In over my head again

[Auto Doc's]

Hello sano888,

A brass bristle brush is ideal for cleaning exposed switch terminals. "Polishing" them is overkill. Just expose clean brass or metal of the pins and you are good to go.

The female connector pins are tricky because they tend to spread a little over time. Usually, a fine pick tool or a jeweler's screwdriver is used to tighten them back up gently.

Some people do not realize that die electric grease in non-conductive and if the female pins are too loose, proper contact becomes questionable. People often slobber that stuff into connections to help keep moisture out and prevent future corrosion, but it will cause problems if the pins are not properly checked first.

 

[slomo]

Used a toothbrush sized brush with brass bristles on the switches. Is that a bad idea? How would one polish them? That's a new concept to me.

Bad idea not so much. Better than it was for sure what you did.

I use Mother's Mag Wheel Polish. Or Flitz is great too. There are many simple metal polishes out there. Clean the bulk of the schmoo off. Little red shop rag and a dab of polish. Rub away the tarnish. Then shine up with a rag. Make sure the contacts are solid when you put the wires back on. Should drag the legs on a fuse for example. See scratch marks on each leg. Too loose, take pliers and gently smash the terminal down. It will tighten up as you will see.