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Deoxit5 Excellent for cleaning electrical connections

  • Thread starter Thread starter koolaid_kid
  • Start date Start date
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koolaid_kid

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My GPz was showing around 12.8 V at idle and it was making the low battery light blink. I removed all the connectors associated with charging (junction box, sort of a fuse block on steroids) the regulator and the connector to the battery low light. I sprayed Deoxit5 on all the connections and let them dry. Reassembled everything and started it up. It now shows a solid 14 V at idle.
Great stuff, I recommend it for all electrical connectors.
 
That's amazing. Were the connections fairly tight when you took them apart? In other words, do you think the DeOxit was pretty much the only variable?

I bought the liquid DeOxit that comes in the tiny bottle with a brush, like nail polish. I've tried it a few times with no noticeable results with one exception: It seems to help on old wiring (like on every GS there is anymore) to prep the wire for soldering. I need to experiment some more, but without any abrasion and just a hit with acetone first, a wire treated with the liquid DeOxit took solder just fine. It can be a real fight to get a decent solder connection on this ancient stranded wiring.
 
All connections were solid, and pretty much looked clean. I had tried everything else; Deoxit5 was my last resort. All I did was unplug everything, spray it, reassemble it. No other changes, the bike did not even move out of the garage. I was (pleasantly) stunned at the difference.
They make multiple Deoxit products, Deoxit5 is the one you want.
 
Could it be the act of taking the connection apart and putting it back together created enough abrasion to make a good connection? I am somewhat skeptical of claims that simply spraying something on a 30+ old connector will magically make it new again...
 
I use a tiny wire brush that looks like a tooth brush on the male ends and rolled up fine emery cloth on the female sides. Then some dielectric grease. Done and I know with 100% certainty they are all shiney as the day they were made.
 
Sci85 said:
Could it be the act of taking the connection apart and putting it back together created enough abrasion to make a good connection? I am somewhat skeptical of claims that simply spraying something on a 30+ old connector will magically make it new again...
Click to expand...
Nope. Junction box was replaced earlier this year, regulator was replaced last year. I didn't say it worked magically. When I started the bike, I watched the built in lights and voltmeter. It started right at 12.8 V, then slowly worked itself up to the 14 V. For subsequent starts it jumped right up to 14 V and stayed there, rock solid.

chuck hahn said:
I use a tiny wire brush that looks like a tooth brush on the male ends and rolled up fine emery cloth on the female sides. Then some dielectric grease. Done and I know with 100% certainty they are all shiney as the day they were made.
Click to expand...
Nope. Tried that last year. No change.

I wish it were something easy like that, but, as I said previously, I tried everything else already. This was my last resort, and it worked.
I have no stock in Deoxit5 or its parent company. I am just reporting observed results.
 
Using Deoxit is not just spritzing magic juice on. Sorry, there's still nothing that will fix old connections from the outside.

First, you have to make sure the connection physically clean and tight, as koolaid did.

I've seen similar products that give you a nice shiny connector, but that actually cause more corrosion in the long run. Deoxit doesn't seem to contain the acids that do that, but it does do a great job of cleaning connections and making sure they stay clean in the long term. I've had excellent results using Deoxit on motorcycle electrics, trailer lights (brighter, more reliable lights -- use it on the sockets and bulb bases), car sensors (much more reliable connections to sensitive sensors), etc.

Take apart connector, spritz with Deoxit (I use the spray can) let it dry, then reassemble with dielectric grease. Ignore for a couple of decades.

It's good stuff.
 
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Sometimes its not even the connector. Its the wire right where its crimped into the connector thats rotted away and the entire connection needs redone.
 
Musicians and audiophile types have used that stuff for years. It's just a contact cleaner, but it also contains a lubricant so contacts don't corrode back up as quickly. It's not magic, it just happens to work really well.
 
FLHGSRay said:
Musicians and audiophile types have used that stuff for years. It's just a contact cleaner, but it also contains a lubricant so contacts don't corrode back up as quickly. It's not magic, it just happens to work really well.
Click to expand...

I've used it on on my amplifiers for quite a while, it's absolutely great at getting rid of most if not all of the pops and crunches from dirty pots.
 
Deoxit's not a contact cleaner, it's an antioxidizer. Best to first use contact cleaner, then while slightly still wet, use as SMALL a quantity of Deoxit to prevent the connection from getting oxidation. The remaining contact cleaner helps disperse it over the connection. If you use too much Deoxit, it stays wet, and attracts dirt.
 
I used Deoxit on my harness and the over spray softened the glue on the black tape wrap and turned the entire harness into a gooey mess. Deoxit didn't do much to clean the terminals either. If you use that stuff only use it very sparingly, and keep it away from the black tape.

In my opinion a much better way to clean the harness is to pull the brass terminals out of the plastic shells and then physically clean them with scotchbrite or a stainless steel wire brush, or use something like a mild acid. While the terminals are removed you can pinch the female prongs closed too. Insert the terminals back into their plastic sockets and your harness is good as new.

Sorry to be a bummer, not my intention. Deoxit is simple and does have some benefits if used appropriately. It's no substitute for proper harness maintenance though.
 
You are not a bummer, Ed, you are reporting your experience with the product.
Readers of this thread now know to not get any on the harness tape, or if they do, to wipe it off. They know to remove the excess lubricant (which was a no brainer, as it is basically some type of oil) or it will attract dust and dirt. They know the process to follow, which is what I did unwittingly: use contact cleaner first, then Deoxit. It's all good.
And wkmpt is correct; I used it on the sliders of the receiver I sent Allie. It removed all the noise from moving the slides, they are now quiet as a mouse.
 
It is also nothing new.
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I have used it to maintain hospital equipment (monitors, pumps, etc.) for over 20 years.
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.
 
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