Topic: Simple Green on Wiring Harnesses

[67gtasanjose]

I am cleaning my good used underdash wiring harnesses up and so far the best solution I have found is Simple Green mixed at about 10 parts water to 1 of Simple Green. Spraying a shop rag wet,  it is working quickly over the majority of the exposed wires and factory taping. Spmetimes a little slow on heavily soiled, (nicotine perhaps)  Mostly, with a little effort, everything has cleaned up very well, leaving behind even the pinstripes on the wiring. (a good thing)

QUESTION: Will I need to repeat a wipe-down over each and every wire to prevent any soaking into the plastic insullation? Or...Just towel dry as I go along, which is how I have been doing it thus far.  (about 80% done on the underdash wiring at time of this post)

[Bob Gaines]

I am cleaning my good used underdash wiring harnesses up and so far the best solution I have found is Simple Green mixed at about 10 parts water to 1 of Simple Green. Spraying a shop rag wet,  it is working quickly over the majority of the exposed wires and factory taping. Spmetimes a little slow on heavily soiled, (nicotine perhaps)  Mostly, with a little effort, everything has cleaned up very well, leaving behind even the pinstripes on the wiring. (a good thing)

QUESTION: Will I need to repeat a wipe-down over each and every wire to prevent any soaking into the plastic insullation? Or...Just towel dry as I go along, which is how I have been doing it thus far.  (about 80% done on the underdash wiring at time of this post)

I put the harness in the washing machine when washing shop towels with some oxy clean. they come out great . what is left is what you typically have to get off with something more aggressive depending on what it is and where it is . At the very least without a lot of effort it gives you a better look of what you have to tackle . Rewrapping is a given for best look although you can sometimes fudge that process. There are other ways but this works best for me.

[67gta289]

Good ideas.   I've been using denatured alcohol with good success.  Cleans through the crud, leaves no residue, does not remove any wire base or stripe color. 

[jwc66k]

Do not use Goof-Off on wires. It is strong enough to remove the stripes.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

So will Simple Green (will strip paint also) if you don't watch the dilution rate

[midlife]

Over the years, I've found simple lacquer thinner works best.  Yes, I know Jeff Speegle claims it removes the paint stripes, but I have found that only to be the case when rubber insulated wires are painted (like some fuel lines in the tail-light harness).  I use shop rags for wires and used microfiber towels for wrapping tape.  A tooth brush works great on the plastic connectors.

Starting in 1970, Ford introduced some new plastics that LT don't play nice.  I've found the Formula 409 or vinegar are suitable for those gray connectors.

[67gtasanjose]

I did try lacquer thinner on a rag, even when the rag dries out some, the lacquer thinner would easily take the stripe. I worked a few wires staying off the stripe (passengers side where there were far fewer wires) and followed the L.T. with some Dollar Store "Mean Green". My mean green was low, so I refilled the bottle with the Simple Green roughly 10: 1 mixture I mentioned earlier (actually, about an inch or two of Simple Green in a quart bottle, filled with tap water afterwards) That solution made life VERY simple...I wish I had started with this.

So, nobody feels the Simple Green will eat away at the insulation over time? This proceedure sure sounds less "aggressive" than running the harness in a washing machine    Not knocking that idea, like a lot of things...If it WORKS and it makes life easier, what the hell!

Another thread I saw tody on seatbelts, I have an aggressive method too, but didn't feel  the audience would agree since there was concern over age and safety, so I didn't share. Like Bob's method of the washing machine on harnesses probably does...it works great!

[mgmradio]

On my unrestored cars I use WD40 on a rag. Cuts through the crud and doesn't damage the tape or stripes. Also leaves the the tape looking new.

[rockhouse66]

Go-Jo or similar waterless hand cleaner works for me.

[WT8095]

So, nobody feels the Simple Green will eat away at the insulation over time? This proceedure sure sounds less "aggressive" than running the harness in a washing machine    Not knocking that idea, like a lot of things...If it WORKS and it makes life easier, what the hell!

Any chemical with solvents or petroleum components has the POTENTIAL to affect plastics and rubber. Having said that, there are a number of counter arguments:

1) A quick wipe of the surface is not going to affect the material as much as soaking would.
2) Anything that doesn't wipe off immediately will probably evaporate quickly.
3) The crud you're cleaning off may contain gasoline & petroleum compounds, so removing those is better than leaving them on.
4) You're cleaning insulation that's suffered the ravages of 40-50 years of aging. One gentle surface cleaning is probably not going to do much harm compared to that.

The MSDS for Simple Green shows the following:
Water - as you might expect, not a concern unless it gets into the connectors and inside the insulation, where it could lead to corrosion if not fully dried
2‐butoxyethanol - surfactant (soap, basically), should be compatible with most plastics
Ethoxylated Alcohol - surfactant, should not be a problem
Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate - an emulsifer (keeps removed material suspended in the cleaning solution). Sounds nasty but should not be a problem
Sodium Citrate - emulsifier, mild and should not be a problem
Fragrance & Colorant - unlikely to be incompatible, and would only be a very small percentage.

So I think you'll be OK with Simple Green, but like with any other chemical it's best to try it out on a test piece first. The MSDS for Dawn dishwashing liquid has a list of similarly ominous-sounding compounds, but would also be unlikely to harm the insulation.

The washing machine method is clever, but I would be concerned about mechanically damaging the harness, and more so about getting it fully dried, especially inside the connectors. Also, Oxyclean contains hydrogen peroxide which does pose a problem for some plastics. I'm not sure if the insulation is PVC (commonly used nowadays, don't know if it was in the 60s), but that should be OK with hydrogen peroxide. Other materials in the harness may or may not be.

[Smokey 15]

 In a five gallon bucket, I dilute Simple green, with water and let the harness soak for a few days. Never lost tracer stripes and they came out clean.

[67gtasanjose]

Any chemical with solvents or petroleum components has the POTENTIAL to affect plastics and rubber. Having said that, there are a number of counter arguments:

1) A quick wipe of the surface is not going to affect the material as much as soaking would.
2) Anything that doesn't wipe off immediately will probably evaporate quickly.
3) The crud you're cleaning off may contain gasoline & petroleum compounds, so removing those is better than leaving them on.
4) You're cleaning insulation that's suffered the ravages of 40-50 years of aging. One gentle surface cleaning is probably not going to do much harm compared to that.

The MSDS for Simple Green shows the following:
Water - as you might expect, not a concern unless it gets into the connectors and inside the insulation, where it could lead to corrosion if not fully dried
2‐butoxyethanol - surfactant (soap, basically), should be compatible with most plastics
Ethoxylated Alcohol - surfactant, should not be a problem
Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate - an emulsifer (keeps removed material suspended in the cleaning solution). Sounds nasty but should not be a problem
Sodium Citrate - emulsifier, mild and should not be a problem
Fragrance & Colorant - unlikely to be incompatible, and would only be a very small percentage.

So I think you'll be OK with Simple Green, but like with any other chemical it's best to try it out on a test piece first. The MSDS for Dawn dishwashing liquid has a list of similarly ominous-sounding compounds, but would also be unlikely to harm the insulation.

The washing machine method is clever, but I would be concerned about mechanically damaging the harness, and more so about getting it fully dried, especially inside the connectors. Also, Oxyclean contains hydrogen peroxide which does pose a problem for some plastics. I'm not sure if the insulation is PVC (commonly used nowadays, don't know if it was in the 60s), but that should be OK with hydrogen peroxide. Other materials in the harness may or may not be.

This is where knowledge of the ingrediants pays off AND it is what I was asking about, and yet till now, not discussed.
SOMETIMES an immediate answer isn't the BEST answer. Just because Simple Green worked good, a concern or a long-term exposure to the remnant residue was my next concern.

EXAMPLE: Armor-All might make your dash LOOK GOOD, but OMG!!! Will it destroy it!  BAD STUFF!!

[Smokey 15]

 A close friend of mine, who rewires cars professionally, is the one who got me into using the Simple Green solution. I hang the harness up and dry all connections with an air hose.  As stated, with any cleaner, you need to use just enough to get the job done so as not to damage markings, etc.

 BTW, I am wondering what everyone uses on their dashboards to keep them from cracking. I use Murphy's Oil Soap to clean and Mother's after.

[J_Speegle]

BTW, I am wondering what everyone uses on their dashboards to keep them from cracking. I use Murphy's Oil Soap to clean and Mother's after.

I've used Mink Oil - only when they need them which isn't often since they don't see the sun on a regular basis any longer

NEVER EVER Armoral !!!

[67gtasanjose]

In a five gallon bucket, I dilute Simple green, with water and let the harness soak for a few days. Never lost tracer stripes and they came out clean.

I am sure this will clean the wiring to look good, but I have to wonder how you would fully dry the wiring inside the insulation. Living in the rust belt, I have seen multiple times what happens to the copper insides of a wire that somebody simply "pricked" with a test light before and then road salt gets inside the insulation. The corrosion travels several feet up/down the pricked wire and even at times, the full length of the copper conductor! Not a pretty sight when you try and repair a bad circuit, and you keep cutting back the wire and find only brown copper, not bright-shiney copper. Almost impossible to get solder to stick to brown copper.(to repair a bad wire)

Sorry, I'm finding it difficult to support anything submeging the harnesses, but maybe I'm just weird that way.