work with badly contaminated copper..
. if its nice and shiney looking then it should be OK
then again, acid should clean the copper so it can be soldered...

best of luck

Lee

PS: Prepsol cleans the pvc covering excellent..

VWCOOL wrote:What about Coca Cola?

Nice drink... lol

many people used to use it back in the 60s for just about everything..
including washing greasy overalls etc....

LEE

Vinegar, we used to soak copper based coins in them as kids and they would come up real shiny. It should work just as good with brass terminals as well as being mild enough not to have to worry about safety issues.

Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid). It also may come in a diluted form. The acetic acid concentration typically ranges from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar[1] (typically 5%) and higher concentrations for pickling (up to 18%). Natural vinegars also contain small amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. [wikipedia]


Also, I have found using a special toothbrush that is made for dentures has been very useful for cleaning small and hard to get at parts, you can get them in supermarkets. The bristles are much stiffer than a normal toothbrush.




Regards,

Matt.

my 65 Sea blue after using nitric n water

makes all the electrics work properly

"tarn off"

Nice vw54, those terminals are shiny! Which percentage acid did you use if you know?

Hey I got a bottle of tarn off sitting at home, I might just give that a quick try too.

The coke and vinegar ideas sound good, but the terminals can't be soaked cause their still attached to the car, and it's my daily driver, but it's worth a shot.

I'll definitely use the prepsol for cleaning the plastic. It's the best! It's like the wd40 of cleaning products!

I told u it was the best

I dont know the strength as i got it from the Electro plating section in Qantas many years ago

Its about a vegimite bottle of the stuff

I would imiigine it would be 50 percent strength but make sure you dont leave on tooo long onle till it fizzes and then wash i did it in the enamel sink so it dont eat into the stainless steel

and use some rubber gloves and a mask just for protection

I think for some of the tuffer shit i dipped a few time but BRAND new when finished

forgot to say my 65 has ORIGIONAL wiring harnesses in it

they were all Second hand but all came up like new

OZ Towdster wrote:It will take you a lot less effort clean the current terminals with steel wool etc than changing them plus the factory terminals wil be better than the elcheapo narva ones not to mention what you can spend on a decent set of crimpers

good advice there
the alfoil that those those crimp on ones are made of degrades quickly, especially when out in the elements

9 times out of 10 if voltage loss isnt to a bad ground you will find severly corroded crimp connecters

the female spades also snap off easily with some brands cos they're so thin

only problem is the tool for crimping on the proper genuine connects is worth half the national debt which is why most people just use crimp connectors

just cleaning up original ones works wonders as birchs bug shows theyre still good after 40+years