Editing Troubleshooting electrical problems
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==Cleaning terminals== | ==Cleaning terminals== | ||
− | Start at the battery. Regardless of how the connections look, remove the cables. Remove the | + | Start at the battery. Regardless of how the connections look, remove the cables. Remove the positive cable first, then the negative cable. Use a battery terminal wire brush tool to clean the battery terminals and the cable terminals. Remove all old oxidized contaminants. Be aware that lead is likely present, so wear gloves if you are concerned about lead migrating through your skin. |
To prevent future corrosion, a light coating of non-conducting grease such as Dow Corning DC4 should be applied. While a professional might not recommend this, I had Japanese mechanics put regular bearing grease on my car battery terminals when I was overseas and it never presented a problem. It seemed to prevent acid build up and corrosion. | To prevent future corrosion, a light coating of non-conducting grease such as Dow Corning DC4 should be applied. While a professional might not recommend this, I had Japanese mechanics put regular bearing grease on my car battery terminals when I was overseas and it never presented a problem. It seemed to prevent acid build up and corrosion. | ||
Remove the other end of the battery cables and clean those terminals and where they mount with a wire brush. Make sure you see shiny bare metal. Again a light coating of non-conducting grease would be optimal, but not mandatory. | Remove the other end of the battery cables and clean those terminals and where they mount with a wire brush. Make sure you see shiny bare metal. Again a light coating of non-conducting grease would be optimal, but not mandatory. | ||
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==Grounding== | ==Grounding== | ||
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Considering that electrical fires happen all too often and our classics deserve to be protected, a new wiring harness should be considered in most cases. Aftermarket companies are making some very nice kits and some are car or class specific. | Considering that electrical fires happen all too often and our classics deserve to be protected, a new wiring harness should be considered in most cases. Aftermarket companies are making some very nice kits and some are car or class specific. | ||
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[[Category:Electrical]] | [[Category:Electrical]] | ||
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