Do electrical cleaner sprays work.

[Aunt Maud]

Car issues require the removal of white corrosion/deposits from electrical connections in the lights. I was wondering if these magic sprays do the job ?

[Jurek]

This has worked on the crackly potentiometer / volume control of my 30 year old Harman Kardon amplifier


From Maplin if I remember correctly.
Not sure if it the right stuff to deal with the issues you appear to have.

[jsabine]

The contact cleaner I have is IPA plus propellant. Spray plus repeated working of a switch or repeated connection/disconnection works (mostly), spray alone doesn't - basically, it helps with mechanical removal of whatever is inhibiting electrical contact.

[Aunt Maud]

Blimey, the chances of getting Servisol in The Nanny State are slim indeed.

[T42]

The contact cleaner I have is IPA plus propellant.

As a student I found that if I drank enough Yonger's IPA it sorta propelled itself.

IGMC

[Torslanda]

I'm assuming it is the connections on the rear lights? The pins on the bulb holders are a little tricky but as long as there is sufficient metal remaining a fine file will clean them, just pick out any loose white corrosion with a pick or a similar pointed instrument.

The wiring plug needs a similar method although it is easier to polish the contacts with a needle file and close them together using a pick.

Test the lights once the contact is clean before refitting the lamp to the body and use a light spray grease to waterproof the connection afterwards.

[Kim]

IPA based cleaner is good for removing gunk: Flux residue, potentiometer crud, spilt tea, that sort of thing.  Proper corrosion (eg. from loose contacts arcing or from leaky batteries) needs a bit more elbow grease, for which Torslanda has the right idea.

I have an ancient tool (from the days when Tandy were the old Maplin) with a tiny wire brush on one end and a sharp scrapey-thing on the other, which is handy for this sort of job.

[Tim Hall]

I have a tin of spray contact cleaner
I have a tin of spray adhesive, photo mounting for the use of.

The tins are alarmingly similar.

[Kim]

Thankfully the Loctite is no longer living in the Magpie Pile on my desk, next to my steroid nasal spray...

(No, I haven't.  The different lid-removal action woke up my hayfever-addled branez.)

[Aunt Maud]

All duly cleaned up and a new earth to the chassis arranged. The problem with disco lights is now solved, but the rear passenger tail light is not working.

Contacts were cleaned with a needle file as IPA was deemed unobtanium. How do I check the tail light? It lights up when I push the brake pedal.

[Jurek]

I recon your tail light probably has another earth which is dodgy.

[Torslanda]

The lights will have a common earth. If the tail light and the brake light share a common lens you will have dual filament bulb, usually 5w/21w. There will be two contacts on the base - the earth is the bulb cap. Check the continuity of both and you will probably find one of the filaments has failed.

Two things to note. To stop you putting the bulb in the wrong way the locating pins are at different heights on the base. Also that bulb itself (commonly known as a 380),has a recent variant which not only has the pins at different heights but also offset to each other( known as a 581) Important you get the correct one and vital you fit it the right way round! Don't ask..

[Aunt Maud]

Speaking from a position of experience Torslanda ?

[Kim]

I recon your tail light probably has another earth which is dodgy.

Indeed.  If the brake light and the tail light are both lighting up together (and they're not a dual-filament bulb as described by Torslanda) that would suggest that there's a dodgy earth common to both and the current is finding its way to ground via the tail light instead.

[Aunt Maud]

Right then, now I'm getting out of my depth. The bulb is a dual filament and there are two brown leads from th eight cluster going to my new earthing point.

Whats and idiot proof way of checking this ?  I can do bulb/lead type stuff as that's how I did the timing on the VW bus.

[harvey]

I used to use the bulb & lead to time my old bus with an 009 distributor - hadn't thought of it in yrs. Yes, it should check for continuity well enough. A good electrical contact cleaner BTW if you can find it is caig's DeOxit

[Aunt Maud]

Fixed it. Red cable had broken off its thing to the doodad.