WD-40 on electrical connectors
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David
'01 GG EX-NAVI
Classic Soft Trim leather kit; Audiovox entertainment system; Gentex auto dimming compass/temp rear view mirror; Pioneer speakers front & rear; leather steering wheel wrap; splash guards; cargo tray; cargo liner; power door mods; Helm manual; Honda litter bag.
Joined
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91 Posts
I've been using WD-40 on electrical connectors since I was knee high to a grasshopper ... learned it from my Dad, a REAL electrical engineer (not like me, who just fiddles with things).
But ... I only spray it on the specific metal connector(s) in question, not everything in site. I’d think that spraying the whole engine compartment would be a bit risky. If you coat everything, you might give some electrical components a new path to ground resulting in its failure. Witness the time I accidentally got some inside a distributor cap (you DO remember those pesky thing, don’t you?), which caused the spark on several cylinders to travel to ground instead of to the spark plugs. It didn’t run so hot after that.
As Groupset pointed out in his tar example, WD-40 appears to be a sort of de-greaser and can break down the heavier oils and greases that are used to lubricate vital parts of your car. WD-40 also has a penetrating ability, meaning that when you spray it on the surface of an object, it seems to seep and find its way into any cracks or crevasses and into the insides of the thing. That’s great when you want to lube the bearings inside something that you can’t get open, but I’d hate to blow a few cans into your engine compartment, and end up washing the grease out of all your steering linkages (bad example as they are probably sealed) below.
Use the laser scalpel, not the shotgun, to fix things my young sea bass.
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’90 4Runner – great, but inadequate for a family of 5
’86 Civic – bye, bye my little old friend
’02 GG Odyssey EX-L-RES w/all the fixings – hello, my new best friend
tnuckels
But ... I only spray it on the specific metal connector(s) in question, not everything in site. I’d think that spraying the whole engine compartment would be a bit risky. If you coat everything, you might give some electrical components a new path to ground resulting in its failure. Witness the time I accidentally got some inside a distributor cap (you DO remember those pesky thing, don’t you?), which caused the spark on several cylinders to travel to ground instead of to the spark plugs. It didn’t run so hot after that.
As Groupset pointed out in his tar example, WD-40 appears to be a sort of de-greaser and can break down the heavier oils and greases that are used to lubricate vital parts of your car. WD-40 also has a penetrating ability, meaning that when you spray it on the surface of an object, it seems to seep and find its way into any cracks or crevasses and into the insides of the thing. That’s great when you want to lube the bearings inside something that you can’t get open, but I’d hate to blow a few cans into your engine compartment, and end up washing the grease out of all your steering linkages (bad example as they are probably sealed) below.
Use the laser scalpel, not the shotgun, to fix things my young sea bass.
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’90 4Runner – great, but inadequate for a family of 5
’86 Civic – bye, bye my little old friend
’02 GG Odyssey EX-L-RES w/all the fixings – hello, my new best friend
tnuckels
Really amazing, I've never been called a young sea bass. (well taken). I had a 327 "68" Camaro Pwr Glide Tranny. End of story, if you don't want to see an adult cry. But every time I washed the engine I needed WD-40 to get it started. Well I used to fly A-7's and with my ODY it's like flying an F-16, I had to learn how to fly all over again. But there has to be something I can use to protect the engine compartment. Tnuckels, so what if you spray the engine compartment protecting the essentials from salt spray and then wash it down when ever I do wash it down. Believe me when I say I park the ODY only 20 feet away from the ocean. David,WD-40 does remove tar and I've used it for that before. But I've seen what salt spray does to new cars after 5 yrs., not pretty. The ODY is to expensive to see it slowly die like a snail in salt.
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01SSLXPR
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01SSLXPR
Joined
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91 Posts
I had a ’71 Fiat 124 Spider once upon a time and constantly had to clean electrical connections. Those older cars seemingly had a lot more “slop” in their electrical connections. Heck, a lot of times if I hit a big puddle in the Fiat, the engine would die. I had to carry a can of ether with me to dry it out and get back on the road (ever seen a distributor cap blow apart ‘cause you didn’t let the ether dry long enough?). I’d think the Odyssey wouldn’t be nearly as susceptible to these sorts of electrical woes with its tighter connections and engine compartment, but over time the salt would probably add up.
I grew up in Florida about 1 block from A1A, which runs right along the beach on the East coast. Even at that distance the salt spray took its toll, so I can imagine what you must have to contend with (the view, the breeze ... it must be HELL). I like Groupset’s suggestion of gently washing the engine compartment down from time to time. If the salt buildup doesn’t come clean with plain water, maybe try something in a bucket like a water softener? (something to break down the salt residue more efficiently than plain water). Maybe someone else on this forum knows more about chemical reactions and could suggest the correct approach to your problem. Good luck.
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’90 4Runner – great, but inadequate for a family of 5
’86 Civic – bye, bye my little old friend
’02 GG Odyssey EX-L-RES w/all the fixings – hello, my new best friend
tnuckels
I grew up in Florida about 1 block from A1A, which runs right along the beach on the East coast. Even at that distance the salt spray took its toll, so I can imagine what you must have to contend with (the view, the breeze ... it must be HELL). I like Groupset’s suggestion of gently washing the engine compartment down from time to time. If the salt buildup doesn’t come clean with plain water, maybe try something in a bucket like a water softener? (something to break down the salt residue more efficiently than plain water). Maybe someone else on this forum knows more about chemical reactions and could suggest the correct approach to your problem. Good luck.
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’90 4Runner – great, but inadequate for a family of 5
’86 Civic – bye, bye my little old friend
’02 GG Odyssey EX-L-RES w/all the fixings – hello, my new best friend
tnuckels
Well, your success at dissolving the salt would depend on what ingredients are in the water softener. Most water softeners act in one way or another by removing or sequestering calcium and magnesium ions, often replacing them with sodium ions. I can't really see how this would help, and it may actually be somewhat corrosive or less effective at dissolving sea salt deposits.
I would suggest warm water and a soft plastic scrub brush. Perhaps you could apply some electrical tape to sensitive areas to reduce deposits on the metal connections.
from a chemist,
cheers,
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gbaxley
'01 TW EX
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