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Wiring Harness Cleaning Methods & Recommendations
- Thread starter Wiredworm
- Start date
Chuck it in your empty bath, spray it with something like Cillit Bang, give it a good scrub then dry it off best you can and hang it up somewhere warm to dry out (airing cupboard is good) for a few days. If you've got a compressor then blasting it with air is a good way to dry it off (I'd still leave it hanging up after to be 100% sure it's dry) 
Thanks Chris.
For some reason my brain's wired to think that applying water to anything like this which ultimately carries power is a bad idea.
But i'm presuming it's of course fine in this case as it's not turned on and you leave it for aaaages to make sure it's thoroughly dry before reinstating it. Daft question maybe but I presume it won't rust either so long as it's dried off properly?
For some reason my brain's wired to think that applying water to anything like this which ultimately carries power is a bad idea.
But i'm presuming it's of course fine in this case as it's not turned on and you leave it for aaaages to make sure it's thoroughly dry before reinstating it. Daft question maybe but I presume it won't rust either so long as it's dried off properly?
You are correct sir
I'm told blasting the connecters with compressed air works a treat for driving out the moisture.
Ive heard of people putting them in the dish washer also.
Usually while the missus is out shopping or something id guess though
Usually while the missus is out shopping or something id guess though
So, if I wanted to clean up the playfield harness i'm pressuming i'd need to desolder stuff like the switches?
All coils have already been removed so I think the only thing still connected are the switches and some targets.
Alternative plan for that harness might be to just break out the spray bottle and toothbrush and go to town on it that way. Might be less hassle than disconnecting everything.
Opinions and views are - as always - welcomed.
I'd be a bit scared to put anything in our dishwasher because it seems to get insanely hot.
All coils have already been removed so I think the only thing still connected are the switches and some targets.
Alternative plan for that harness might be to just break out the spray bottle and toothbrush and go to town on it that way. Might be less hassle than disconnecting everything.
Opinions and views are - as always - welcomed.
I'd be a bit scared to put anything in our dishwasher because it seems to get insanely hot.
I recall a few US YouTube vids of folks using the spray cleaner used to remove remove brake dust from car wheels.
Found it. It's called Bleche Wite Tire Cleaner. But then there was some beef about the recipe being changed after the ownership changed.
The dishwasher is probably quite alright! Yes you have to remove all the things you mentioned. Air compressor good for drying connectors but also rinsing with Isopropyl Alcohol will drive out moisture and then evaporate.
Found it. It's called Bleche Wite Tire Cleaner. But then there was some beef about the recipe being changed after the ownership changed.
The dishwasher is probably quite alright! Yes you have to remove all the things you mentioned. Air compressor good for drying connectors but also rinsing with Isopropyl Alcohol will drive out moisture and then evaporate.
i use trafic film remover watered down and a brush then hang to dry on washing line for the day
if harness is still in playfield same thing just wipe with a cloth
if harness is still in playfield same thing just wipe with a cloth
Cheers Chris.
Harness has been stripped from the playfield and is currently affixed to a spare piece of ply I had. I'm just mulling over if I can really be ****d to desolver everything so I can wash it in the bath or the dishwasher. Or I could just leave it as is on the ply and use a spray bottle and brush.
Part of me keeps thinking 'well, if you're going to do it right'. ;-)
Low down on my list of priorities right now but just something I wanted to get a handle on for future reference.
Harness has been stripped from the playfield and is currently affixed to a spare piece of ply I had. I'm just mulling over if I can really be ****d to desolver everything so I can wash it in the bath or the dishwasher. Or I could just leave it as is on the ply and use a spray bottle and brush.
Part of me keeps thinking 'well, if you're going to do it right'. ;-)
Low down on my list of priorities right now but just something I wanted to get a handle on for future reference.
I agree that if you've got the stage of removing the wiring loom you might as well do it right. I know it's another time consuming tasks but if you don't do it now you never will. Although only you'll see it it'll be very satisfying when it's all back together and everything is super shiny instead of being let down by a grotty loom. You may also find a few nicks or burns along the way that patching! Adhesive heat-shrink tubing is good.
That's certainly the way i'm headed Peter.
The cabinet seems to have taken an age to get sorted but i'm getting to the point where I should soon be ready to apply the new decals. The amount of satisfaction i'm getting from just thinking about the job and how it should look when done is immense and i've no doubt i'll be super-pleased as things progress.
So yeah, i'll most likely desolder the bits and clear it all in the bath. At least by the time I come to do that there should be a fair few of the bits back in place so less for me to have to keep track of.
The cabinet seems to have taken an age to get sorted but i'm getting to the point where I should soon be ready to apply the new decals. The amount of satisfaction i'm getting from just thinking about the job and how it should look when done is immense and i've no doubt i'll be super-pleased as things progress.
So yeah, i'll most likely desolder the bits and clear it all in the bath. At least by the time I come to do that there should be a fair few of the bits back in place so less for me to have to keep track of.
Now that I've finished the playfield restoration on GOLD BALL I'm looking at sprucing up the cabinet! It looks very odd having an immaculate, practically brand new looking playfield sat in a totally junk cabinet! Like when Arnie Cunningham starts to rebuild the Plymouth Fury in Christine...
We're a bit obsessive in here and our pins probably a little possessed...
We're a bit obsessive in here and our pins probably a little possessed...
Haha, exactly.
The dremel is going to be getting some serious usage once the cabinet is ready to go. Every single item will be polished to within an inch of it's life.
Hopefully will get the tumbler running this weekend with the corn cob media that came with it. I've heard the media isn't the best but I figure I might as well get some use from it. I suspect it will clean things up nicely but will most likely take much longer than if I used walnut. Will let it run for 2-3 days and then start to check back on it.
The dremel is going to be getting some serious usage once the cabinet is ready to go. Every single item will be polished to within an inch of it's life.
Hopefully will get the tumbler running this weekend with the corn cob media that came with it. I've heard the media isn't the best but I figure I might as well get some use from it. I suspect it will clean things up nicely but will most likely take much longer than if I used walnut. Will let it run for 2-3 days and then start to check back on it.
I have heard some people say you can wash the loom with the switches still attached and it does them no harm. Doesn't sound like a good idea but I guess if all the moisture goes out of them it could be true that it does no harm. Maybe cleaning them actually makes them last longer....
When I've borrowed a tumbler it pretty much ran non-stop for a week or two. Each batch took around 2 days. Depends what you put in it. Smaller pieces generally seem to clean up a bit quicker with better all-over coverage. Larger pieces like pop bumper bodies took quite a while. Also depends on the material and condition. I've had rusty parts come up with a glossy chrome shine and yet other parts then were merely dull hardly improve at all. Don't bother with anything aluminium or similar soft alloys - stick to steels only. I've also discovered picking the media out of screw/bolt slots/heads is more hassle that just buffing them with the Dremel. Also, way better finish by hand. The tumbler is great for getting 90% of the grunt done and many will be happy with that level, but for my concours restorations I like to perfect the last 10% by hand.
Oh, and chucking in a couple of sloshes of BRASSO works really well!
Oh, and chucking in a couple of sloshes of BRASSO works really well!
For me yes. Also considerably cheaper!
Amd as Brasso is a liquid it spread around the media very quickly. Half a tube of AUTOSOL just didn't seem to have the same effect. Not saying it's no good, it's excellent stuff for getting that final sparkly sheen by hand and it definitely slows the dulling process, but i just found Brasso was better in the tumbler.
I use a tumbler additive which is really good hard to find over here and can't remember the bloody name now flix frix something like that bloody good stuff