cleaning wiring harness connections????

[hhshort]

Just finished searching "melted harness". I guess "DooDoo occurs" to others as well as me.

I just finished a spine lube, got the sidecar reattached and was chasing a few electrical projects and gremlins on the 85 K100. I melted the main chassis harness and the right handle bar wire. I consider myself above average in mechanical and electrical competance. What that means is that it didn't take very long to figure out how I had screwed up.

Thanks to the BMWMOA forum flea market, I have aquired, in four days, a used harness. Some of the connections show slight white powder oxidation. My anal side says that the connectors should be cleaned. The lazy side says that if I just connect and then pull them apart a couple times they will self clean.

In the early days of K bikes there was talk of cleaning all the harness connections with wd40. Did any of you old timers do that and what was the result. Old Timer in Kansas

[PGlaves]

Just finished searching "melted harness". I guess "DooDoo occurs" to others as well as me.

I just finished a spine lube, got the sidecar reattached and was chasing a few electrical projects and gremlins on the 85 K100. I melted the main chassis harness and the right handle bar wire. I consider myself above average in mechanical and electrical competance. What that means is that it didn't take very long to figure out how I had screwed up.

Thanks to the BMWMOA forum flea market, I have aquired, in four days, a used harness. Some of the connections show slight white powder oxidation. My anal side says that the connectors should be cleaned. The lazy side says that if I just connect and then pull them apart a couple times they will self clean.

In the early days of K bikes there was talk of cleaning all the harness connections with wd40. Did any of you old timers do that and what was the result. Old Timer in Kansas

There are some really electronic savvy folks that can chime in with some specialty products. I buy CRC brand electric motor cleaner and CRC brand electronics cleaner at the local auto parts stores (O'Reilly or Auto Zone). With a little compressed air those products do a good job of cleaning connections. That plus simply disconnecting and reconnecting the cleaned connections a couple of times. When traveling I use WD40 which isn't ideal but gets the job done until I get home.

[hhshort]

Thanks Paul. I used CRC QD cleaner and it promises to protect. However I used toothpick dops of silicon grease on some of the connectors that seem to be more prone to corrosion.

I needed to splice the sidecar harness into tail light pigtail and replaced the gas tank connector from the old harness. That connector is one of the "85 uniquenesses"

I have the harness snaked back in and will be cable tying tomorrow. I have about 6 hours in it now and maybe 6 more to put the back together. I also think I have 4 hours of computer time in it as well.

With at least two more snow storms, a Hawaiian cruise, and a medical procedure coming up this spring; my only hurry is to get it back together before I forget.

[2old2rockNroll]

Hi,

Kbikes need very clean connections, particularly those powering the EFI. A very small amount of oxidation can leave you standing along the interstate in say, Kansas, with a wistful look on your face.

Every couple of seasons I will pull the tank and go through the wiring harness. Most of the connectors are under there on a k100.

Clean Every Connector You Can find.

1. Pull the connector, give it a shot of contact cleaner (Permatex 24378)

2. Wipe dry with q-tips...eyeball it, if it is not shiny, make it so with 800 grit wet n dry. give it another shot of contact cleaner...

3. Give both parts a liberal coating of dielectric grease (Permatex 67HV)

4. reassemble...I tape the connectors &give them a shot of Armorall

I also wipe the sparkplug boot with dielectric to keep out moisture and a bit on light bulb bases when installing will insure they never stick in the socket...


disclaimer

( some electronics people insist that dielectric grease is a no-no because it is non-conductive...and who wants to squish in a non-conductive material in a situation where you seek to promote conductivity....the answer is : you do. A properly fitted connection will push the grease out of the way and it will neither add nor detract from the conductivity of the connection. It will exclude moisture from the connection, however and allow it to stay shiny and workable for years. Moisture is what causes corrosion, dielectric stops it. and yes, I use it on the multi-pin connectors to the EFI box, no problems.

some maintain there is no difference between dielectric grease and 'grease'. There is. Dielectric grease is an inert compound of silicones resistant to heat and vibration. 'Grease' is not. Something like Vaseline will melt and run over everything while the hydrocarbons in it deteriorate wires and boots. Use the right stuff, ride without fear. )


JCB

[tommcgee]

( some electronics people insist that dielectric grease is a no-no because it is non-conductive...

Electronic people here...

If you're going to use a grease-based product, you might as well use one designed to increase conductivity that has copper particles in it.

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1599/.f?sc=2&category=185

For light duty use, cleaner/deoxidant DeOxit from Caig is as good as you'll find.

There are a lot of products out there that will get sticky and gummy with age. These are typically silicone based. Read the manufacturer's product data/information sheet before you buy anything and blitz your entire bike with it. Product data sheets can usually be found online.

[hhshort]

Yes 2-2-R-R I know the look and and the OH-Shucky-Darn feeling. It was in Wis and Ok and the worst was at a sidecar rally in Kansas. There I had at least a doz advisors with a doz opinions. The problem was cured by unplugging the EFI connector, adding a little Diaelectric grease and plugging it back in. I think that is what cured it because that was 2 1/2 years ago.

Thank You Tom, But the deed is done and I used Diaelectric grease sparingly (I didn't blitz the harness). I have seen mucked up connectors where the grease has been squeezed out. I am going to look for the deox-IT stuff for future maintenence.

[tommcgee]

Thank You Tom, But the deed is done and I used Diaelectric grease sparingly (I didn't blitz the harness). I have seen mucked up connectors where the grease has been squeezed out. I am going to look for the deox-IT stuff for future maintenence.

Amazon. I keep a small container of that copper particle grease on the bike so it will be handy when I start taking things apart.

[pffog]

Great ideas on preserving, but if terminals are heavily oxidized only mechanical cleaning will do.

For the male terminals some needle files or if there is room a dremel tool with a piece of abrasive works, for female ends, a really thin needle file. Or every ignition point fans favorite, some flexstone (I think they still make it) works well.

Once clean, there are thousands of preservative products available, many listed above

[tommcgee]

For the male terminals some needle files or if there is room a dremel tool with a piece of abrasive works, for female ends, a really thin needle file.

Be careful what you attack with a procedure like this. Many/most connectors are plated and the plating is not any thicker than 50 micro-inches.

Better to use something like crocus cloth if you can find it.

[spidermike0]

This is what I have found that works well for me.
There is a air tool called an air eraser, it is basically a very very small sand blaster.
It uses much finer grit though. Some come with an aluminum oxide powder that cleans very well, I also use bead blaster beads that are used in bead blast cabinets.
This tool uses very low air pressure & depending on the grit you select will clean the contact to new quality & not remove what you want to keep. Gets in all the nooks & cranny's & can be simply cleaned up with a blast of air, or vacuum. This also works on corroded bulb bases.
The aluminum oxide I find works faster but can be conductive, so good cleanup is a must.
The Glass bead blast media is non conductive.
Both of these products make smooth cement floors like a skating rink!!!
PROPER SAFETY GEAR IS A MUST. THIS WILL GET IN YOUR EYES & IS VERY SHARP.
With the proper setup of air pressure the parts can be held in your hand like small connectors & the abrasive will bounce off of your fingers without much damage, although gloves are best.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Mike

[Ted]

Anyone know if Deox-IT is available at national retail places like AutoZone, West Marine or even Wal-Mart?

[ragtoplvr]

I have had very good luck with stabilant 22A

http://www.stabilant.com/

Very expensive, but had a 86 Monte SS that ran like crap in the rain, using dielectric silicone grease helped, but still problems. This stuff fixed it and it stayed fixed. I used it on some intermittent computers and an old computer sign too with great success.

Expensive, and will dry up if left in the garage for 10 years(DAMHIK) or I would offer you some, like brylcreem, a little dab will do ya.

Rod

[Omega Man]

Connections are a problem especially with the salt-now with liquid calcium sticking agent- here in the northeast. When they are bad I find things like a wooden match, a .22 cal brass cleaning brush, or even a q-tip chucked-up in a cordless drill are a real help for the clean up of the small connections.:bolt

[tommcgee]

Anyone know if Deox-IT is available at national retail places like AutoZone, West Marine or even Wal-Mart?

If you have a Guitar Center near you, you can usually find it there. It's a staple for keeping audio connections clean and noise free.

[warredon]

Anyone know if Deox-IT is available at national retail places like AutoZone, West Marine or even Wal-Mart?


From RadioShack, Click Here (http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=deoxit&origkw=deoxit&sr=1).