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Removing trailer connector corrosion

G

Galen Houk

Member
The trailer connectors on my F350 and F550 are corroded at the factory connection between the truck wiring and the external connector. The male lugs are replaced with a new plug end but the female sockets are in the factory harness and too small to clean mechanically. Anyone know of a chemical clean that will remove the green corrosion and brighten up the metal contacts. I don't want to cut off the factory connection and wire it in direct.
 
I have a spray can of electrical or electronic terminal cleaner (I forget exactly what it's called). I give mine a couple shots of that when it acts up. It seems to help.
 
I would try some battery terminal cleaner and a toothbrush or small wire brush then rinse with water and maybe I good spray down of wd-40 to dissipate some of the water
 
A chemical clean like rich suggest works for me, don't forget the other side of the connection. After you're done and have the connector back together, make sure it make the connection then encase it in RTV. that will seal out moisture.
 
Spray some good electrical or contact cleaner in the sockets, then plug and unplug several times to polish the connections. Rinse again and let it hang down to drain out the cleaner.
 
I do not use chemicals to remove corrosion from electrical connections. My theory is that if the chemical is harsh enough to remove corrosion, it will continue to corrode the good metal unless ou can get 100% of it off and out. And you know some will creep up into the insulation and not come out.

So I use carb cleaning SS or brass wire brushes to go inside the females and just regular brush on the males. You can use them on the round type or the flat type terminals.
Then a good coating of Graphene or similar.
 
Make two stops. Go to Harbor Freight and buy the little paint gun tip cleaning brushes. Not even two bucks. Second stop is the cleaning isle of your super market. Buy a can of BarKeepers friend. Make a watery past and brush everything till clean. Wash with hose and then apply some dielectric grease on the contacts. Did this two years ago on my Expedition. Worked great. Just add a little grease now and then. Also DON'T drop any plug in the dirt or sand !! Need air hose to clean that mess up. Another tip. On my trailer just a couple of months ago I installed 1157 LED bulbs. WOW OH WWOOWWW are they ever bright! There all kinds on Ebay just make sure you get red ones.
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I must have 1/2 dozen of these in my truck and elsewhere. Connection cleaning brushes have been around forever. Compressed air helps by blowing out the debris if real dirty. Once clean these guys keep the pins and sockets bright.
Connecter cleaning brush
 
Dip them in a solution of baking soda for a few minutes (until it stops foaming). Spray clean with 'Lectromotive (CRS product). HTH
 
computer boards some times get corrosion on them. they have to remove 100 percent of the corrosion. vinegar seems to be the best solution to remove it. using air with it will help. but if you clean it and it comes back then you will have to replace it.
 

Well, Galen, too bad pretty much everyone misread your post. Can you get a syringe? I try to keep a couple around. My thought is that you could inject vinegar in each hole, give it a couple minutes to work, then flush good with whatever you have for a solvent. Or perhaps flush first with water, then WD40, to ensure that you get all of the water out.
 
Try a contact cleaning spray. I've had a can that works great and has lasted over ten years now, I think the brand might be CRC, the label is red. Follow up with a dielectric grease to reduce future corrosion.
 
That type connector is a bad design as far as keeping it corrosion free.

Water, especially salt water, gets in them, there is always current to one terminal. It sets up galvanic corrosion that eats away the metal, and drains the battery, and causes cross over voltage between the adjoining terminals.

I found a replacement at Northern Tool that has lead wires connected to the back side and potted in with epoxy. That keeps the water out, no more corrosion. The connections are then made to the wiring harness where they can be soldered, taped, sealed and separated from each other. If you can mount it tilted down on the trailer side, water that gets in will drain out.
 
I have always started with a baking soda bath and scrub until no more green bubbles using a small stiff bristle plastic or brass brush (pull the 12v power feed fuse first).

Rinse with hot water thoroughly and apply lube/grease/spray of your choice. I have also had success sealing up the back side (where the wires enter) using Star-Brite liquid electrical tape from a can. (Before applying lube)

The cleaning process works wonders on battery terminals and cable clamps too. Usually cleans to nice shiny copper/tin/lead finish without causing additional damage.

I like the idea of the prefab and sealed connector from northern tool that Steve mentioned, but if you go that route I would recommend good quality heat shrinkable butt connectors crimped with the appropriate tool.

A good alternative would be soldering the wires and using adhesive lined heat shrink tubing over the connections.

A third option would be from a company called IPC (Innovative Products Company - bought off our local tool truck) makes excellent terminal cleaning/file kits but they start in the $30-$40 window.

Carl
 
In my experience the corrosion will return.I'd replace the plug with a new one and treat it with dielectric lube.Mark.
 
Depending on the year of your trucks, they had weather sealed connectors from the factory. Pollack makes them for Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Don't waste your money on the universal unsealed connectors from the local parts store. Get a trailer plug pigtail and sealed connector from Ford, solder and heat shrink each wire, and it will be reliable. Do the same with the trailer wire. Get a molded trailer plug, solder and seal the wires to the trailer wiring, solder and seal every connection on the trailer and your lights will work every time you need them. The key is keeping the water out of your wires.
 
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