Ever had a constant corrosion problem?

[bennylava]

Something is going on inside my 87's driver side door, that doesn't seem to happen in the passenger side. Nearly all of the electrical connections tend to develop that green copper corrosion. It keeps killing my door lock and power window functionality. They'll stop working, and I'll open it up to find that the corrosion was the problem. This does not take long. It's about every 4 months.

Never happens on the passenger side. The connections look clean.

I checked the bottom of the driver's door, and those two large drain slots are clear. Nothing is blocking them. So there's no water getting trapped inside the door.

I would just slather everything in dielectric grease, but on the bottle it says only to put it around the connection, not directly onto the spot where the metal will meet. As that could inhibit the electricity since it's an insulator. Although I'm not sure if anyone actually goes by that advice.

Anyone else ever have this problem? Do I need to line the inside of my door with desiccant or something?

Thanks!

[franken]

Did someone solder the electrical connections? They corrode if flux is used.
You might try spraying the spots with battery terminal cleaner or scrub them with baking soda.

[Shark_13]

Spray/clean with electronics contact cleaner, then use corrosion X (red can)

[Dead Parrot]

Had something similar happen recently on a trailer. Despite looking well sealed, some lighting wires turned into a non-conductive brittle powder inside the insulation. Like Franken said, my guess is the wrong kind of flux was used when everything was connected. The shrink wrap still looked in good condition. You could tell where the worst of it was as the wire was swollen and it would break instead of bending.

2nd the idea of cleaning everything off the switches and wires, then treating contacts with anti corrosion and using just a bit of grease on non-electrical moving parts.

[franken]

Its not the wrong kind of flux, its that flux shouldn't be used on electrical connections. Rosin core solder is the way to go. Flux would be fine if you neutralize it and make sure none gets in the insulation but that's tough.

[Shark_13]

You have to wonder about corrosion issues and related weird ground issues.
Are there any connectors in the door jamb or under dash going into door?

[Dead Parrot]

Originally Posted by franken

Its not the wrong kind of flux, its that flux shouldn't be used on electrical connections. Rosin core solder is the way to go. Flux would be fine if you neutralize it and make sure none gets in the insulation but that's tough.

Don't know for sure what they did when the connections were made. Commercial made trailer. Connections looked well sealed. But the copper wire pigtails on the light connector were turned to blue powder.

I did use rosin core solder for the new pigtails.

For OP, if you think water is the culprit, might use something like a ziplock bag to try to shield the switch set from water. Might also be time for a new set of window rubber.

[bennylava]

Originally Posted by Dead Parrot

Had something similar happen recently on a trailer. Despite looking well sealed, some lighting wires turned into a non-conductive brittle powder inside the insulation. Like Franken said, my guess is the wrong kind of flux was used when everything was connected. The shrink wrap still looked in good condition. You could tell where the worst of it was as the wire was swollen and it would break instead of bending.

2nd the idea of cleaning everything off the switches and wires, then treating contacts with anti corrosion and using just a bit of grease on non-electrical moving parts.

Originally Posted by franken

Its not the wrong kind of flux, its that flux shouldn't be used on electrical connections. Rosin core solder is the way to go. Flux would be fine if you neutralize it and make sure none gets in the insulation but that's tough.

Originally Posted by Shark_13

You have to wonder about corrosion issues and related weird ground issues.
Are there any connectors in the door jamb or under dash going into door?

I'll try to address all these at once - I did use flux on all the electrical connections. I'm considering abandoning solder completely for automotive use. I've had it crack before, right in the middle of a good looking solder joint. The crack would cause an intermittent fault, which were flickering headlights. Maybe solder just isn't made for this kind of vibration, which is why the automakers don't use it. They crimp, which is what I guess I'll do from now on.

I never knew that you shouldn't flux electrical connections. I always thought that was all it was good for, outside of copper pluming inside a house.

The window seals are all new.

There is a new wire going into the door from the cab, which is related to the relay mod. I believe the ground looks good though.

[classicsteel75]

Also when you rework the wiring, if it's possible bend a 'drip loop' into the harness so that any water that does get in there will run down and drip off (and not be able to travel up the wiring into the area where the connections are).