Icom connector + WD-40 = $$$$$

[hpeer]

A note of caution using WD40 for contacts.

Icom M504 VHF with remote mic.

The remote mic had some corrosion on the connector so I sprayed it with a bit of WD40.
Put it back together and all was well.

Next day the radio is on and scanning but the back light is gone and it will not break squelch, perhaps not adjust squelch.

I Removed the remote mic. The connector and the mic were essentially welded together. But they came apart. There was no apparent damage to the pins, they were still aligned, just missing a bit of plastic.

I disconnected the remote mic at the radio and Cycled the radio off and on.

No change. I suspect it is toast and getting a replacement here in Caribbean will be damn $$$$.

I have never previously had a bad reaction to WD40, maybe just lucky.

Advice would be appreciated.

[S/V Illusion]

WD40 is Naphtha which can solubilize some plastics. Not surprising it did what it did.

[wholybee]

Is this a connector on the mic itself, or at the end of a cable? WD40 will travel and get into all sorts of places you might not want it. If this was a connector on the mic itself, I would not be surprised to see it deep in the electronics of the mic.

[hpeer]

Yeah, I have used WD-40 for this kind of thing before many times with no ill effect. I should have dug out something else but it was right next to my hand.

No good trying to guilt me, I’ve done enough already.

This was posted more as a warning….

DON’T DO WHAT I DID. Duh!

The external mic is beside the point at the moment, it is disconnected. And I seriously doubt the WD-40 ran up the coil cord 2 or 3 feet into the mic.

What puzzles me is that the connection pins seem undamaged and in the original position. I am GUESSING a short was created somehow, but I can not figure out how. Haven’t put a lot of time into it.

I need to figure out what to do next.

I have written to ICOM support. I guess I will call them Monday.

Replacement options down here are limited and expensive. ATM my thought is to have it shipped to St Martin from the US and sail up there to get it. Wrong way, but that seems par for the course these last few years.

I am a huge believer in having a good working VHF having worked SAR just as it was coming out. Huge difference.

If I buy new it will likely be an Icom 510. I could buy an ebay 504 for much less but the remote mic has beeb discontinued and there are some other issues. Time to move on.

[stormalong]

Check with Icom to see if the mike cord is available. They are not hard to change. At the same time, look on Ebay for extension cable and mike. You may need both.

I have a much older Icom and the extension cable went bad. Found one on Ebay, brand new old stock for about a third of what Icom wanted for it.

[S/V Illusion]

Probably wicked into the cable or radio connector wiring dissolving the insulation and thereby causing a short.

[wholybee]

If it was the end several feet from the end of the mic, it's possible it is a just a coincidence. WD-40 is designed for getting water out of electronics. It'll damage an LCD if it gets on it, but shouldn't damage normal wiring or connectors.

[AKA-None]

There are actual contact cleaners just for this purpose

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by wholybee

If it was the end several feet from the end of the mic, it's possible it is a just a coincidence. WD-40 is designed for getting water out of electronics. It'll damage an LCD if it gets on it, but shouldn't damage normal wiring or connectors.

Yes, I have used WD-40 many times before. But this is no coincidence. The mic had a coil cord, then there is a 20+ foot extension to the radio. The radio itself is toast. AND, separately, the mic connector came uncovered in the process, that had been filled with some kind of sealant which had ossified over the years, turning into a tan colored, hard, cracked jumble. Age, it a killer.

Now looking at a Standard Horizion GX2400. But I have to sail to St Martin to get it. Just left St Martin, wring way Jose.