Terminal Corrosion

[Rich (P303)]

My plug in wire connector to my Garmin Radar is showing signs of green. Left on mast rack exposed to the elements for over a year... radar dome was home. What would be a good cleaner to use with a toothbrush? It is a plug in +/- 6 pin connecter...similar to a CAT5. I was thinking of using vinegar.

 

[centerline]

if the vinegar gets farther into the wiring it will only cause further corrosion because its an acid....
a good detergent will help neutralize the corrosion, and a good electrical grease will stop it.... scrub and scrape it the best that you can. if y uuse water to rinse it, make absolutey certain its dry and then use the protective grease to keep the atmosphere away from it. it will be unable to continue without moisture and oxygen...

 

[Maine Sail]

DeoxIt D5.. Probably the best course of action is to re-terminate.... When you leave it on the mast rack next time use some self amalgamating tape to seal the connector..

 

[Sailvayu]

Try some electrical contact cleaner you can get from Radio Shack. that with the tooth brush should do a good job if it is not too bad. Might want to test it if it is up the mast to save you aggravation later.

 

[Rich (P303)]

Thanks for the response. The issue was sort of a false alarm. Mast was sitting out there for 1.5 years in the mast rack, while I worked on the house (bottom job, varnish... that kind of stuff). I purchased some D5, climbed up the mast rack and went to it... did a great job on the contacts. However, what I was actually seeing from afar was the green and blue wire thru the clear plug in! The D5 did a great job... so I hit everything that could come apart. Picked it up at the Guitar Center. Hard to find...except online. Good stuff!