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As I crawl under the dash I can't help but notice the rust on fuse box. All contacts are working, but I see trouble down the road. Anyone have a tip for cleaning contacts? It seems everything I do just does the part you can see, and not the contact area. Thanks!
As I crawl under the dash I can't help but notice the rust on fuse box. All contacts are working, but I see trouble down the road. Anyone have a tip for cleaning contacts? It seems everything I do just does the part you can see, and not the contact area. Thanks!
I would disconnect the battery. I would pull each fuse with a fuse puller and make sure you have a shop manual to know where they go back. Gently wire brush the metal fuse holders with a small toothbrush sized wire brush taking care not to deform them. Douse the whole block with a aerosol can of electric contact cleaner. Let dry. Check for debris. Re-insert fuses.
I used a small (1/8"ish) ball-shaped fine diamond bit on a Dremel to fit into the spaces where the fuses sit. Just a very light kiss on the contact fingers - enough to make them brighter and remove the surface oxidation but no more. A good spray with Deox-It to flush any debris and help clean what areas I couldn't get at well enough. https://caig.com/product/deoxit-d5s-6/
I would disconnect the battery. I would pull each fuse with a fuse puller and make sure you have a shop manual to know where they go back. Gently wire brush the metal fuse holders with a small toothbrush sized wire brush taking care not to deform them. Douse the whole block with a aerosol can of electric contact cleaner. Let dry. Check for debris. Re-insert fuses.
Dan
I do exactly the same thing about every 2 years or so on my 60 Vette, I drive it almost daily and have taken many long trips without a single electrical problem.
When I tune it up about once a year I do tune up, as well as the normal tune up items, ie. plugs, wires, cap, rotor & etc, I pull the distributor out to change the points and condenser, set it up in my Sun distributor machine and set the dwell and check my advance, reinstall it, retime to max advance of 36 dregrees, then put my Sun scope on it to see if everything looks ok.
Last edited by Bill Pilon; Jun 24, 2022 at 04:43 PM.
A friend made for me a fuse box sander. Made it in a T, its wood, the top of the T is a little smaller than a fuse and the rest of the tee is the same wood stick glued together. It is the length of a fuse too. So you pull the fuse of course. Wrap some sand paper onto the top of the tee with glue or tape stick the sander into the fuse box and move it up and down a while, pull out and see how you did on the rust. Continue on until satisfied, easy and productive. Put on some dielectric grease and be electric.
Scott
A friend made for me a fuse box sander. Made it in a T, its wood, the top of the T is a little smaller than a fuse and the rest of the tee is the same wood stick glued together. It is the length of a fuse too. So you pull the fuse of course. Wrap some sand paper onto the top of the tee with glue or tape stick the sander into the fuse box and move it up and down a while, pull out and see how you did on the rust. Continue on until satisfied, easy and productive. Put on some dielectric grease and be electric.
Scott
Just remember dielectric grease does not improve connectivity. Conductive electrical grease does.
these tips on a dremel work great,
especially these two
of course you have to be able to reach them. I have broken down and cleaned countless contacts with these wire brush tips on my dremel. Actually makes them shiny again.
fuse panel contacts will be a challenge.
Dielectric grease prevents corrosion by keeping oxygen away from the metal. It will not interfere with the electrical connection. Clean the fuse terminals so there is a good connection and then apply a thin coating of dielectric grease before installing the fuses. A second thin coat after the fuses are in may help too. If done well you should not need to mess with it again.
rusty fuse box
