Electric connections - how to clean/refinish them ?

[ohgood]

I've had some electrics gremilns lately, and it seems to be corrosion for the few years in florida, then never ending rainy days in hot alabama. Some of the connectors are TINY, and some of them are near impossible to get my wire brush in, so---

Please list how you clean corrosion from your electric connections here-

[joshr08]

electrical contact cleaner and then electrical grease.

[crazyfish]

For some of the plugs I think the little metal bits inside are removable, and you can get replacements for next to nothing on fleabay (like pennies for a bag of 100). Ive done it with other plugs like them (although never really tried it on my GS so they might not be removable).

If you know how to run a soldering iron and have a spare hour or two then you can have brand new contacts and not have to worry about it for a few years again 

[ohgood]

For some of the plugs I think the little metal bits inside are removable, and you can get replacements for next to nothing on fleabay (like pennies for a bag of 100). Ive done it with other plugs like them (although never really tried it on my GS so they might not be removable).

If you know how to run a soldering iron and have a spare hour or two then you can have brand new contacts and not have to worry about it for a few years again 

i did heat up the main relays contacts and (i think) repair a couple of cold soldered joints. that, and spraying wd-40 in to the relay and beating it on the concrete steps seems to have helped. wasnt sure if it was the relay or the connections, but they're both clean and well dressed now.

thanks to you joshr08 also. i'm picking up some cleaner this weekend. didn't realize it could knock off the corrosion INSIDE a plastic connector but apparently it can.

thanks all

[johnny ro]

With all due respect contact cleaner used in electronics industry is weak stuff and wont really help once you have oxidized metal.

New connector is great idea including new pin ends.

If its oddball part, heating with solder iron, after saturating with solder flux, can boil off oxides, letting you tin the thing and reassemble or splice etc. A clunky repair but cas get the job done.

Dielectric grease is highly recommended for every connection on the bike, new or used.  It keeps water out. Its multi-weight vaseline - squeezes OK in low temps and does not run in high temps. Wrap the new tube in duct tape before opening the tip. Mine, Permatex, has metal tube material and cracks, splits without the tape.

[johnny ro]

This works with cold solder joints. 

My then-newish 1994 VW Jetta failed entirely, no nothing, intermittently, bad joint on main relay. Bought new, it worked forevermore. Opened up old, had ring cracks around main feed posts.  Clearly labeled "Bosch".   $12 dollar part with $500 failure inconvenience.