Cleaning electrical connectors

I need advice about drying, cleaning and protecting electrical connectors on my 2007 VW EOS 2.0 TFSI with 60,000 miles. Unfortunately, the roof has leaked and water has been dripping on the connector blocks. The leak has now been fixed.

My approach has been as follows: with the ignition off, I disconnected the connectors and inspected the male and female pins, but there was no sign of rust. Using a paper towel and a heat gun on a low setting, I dried off the connectors and sprayed them with switch contact cleaner, which I wiped clean and left to dry before reassembly. All the functions related to these blocks seem to work fine.

I was also considering using some sort of spray – WD-40 or silicone – to go over the connector plugs once they had been reassembled as a precaution in case

I got another leak. There is a mass of online posts on the subject, both for and against, along with advice on what to use. Do you think it is a good idea or would some other product be more useful? Could this procedure be applied to other connectors around the car, both inside and out that may be prone to water ingress?

Rob Slater

You have carried out the procedure as I would have recommended it. I am a big fan of silicone spray and find it useful in many applications. However, for the protection of electrical connections, I believe a better option is to either coat the outside of the connectors with a silicone grease or use a plastic seal protective insulator spray such as this http://bit.ly/2cvlxl5

Before using any protective sealant, it is important that the terminals are perfectly dry and clean – any moisture left will have a detrimental effect because the moisture will effectively be trapped in the connector. This process can be used on other connections around the vehicle, so long as the area is clean and dry before attempting to seal it.