How to clean Electrical plug connections ?

[ragtop69gs]

Whats the best way to clean all the molex plug connections? most are too small for sandpaper,file or wire brush. Also, whats the easiest way to get the connectors out of the plug body?

[MikeWa]

Clean with an aerosol can of CRC electrical terminal cleaner. Spray and blow dry. There are a variety release tools available at electrical supply stores. Use the proper one for your connector. The salesman can show you how they work. When going back together be sure to use dielectric.

 

Mike

[MiCarl]

Jay,

 

I generally use a spray electronics cleaner. They're available in the auto section of most stores and of course the auto parts stores. Generally I grab CRC brand at Wal Mart.

 

There is a special tool to get the pins out of the connectors. I find it doesn't work so well, probably because I don't do enough to get into practice. I generally spray cleaner in/on both sides of the connector and plug/unplug them a few times.

 

DO NOT USE DIELECTRIC GREASE! Contrary to popular belief it is an insulator at low voltages.

[gggGary]

I like this article on grease in connectors, sounds sensible to me...

http://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm

I like to hit a connector with garage door lube or any light lube handy before trying to get it apart any lube really helps unstick the 2 pieces.

[Flyinfool]

Jay,

 

I generally use a spray electronics cleaner. They're available in the auto section of most stores and of course the auto parts stores. Generally I grab CRC brand at Wal Mart.

 

There is a special tool to get the pins out of the connectors. I find it doesn't work so well, probably because I don't do enough to get into practice. I generally spray cleaner in/on both sides of the connector and plug/unplug them a few times.

 

DO NOT USE DIELECTRIC GREASE! Contrary to popular belief it is an insulator at low voltages.

 

The special tool for getting pins out is nothing more than a piece of tubing, that slides over the pin to depress the locking tab, mounted in a pretty, and easy to hold handle. I have often used a very tiny jewelers screwdriver to reach in and depress the locking tab to remove the pin. It is not nearly as fast or elegant as the tool, especially in tight places, but then I am not taking pins out for a living where time matters. You have to look closely at the pin and socket to figure out how they are held in, once you see and understand the system it is simple to release it.

 

 

Ahhh, Dielectric Grease. This subject is closely related to oil, tires, politics and religion when it comes to discussions.

But I will toss in my 2¢ anyhow.

Dielectric grease is supposed to be an insulator, It is an insulator at both low and high voltages, That much we can agree on, that is also why it works in connectors. It was invented and made to be put into connectors to keep water and air out. Dielectric grease does not add anything to a connection, but then it also does not degrade anything from that same connection either. What it does do is keep air and water away from the connection so that corrosion can not get started. It does nothing to help an already corroded or otherwise bad connection. The use of dielectric grease in a connector requires that the connector is already capable of making a good connection. IF the application of dielectric grease does degrade the connection then there were already other issues with that connection. Dielectric grease is very thin and a good connection will push it out of the way and still be an equally good connection but now sealed against air and water intrusion. I doubt anyone on this site can show me a case where they can even measure an increased voltage drop or increased resistance from using Dielectric grease on one of our bike connectors that is already clean and making a good connection. Now come back in 5 years of being out in the weather and road dirt and salt spray if you got close to the ocean, and make that same measurement and see which connector held up better.

 

Of course there are applications where dielectric grease is not the appropriate thing to use and would be very bad to use. Our multi pin connectors are one of the places dielectric grease should be used. The only places it should not be used on our bikes is on the switch contacts of high power switches like the inside of relays and inside of the solenoid were arcing during make or break is likely, but those are generally sealed and you can not put it there anyhow.

 

There are "conductive greases" available, actually the grease is still an insulator, but they add powdered metals to add some conductivity, You do NOT want to use conductive grease in your multi pin connectors since it just takes a smear or fingerprint of it in the wrong place to short things out and if it is not the correct type for the specific connection it can make things worse than using nothing at all.

 

If dielectric grease was so bad in a connector, why is it used in aircraft connectors, Why is it used by every auto maker, Why is it used in marine connectors? Surely that many engineers cant all be wrong, or can they?

Here is some good reading on dielectric grease myths.

[bongobobny]

Jay, use liberal amounts of spray contact cleaner and rapidly connect/disconnect the connectors a few times before the cleaner dries, and repeat. This action sort of does the same thing sanding (not a good idea) does or wiping does. OK to use dielectric grease on the plastic connector to waterproof, but do NOT get the grease ON the metal connector parts, as previously stated it is an INSULATOR, not a conductor

[M61A1MECH]

Jay,

Each type of connector can have different means of locking the contact pin or socket in the housings. As noted above, generally there is a small wing(s) or tab on the contact itself that needs to be depressed to allow it to slip past the locking the shoulder it locks on. Sometimes you have to push the wire in from the back a little to get the locking tab off of the shoulder. Some connector bodies (plastic part) have the locking tabs in them and there is a recess in the pin or socket that the plastic tab drops into, those you just push the tab up out of the way and pull the contact out. This applies to most Japanese connectors like Hitachi that is common to Yamaha. If you do in fact have a MOLEX connector they take a very specific type of tool that is a hollow tube style to depress both wings and also have a push rod or spring loaded pusher that pushes the contact out. Visit this site http://www.cycleterminal.com/index.html to get a look at the various tools you can buy, but for simple Hitachi style connectors a very small bladed jewelers screw driver or sturdy piece of small wire with a screwdriver shape filed on the end should work to depress the tabs.

 

Avoid any sort of abrasive like sand paper , use contact cleaner and a lint free cloth, I general use connector grease that you can get from auto parts stores, they sell it for putting on connectors for boat trailers and for putting in the light sockets on boat trailers where the lights get submerged when the boat is launched or retrieved at the ramp.

 

If you are not sure what you have , send me some photos and I will try to ID them for you and recommend a suitable tool.

[Du-Rron]

These folks know nothing of what they are talking about.

 

1. Using pliers, wire cutters, or a hammer, release the pins from the connector.

2. Spread the female sides apart and sand paper the gold or tin plating from the connector. Sand the male sides as well.

3 Forget the di-electric grease either conductive or not. Spray liberally with Flex-Seal, the stuff you can use to make a boat out of a screen door with.

4. Reassemble the connectors together and crimp them together with the pliers. Forget about using molex connectors, just make them all direct.

5. To assure a weather tight connection, wrap with duct-tape for 3 inches either side of the pins being sure to triple wrap the actual connector part so that the wiring looks like a snake swallowed a bowling ball.

6. Done.

[ragtop69gs]

These folks know nothing of what they are talking about.

 

1. Using pliers, wire cutters, or a hammer, release the pins from the connector.

2. Spread the female sides apart and sand paper the gold or tin plating from the connector. Sand the male sides as well.

3 Forget the di-electric grease either conductive or not. Spray liberally with Flex-Seal, the stuff you can use to make a boat out of a screen door with.

4. Reassemble the connectors together and crimp them together with the pliers. Forget about using molex connectors, just make them all direct.

5. To assure a weather tight connection, wrap with duct-tape for 3 inches either side of the pins being sure to triple wrap the actual connector part so that the wiring looks like a snake swallowed a bowling ball.

6. Done.

Have you been watching over my shoulder?! The only thing I might add is that you forgot the super glue to hold the plug halves together when reassembling.

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[bongobobny]

Also be sure to drop liberal amounts of solder balls over the connector to make them more stable for vibrations...

[Du-Rron]

Have you been watching over my shoulder?! The only thing I might add is that you forgot the super glue to hold the plug halves together when reassembling.

 

[camos]

To get back on topic, it is rarely necessary to actually have to pull the pins or sockets out of the body of the plug to clean them. A liberal spray of contact cleaner followed by several insertions should be enough. If there is a lot of corrosion then sure, pull the pins and clean them using something like Scotch pads that will do minimal damage to the metal. When reconnecting the connector it is not necessary to put dielectric grease on the pins although, as has been mentioned, you can. Where you want to put the grease is on the back side where the wires go into the connector as in fill it up. As well, a bit of grease on the male part of the plug body will help keep water from wicking into the plug and also make it easier to disconnect it in the future.

 

5. To assure a weather tight connection, wrap with duct-tape for 3 inches either side of the pins being sure to triple wrap the actual connector part so that the wiring looks like a snake swallowed a bowling ball.

This is almost good advice if you really do want a watertight connection. A layer of good vinyl electrical tape with a half overlap then a layer of silicon caulking. After that sets up another layer of tape covered with silicon will make a connection that can be submerged for about a year. After 30 years fighting with bilge pumps and other hostile wiring issues on boats I can say that will work.