Wire cleaner

[f121]

Is there some kind of spray on cleaner, for cleaning corrosion off copper wire?

Every few months I find myself working on some nasty vehicle electrics, where the corrosion goes back up the sleeving. Most recent one was this weekend, I borrowed my buddies trailer, hooked it up behind my truck and like every trailer ever, some of the lights don't work.

After a quick look, I spotted the wires twisted together and taped up - but when I stripped it back, the copper was black inside the sleeving as far as I could go. I scraped it cleaner with my pocket knife, but it was still pretty nasty and didn't want to take solder. Really wants rewiring, but if there was an easy way to clean up wire, it would hold it off for a while.

 

[Chucktin]

I've used a spray on battery terminal cleaner/preserver product. Does fair. But rewiring is sometimes the best answer.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Try a piece of 180 or 220 grit sand paper or a piece of Scotch Brite pad (the green one). That is what I use on corroded wires to get them cleaned up enough to get them to solder together.

If the wire is solid, use the sand paper in a twisting motion. If the wire is stranded, make sure the strands are not twisted together, but are all straight. Then pull the sand paper in a straight direction, starting from where the sheathing/insulation on the wire is and pull the sand paper outward.

After you get them clean, make sure to wipe the wires off to remove the particles of corrosion that were sanded off.

You're not trying to sand down the copper, but just remove the corrosion and **** off of the wire. It's not a spray on method, but it works pretty well for what you are talking about.

Jim

 

[TRWham]

I use DeoxIT for electronics and general automotive. It's good for contacts and such, but what you describe sounds like it's time to cut it back to clean copper and splice in some new wire.

 

[jeffmattero76]

Have you thought to try Brasso or something like that. I used to dip corroded copper pennies in that and they came out like new.

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk

 

[rlitman]

I use DeoxIT for electronics and general automotive. It's good for contacts and such, but what you describe sounds like it's time to cut it back to clean copper and splice in some new wire.

I too use DeoxIT, and that's the best stuff out there by far, but no chemical can fix the issue the OP describes.

FWIW, if you find yourself using copper in an environment that leads to oxidation, pre-treating with DeoxIT helps a little, but what helps even more is starting out with tinned wire.

 

[Milton Shaw]

The original GM computer cars starting having a problem with green crud on the computer boards. The weather pack connectors on the temp sensor were so waterproof that a leaking temp sensor would send antifreeze up the wire all the way to the computer board.. Black copper needs to be replaced in most applications. Sulfur will turn copper black in just a few days and ruin plumbing and A/C lines quickly in areas with a lot of sulfur in water systems.

 

[Lotek]

Once the corrosion starts travelling inside the insulation, it's done. On a trailer, redo with timed marine grade wire, one and done. I have seen coolant, oil and even gasoline in an ecm from leaking sensors and an injector, the last one was kinda scary, considering it was someone's momvan.

 

[Zeke]

clean aggressively with vingar, then rinse with a light solution of baking soda, followed by a rinse with distilled water, and lastly ISP.

 

[rlitman]

clean aggressively with vingar, then rinse with a light solution of baking soda, followed by a rinse with distilled water, and lastly ISP.

Vinegar will work on an exposed part (though I prefer mechanical cleaning), but the problem with this method is that the first liquid you use (the vinegar) will wick the furthest up between the strands. No amount of dipping in bicarbonate solution will ever reach as far up, so you've just made the problem even worse, deep inside the insulation.

 

[sberry]

Yes, the wire can be ruined. I use a lot of simple crimps and common building wire, even wire nuts but,,, I put the strange on the can of people eating oil and shoot them full of spray, sometimes before but always after. Instead of water going up them first thing it's light oil that capillaries up it,, sheds water, even old stuff looks new when cut in to.
It's fast and simple compared to other fussy stuff.

 

[rlitman]

Pre-treating with a water displacing oil is an option. A good one if wire nuts are involved. But the oil (or grease) can affect the subsequent adhesion of a double wall heat shrink, so I more often just work to keep my connectors dry.

 

[f121]

Thanks guys. Looks like there isn't a magic can of green black grime fixer.

 

[rlitman]

If you find it, I'll pay good money for it. As it is, DeoxIT is around $30 for a small aerosol can.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

I'll try to help, 43 year now retired electronic
Technician. Pocket knife!!!!! Two pieces heat shrink over wire. Strip about 1" insulation. Hold wire strands along finger. Scrape with knife at 90 degrees angle. When shiny clean, scrape some more.
Twist wires with western union splice. Apply liberal paste flux. Flux soldering iron tip. Dip solder in flux and solder. 60/40 solder works best clean wiped with a little scotch brite. Cool...mash splice gently with needle nose pliers so no wire ends sticking up. Heat shrink, one...cool...other on top, 1/2" beyond splice both sides.

Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

 

[Zeke]

Vinegar will work on an exposed part (though I prefer mechanical cleaning), but the problem with this method is that the first liquid you use (the vinegar) will wick the furthest up between the strands. No amount of dipping in bicarbonate solution will ever reach as far up, so you've just made the problem even worse, deep inside the insulation.

I think the alcohol would wick up as well following the vinegar. Not a true rinse though, so your thoughts are likely accurate. Never had a problem but my stuff isn't marine or put to the 'test' much.

BTW, those directions aren't mine. They came from a helicopter mechanic in TX that was very highly regarded. He has since passed or I would alert him to this thread and ask his learned opinion.

He went by the handle Early_S_Man on the Pelican Parts BBS (Porsche) if you care to read him.

 

[Platonic Solid]

... I put the strange on the can of people eating oil and shoot them full of spray, sometimes before but always after. ...

What the heck does that mean? Is this written in a language that only electricains understand?

 

[sberry]

It means I make sure there is a good amount of spray involved. Method depends a bit on the type of connector. Even a common **** splice connector works fairly well if it's saturated with spray. I have seen plenty of fussy done connections, solder, shrink **** fail as if they are not perfect get a bit of water in,,, holds water as well as keep it out.
Something else works decent is a wire nut assembled and shot full of silicone caulk.
I got some now near 30 yrs old still work, on rear of trucks in rust belt and constant pressure washing. My fave is in a box, semi sealed with nuts oriented up like caps, stick spray straw in them and give them a blast, I spray the inside od the box before cover.
I took a set apart a while back, very old and copper was still bright and the steel in the nut not rusted.
Whoops,, I see the confusion. I was in a hurry and the phone correction **** does what it wants.

 

[rlitman]

...Something else works decent is a wire nut assembled and shot full of silicone caulk...

This may or may not work. Acid curing silicone caulk (anything that has a vinegar smell such as GE Silicone I) will eat through the wires in a few years. Solvent curing silicones will probably work well to pot the wire nuts, but make future service impossible without cutting.

Direct burial wire nuts come filled with silicone grease. They also have special caps on the open end that is supposed to help retain the grease. Still, try and orient these so the closed end is facing up.

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Non-tinned wire corrodes rapidly, and you may as well replace it after it turns green. Aircraft or marine wire is tinned, specifically for the purpose of stopping corrosion. Also, you have to use adhesive-lined heat shrink to cover any splices. Regular heat shrink is not waterproof. My pet peeve is trailer wiring. Every fricking trailer that I acquire (new) has to be rewired within a couple of years because of numerous defects/shortcuts. I am almost at the point of just doing it on day one.

 

[SGKent]

Personally I just sand or scrape until bright and use a good electronic rosin core solder. You can flux with an electronic flux if you want. Any acid like muriatic will strip also but you have to neutralize. If you can don't dip it all the way in to the wire sleeve. If you want to get **** you can strip it back an extra inch, dip and neutralize about 1/2 of that and then slide on some heat shrink.

 

[ArcticGabe]

This may or may not work. Acid curing silicone caulk (anything that has a vinegar smell such as GE Silicone I) will eat through the wires in a few years. Solvent curing silicones will probably work well to pot the wire nuts, but make future service impossible without cutting...
.

Non-tinned wire corrodes rapidly, and you may as well replace it after it turns green. Aircraft or marine wire is tinned, specifically for the purpose of stopping corrosion. Also, you have to use adhesive-lined heat shrink to cover any splices. Regular heat shrink is not waterproof. My pet peeve is trailer wiring. Every fricking trailer that I acquire (new) has to be rewired within a couple of years because of numerous defects/shortcuts. I am almost at the point of just doing it on day one.

I have also had lots of experience fixing **** splices under trailers. When making such a splice when the wire is new, I'll make an inline splice (like what is shown in the diagram, above. Then cover the bare soldered connection with silicone (I've never been fussy about the type, even the GE type). Then cover with a piece of heat shrink.

Yes, it's possible that the silicone will cause eventual deterioration of the wire, but it will certainly last many, many times longer than most other methods that I've seen. I think the solder will help protect the wire. But even if not, there is usually always something else that will go bad first before this connection. Under vehicle (especially in the salt belt) is a brutal environment.

When trying to fix wire that is already black and corroded, I mechanically clean the wire enough to get solder to stick and then heat shrink over it, recognizing that this is a temporary fix until the weather gets nicer and I get a chance to fix it the right way.

 

[rlitman]

I have also had lots of experience fixing **** splices under trailers. When making such a splice when the wire is new, I'll make an inline splice (like what is shown in the diagram, above. Then cover the bare soldered connection with silicone (I've never been fussy about the type, even the GE type). Then cover with a piece of heat shrink.

Yes, it's possible that the silicone will cause eventual deterioration of the wire, but it will certainly last many, many times longer than most other methods that I've seen. I think the solder will help protect the wire. But even if not, there is usually always something else that will go bad first before this connection. Under vehicle (especially in the salt belt) is a brutal environment.

When trying to fix wire that is already black and corroded, I mechanically clean the wire enough to get solder to stick and then heat shrink over it, recognizing that this is a temporary fix until the weather gets nicer and I get a chance to fix it the right way.

Why would you use silicone under heat shrink when you can just use dual wall marine heat shrink that has hot melt adhesive built in?

 

[ArcticGabe]

Why would you use silicone under heat shrink when you can just use dual wall marine heat shrink that has hot melt adhesive built in?

You're right, that sounds a whole lot easier. But I've got boxes of regular heat shrink around the house and always an open tube of silicone.

I've been towing and fixing trailers for the past 25 years, and I've never had to repair one of these types of splices.

On my small open deck aluminum trailer I used to have a lot of problems with ground connections to the frame. The metal screws would eventually corrode and then lose connection since they were screwed into aluminum. When I re-wired it about 8 years ago, I completely covered each ground screw with silicone on both sides of the frame after tightening it, and so far, none of them have corroded and all make good contact still. And this trailer gets well-salted all winter long.

 

[3rdgendslmech]

I work in one of the most corrosive places ever, shipping port and our main cargo is salt. Any time I'm doing electrical (on heavy equipment) work in either hard to get to places or critical components, I'll either lather it up with regular red equipment grease, or we use WD40 silicone spray gel.

 

[SGKent]

there is a silicone RTV that is none acidic designed for work around electrical and electronic items. The acetic acid in regular RTV off gases and causes issues. Put it on clean steel and it will cause rust to form under it.