Female spade terminal cleaner?

carl

carl

True Classic
The wires that plug into the white plastic four way main harness connector have corroded female connectors and they are very hard to get them clean of corrosion and dirt to make a good connection. Is there a chemical I can use to get them looking factory fresh? I guess this would actually apply to cleaning any female spade connectors.
 
That is an interesting question. I've tried several brands/types of electrical component/contact cleaners (along the lines of what Don noted). Both spray and liquid brush-on versions. Most say they remove oxidation, corrosion, or other surface contaminants to improve conductivity and reduce resistance. But I have never known if they actually work as described. If a connector has visible build-up on it (like greenish tarnish), it does not seem to go away after using these products. And the very act of separating and reinstalling the connector pretty much cleans the contact surfaces enough (physically) to make it work again anyway. So did the cleaner do much? No idea. If possible I believe it is far better to scrub the contact surfaces clean. I have a couple very tiny round brushes that can get into the two "barrel" portions of many female connectors. And I brush the other reachable aspects of them with a small regular wire brush. A little 'wheel' brush in a Dremel also works well. Then I liberally spray some of the cleaner product on it, in the hopes it does some good. But I think the biggest factor is to tighten the clamping force of the connector by bending the 'barrels' closer to the base with pliers before reconnecting. I've read that the physical scraping of the two components against one another as they are assembled cleans the contact surfaces.

Another product I like to use after cleaning is a conductive grease. This is NOT dielectric grease. Do a little research; dielectric grease is actually NON-conductive. It does prevent future corrosion and prevents the connector from seizing together. But it does not enhance the transfer of electrons, in fact it actually insulates. "Conductive grease" on the other hand has carbon/graphite in it to improve electrical conduction and enhance electron transfer. It fills the voids between the two connector components creating full surface contact. Plus it offers the same benefits of protection and lubrication mentioned with dielectric grease. But be aware it will also transfer contact between terminals on multi-pin connectors. So either use a very tiny dab of it inside each pin's female portion (like with a toothpick or small syringe), or don't use it on multi connectors that have lots of very small terminals (eg. ECU plug). I've had the same tube of this stuff for many years and only used about a fifth of it, and half of that was accidently wasted. A little bit goes a long way.
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seems like I play this game a lot with X1/9s. I went through most connectors on my '85 & all the connectors on my '79 (since, after all, it had been in about 3' of water at one time). Most I removed from the connectors & cleaned w/ a Dremel & put back in place. Somewhere along the way I purchased some new ends to replace the worst ones and I also used DeOxit and in many cases dialectric grease (hopefully protecting from future corrosion, NOT impeding a good connection)all around the outside. I like this conductive grease concept & probably will buy some now!
 
I think dielectric grease is better than no protection, especially around the outside of things. And the physical contact made between connector components will push the grease away as they slide together. So it will work internally as well. But the studies I read showed how the conductive grease improved the current flow over dielectric grease. Which seems a definite advantage to me.

Interestingly "dielectric grease" is actually simple silicone grease. The same stuff used for O-rings, seals, high temp applications, brake pad mounting, and so much more. But you can buy a very large tube of silicone grease for a fraction of the cost of a tiny tube of dielectric grease....marketing. However even more interesting, the conductive grease I talked about is also silicone grease but with a ton of carbon dust added. And it is even more expensive than dielectric grease. I don't know how much carbon costs, but it seems like someone is making a lot of money on all of these products.

I should also note that carbon/graphite mixed with silicone grease creates a very messy product. The black color of the carbon gets on everything it touches. And the silicone makes it a little hard to clean off. Need to use some caution to prevent a unwanted stain on something.
 
The only thing you DON't want to do is clean by removing (scraping/brushing/sanding) the coating on the terminals. Dollar bill is abrasive enough to remove contact crud on spade style terminals. If the coating is gone due to corrosion, best to cut them out & replace for any mission-critical connection.
 
Good point Huss. Are you referring to a brass coated metal or a aluminum connector with a coating? The source I get a lot of my crimp type from are solid brass without a coating. The solder type are different. But if the terminals are coated then I agree it is better to leave it on amd clean them chemically.
 
Jimmy II said:
IMO
Crimping in a new connecter is so easy, if there is enough wire, just replace and restart the 35 year clock.
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Agreed, this is the best method. Connectors are plated to enhance the connection and prevent corrosion. Once this plating is gone, the connector oxidizes quickly and the resistance increases (oxides are insulators). You can sometimes get away with cleaning and application of an anti-oxidant but this fix won't last long in an outside environment where there is moisture or humidity.

Brian
 
carl said:
The wires that plug into the white plastic four way main harness connector have corroded female connectors and they are very hard to get them clean of corrosion and dirt to make a good connection. Is there a chemical I can use to get them looking factory fresh? I guess this would actually apply to cleaning any female spade connectors.
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I cut hem away as well and got some screw connectors from Home Depot that fit in the same spot https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/boxes-fittings-and-conduit/lugs/3527926 better connection that doesn't overheat, though not factory original
 
ArtBasement said:
I cut hem away as well and got some screw connectors from Home Depot that fit in the same spot https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/boxes-fittings-and-conduit/lugs/3527926 better connection that doesn't overheat, though not factory original
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That link brings up a product designed for connecting 2 aluminum conductors and one copper conductor together. If you are using the factory copper wiring in the two end slots made for aluminum wire, you run the risk of galvanic corrosion because of the differences in work function of the two metals. I am sure there is a similar product you can use that is designed for all copper wiring. That one is specifically designed so a copper wire can be joined to two aluminum wires and avoid galvanic corrosion.
 
dllubin said:
That link brings up a product designed for connecting 2 aluminum conductors and one copper conductor together. If you are using the factory copper wiring in the two end slots made for aluminum wire, you run the risk of galvanic corrosion because of the differences in work function of the two metals. I am sure there is a similar product you can use that is designed for all copper wiring. That one is specifically designed so a copper wire can be joined to two aluminum wires and avoid galvanic corrosion.
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The manufacturer (King Innovation) writes on their web site that the part is:
  • Suitable for aluminum to aluminum, aluminum to copper, and copper to copper wire splices
 
ng_randolph said:
The manufacturer (King Innovation) writes on their web site that the part is:
  • Suitable for aluminum to aluminum, aluminum to copper, and copper to copper wire splices
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The photo shows two Al contacts and one Cu contact in the center. These also cost much more than many products designed for Cu to Cu connections.
 
The white main connector box with four lugs takes an oversize female spade connector. Anyone know where these can be sourced?
 
Spade (FASTON) are typically self cleaning every time you insert it, assuming the female connector is still within tolerance (the formed contacts). It's only making connection on a very small section.

For replacements - I didn't measure the width of the terminal, but my favourite place to buy anything like this is Digikey. They sell the OE stuff (TE/TYCO/AMP was an OE supplier to the auto industry, they still are!)

https://www.digikey.ca/products/en/...tity=&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&pageSize=25


If you click on the link, be aware that there are 3 widths selected - up to 3/8" wide. Make sure of the width before you order (if you choose to buy new). I have the crimper for these, just a cheap one off Ebay that does a fairly good job of crimping.


I do use 3M Silicone paste for some connections, but otherwise I've used this stuff from Grote on exterior connectors (not on my X1/9 so much, but other applications)

https://www.grote.com/products/99170-ultra-seal-corrosion-preventive-sealant-4-oz-118-ml-tube/



I second the Deoxit type contact cleaners, they work well. Kinda smelly (and nasty!) but they work! They're also mildly conductive, at least that's what I've experienced. Once they dry they're fine. Cheers!
 
carl said:
The white main connector box with four lugs takes an oversize female spade connector. Anyone know where these can be sourced?
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Carl, on mine one of the wires overheated and melted the plastic housing as well as the wire's insulation. So I replaced the whole thing; plastic connector housing with all new (large size) terminals. I think I posted about it a long time ago. The terminals (spade connectors) are actually metric, but I'm sure US size ones will work. Although I really don't care about originality, the stuff I used is exactly like the original components (and metric). I bought all of it online directly from the manufacturer in China. Very inexpensive with free shipping, came in about a week. I might still have the resource I used around here, send me a message if you are interested.
 
dllubin said:
The photo shows two Al contacts and one Cu contact in the center. These also cost much more than many products designed for Cu to Cu connections.
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I like these since they are insulated, compact and locally available. I don't see any difference between the center contact and the other 2. The whole thing is filled with some sort of silicone or grease (di-electric?). Do you have a link to a similar one for copper?
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Good point Huss. Are you referring to a brass coated metal or a aluminum connector with a coating? The source I get a lot of my crimp type from are solid brass without a coating. The solder type are different. But if the terminals are coated then I agree it is better to leave it on amd clean them chemically.
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Yes - coated. I have bought the plain brass spades (cheap on eBay if you can wait) to replace stock connections on the X - but for anything newer I use Timer / MiniTimer connectors which are all coated and have spring tensioners to maintain excellent contacts. For newer cars like my C30 that have significant issues if the resistance values of the connectors are anything but perfect I've made sure to buy the factory connectors which could be AMP, Sumitomo, Yazaki, etc.
 
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