ltoolio

Just got my CE Panel out and it definitely shows the wear and grime of 30+ years of being in service.

The board itself is pretty grimey, so I started googling around for what folks did to clean it off.

In doing so, I found this post on Pelican where the OP dunked the whole panel and the connectors in a CLR (Calcium, Lime, Rust) bath overnight.

The results look great, but I have a hard time believing that this is good for the panel and the wires.

Any take a similar approach or clean it different ways? Sharkskin's write-up, along with some of the others that I've read, don't really cover appropriate cleaning of the panel itself.

danglerb

Take a good close look at the CE panel. Nothing you can see matters, only the edges that make the metal to metal electrical connection matter. I can think of no effective way to clean those tight connection points without moving the parts, wiggling if not unplug and plug.

I would stick with cleaners made for electrical connections. Contact cleaner, wiggle the connector, more cleaner to rinse, let it fully dry and some kind of preservative.

linderpat

I disagree with the above. Do not unplug all of those connections - first, there are hundreds of them and you may not get them all back in the correct spot. More importantly, they are crimp fit, and difficult to unplug. You will never get them tight enough again if you unplug them and try to plug them back in. A loose electrical connection is a HOT electrical connection, which could result in a fire at some point. In fact, don't wiggle them either. Instead, feel and check for tightness where you can. Then get a good electrical cleaner like CRC or better yet Deoxit (cuing Stan), and spray the exposed ends liberally at the contact points, and allow to soak and dry. Don't take things apart on it (except for fuses and breakers - pull those out, clean the connections on the male side and board side, then put back in).

As for cleaning the panel itself, be careful what you use. Simple Green is very bad - it is corrosive to the wires and could wick its way into the sheathing (I once screwed up my main chassis ground due to an undercarriage cleaning with simple green, resulting in a difficult to diagnose no start issue). I would use something mild, with very little water - like a damp rag, to clean the plastic surfaces. I would do this step first, allowing everything to dry, then spray clean the various contacts per the above.

prescott

I had to replace my CE panel due to melt down between the 30 amp fuses. Quick search will get you a write up kinda like this:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...f-grounds.html

CE panel cleaning...basically emory board, then deoxit, then stabilant the contacts. Contacts should be shiny, then apply the deoxit and stabilant. Same applies to fuses and relays. The plastic can be gross, and surface cleaning with a damp cloth to get rid of the bulk of the grime is all it should take.

I'd listen to the electron gurus on this one, and I'm not an electrical engineer. Alan and other E's might chime in on this. As a doc I had to take general, physical and organic chemistry...and oxidation/reduction reactions that CLR is doing. That may not be what you want to do to the plastic and other "things" behind the grey spaghetti.

ltoolio

Prescott - yep. That's one of them that I was looking at along with Sharkskin's.

I'll be going the damp rag route like you suggested, and really didn't envision myself going the full-blown CLR batch.

davek9

I agree w/ the others Do Not try to remove all the connectors, most have lock catches, just remove the Fuses and Relays.

I use WD-40 to clean (not water) I spray the entire front and back down and let sit then wipe off excess.
Would not use CLR as said above also would not use an abrasive (sand paper, etc.) as it will remove the thin plating on the contacts.

Just clean the contacts w/ an electrical contact cleaning chemical /deoxit.

drwhosc

I actually went down the CLR rout, and it it worked incredibly well. For me the secret was:

I got a disposable Al turkey roasting pan at the grocery store that was large enough to hold the CE panel. then I put it on a flat surface. I filled the container just enough to go to the 1/2 way to 3/4 of the connectors. So I diid not submerge the whole CE panel, and i did not try to go all the way to the base. Just soaked the connectors.

I let the thing sit over night, and was amazed at how well it worked. I then rinsed off the ce panel with water, and used a lot of compressed air to dry it out. I also left it out in the bright direct sun light for a day. I then used some deoxit and stabilt as the final seal. This really made a huge difference, the electronics came back and are working well. I h.ad blue oxidation, and it came back bright copper after the treatment

I had a lot of reservations about doing this, but the I have to admit, the alternatives are not as good in my opinion. Do not use an abrasive, you will take material away, and that is not good. I can not test to the long term effects of this technique, but after a year or so, all is good.

BTW I also bought a spare CE just in case

Wisconsin Joe

Interesting. The CE panel is nylon (I think), and the connections are brass.

I use CLR to clean my coffee maker (as instructed) and have had no problems.

I would think that a quick dip in a dilute solution (maker recommends 1:8 for a lot of stuff) followed by a thorough rinse would be ok. I wouldn't have left it for a long time, but the poster above did, apparently without issue.

CLR FAQ link:http://www.thecarycompany.com/contai...ty/clrfaq.html

ltoolio

I love the dialog on RL....opinions on both sides of most issues.

My take-aways from the posts above are:

• Some people have used CLR with success
• Some feel it might not be appropriate.
• Some people use an abrasive such as an emery board or Dremel to clean off the spades.
• Some advocate for *not* doing that as it reduces the material on the spade

Based on that, I think my approach shall be:

• Clean the board with a damp rag but not fret over a bit of leftover grime.
• Soak the removable fuse connectors in a diluted solution and clean with a brass brush as necessary.
• Clean the relays and the plug connectors with a diluted solution on a Q-Tip and brass brush clean as necessary.
• Don't remove anything from the back, with the exception of the one wire which has the damn splice connectors on it.
• Deoxit everything, let dry, repeat.
• Stabilant all connectors, reassemble, hope for brighter lights and better starts.

Adk46

I would suggest one rule to follow above all others: do not be the first to try a new technique. Corrosion is a complicated matter. Though I took "Advanced Corrosion II" in grad school, and worked among dedicated corrosion engineers during my entire career, I'm not smart enough to give any other advice.

Except this: rinse well or die.