Cleaning sounder terminals

[plunk]

I've got a Lowrance Elite-4x HDI that I use in my kayak. There's been a couple times that I arrive at the water and can't get the power to connect. I think the terminals are dirty or a bit corroded. Any tips or suggestions on cleaning these or another way to improve my connection? See pics... there's some green oxidization (or something) in the receiving end of the connections. Advice appreciated. Thanks!

 

[tinboatrobb]

Clean them and then cover them with dielectric grease, it will stop the corrosion. Cheap for a small tube.

 

[Reel_Restorations]

Try some contact cleaner and a little acid brush to clean the contacts. Then as Robb mentioned, a little grease works great to protect them once cleaned.

 

[plunk]

Try some contact cleaner and a little acid brush to clean the contacts. Then as Robb mentioned, a little grease works great to protect them once clea

Clean them and then cover them with dielectric grease, it will stop the corrosion. Cheap for a small tube.

Thanks guys. Good tips. I'll get some life out of the unit yet.

 

[BigBird007]

Some pipe cleaners or if your very careful torch tip cleaner set works majic on little holes like that. Just don’t enlarge the hole at all. You will want to remove all that corrosion for a better contact. The like everyone else said some dialetric grease after.

Kleenflo 331 is an inexpensive easily sourced dialectic grease… yes I know it says brake lube but it’s also a dialectic grease.

Kleen-Flo | Products - Eze Slide

 

[wolf]

Fine emery cloth that you make roll into a tube to fit and spin into the connections, then get some spray called corrosion block I use it on everything on the boat electrical ,reels etc, you can get it in a spray or a pump best product ive ever used first saw it at a ICAST convention like 25 years ago, got some then and have used it ever since.

 

[Foxsea]

I've got a Lowrance Elite-4x HDI that I use in my kayak. There's been a couple times that I arrive at the water and can't get the power to connect. I think the terminals are dirty or a bit corroded. Any tips or suggestions on cleaning these or another way to improve my connection? See pics... there's some green oxidization (or something) in the receiving end of the connections. Advice appreciated. Thanks!

Use CRC QD Electric Connector Cleaner (safe for use on plastic is printed on label). Then a small drill bit rotated in your fingers cleans the holes. Spray in more cleaner then blow them out with a compressed air nozzle. Use fine wet or dry paper with the cleaner to clean the pins gently. To prevent further moisture and corrosion, I use Fluid Film.

 

[gungadin]

Be careful with the use of dielectric grease. It is after all a very good isolator. be careful not to get it on the terminal pins and in the female connectors. If you do use it, put it on and then wipe it off, there will be enough left to prevent corrosion, but not impair conductivity. Oh Yes, it will prevent corrosion but it will also impair the flow of electricity between the two as the grease will isolate them. Use it on the threaded part to prevent the entrance of moisture.
One of the most frequent reasons for corrosion on those terminals is not disconnecting them when not in use. Simply turning the unit off does not disconnect the head unit from your boats 12 volt electrical system. As long as you can turn on the unit by pressing the on button, you have power to the unit. To prevent this either disconnect the power cable to the unit at the rear of the head or install an on/off switch in the power cable (12volt feed) to the unit and turn it to off when not using the boat.
The blue female plug (sonar) is very corroded, if you are unable to clean it satisfactorily it may need to be replaced.
If you are very careful you can also wedge open the male connectors a little bit (making more of a friction fit with the female section) by using a thin strip of metal, a clean feeler guage works well. Be forewarned however that if the pin is corroded it may snap off.

Edited for clarity (I hope)

 

[kingblazer84]

take a hot hot cup of BLACK coffee and soak those connectors in the coffee, its a old mechanics trick that ive used ALOT over the years (itll eat battery corroded terminals right down to copper). Its highly corrosive but non damaging for those connectors, then blast them off with electronics cleaner and blow dry. The Head unit I would be using battery terminal corrosion cleaning spray with some small pipe brushes to scrub the terminals.

 

[Foxsea]

take a hot hot cup of BLACK coffee and soak those connectors in the coffee, its a old mechanics trick that ive used ALOT over the years (itll eat battery corroded terminals right down to copper). Its highly corrosive but non damaging for those connectors, then blast them off with electronics cleaner and blow dry. The Head unit I would be using battery terminal corrosion cleaning spray with some small pipe brushes to scrub the terminals.

The other old-school solution was Coca-Cola.

 

[plunk]

Thanks everyone. Great many solutions to this. A job for a windy Sunday.