I lost the prom cover on my computer a few years back i looked inside and the computer is filthy. There is even some grease residue on some of the circuit boards and micro-chips. The car runs fine. should i just leave it alone or clean it (unplugged) Should i just blow it out or use q-tips with 100% alcohol ? What about contact cleaner?
Thanks

 

a little dust is to be expected but i am not sure of your definition of 'dirty'. moisture is your enemy. dust /dirt attracts moisture which promotes corrosion. most of the solder points should be protected from the factory with a moisture barrier material that you do not want to remove in your cleaning process. I would go to an eloctronics store ,tell them what you need to do and buy the proper cleaning fluid. hope this helps Riverss

 

It just happens that I was cleaning an ECM last night. I found that electronics parts cleaner attacked the conformal coating but that isopropyl alcohol did not. I used the alcohol and a brush similar to a toothbrush to clean it up.

 

Yes, many cleaners will remove the conformal coating. I use warm water with some mild soap. Then air dry.

Not sure what to tell you about a cover. Maybe some heavy duty aluminum foil (from a pie tin?). Or a piece of packing tape.

RBob.

 

yeah i used alcohol and a swab. I also used beer, but not on the computer. The "greasy dirt" was actually black paint overspray from the remanufactured computer. im gonna seal it up with some wide vynyl tape. would it be dumb to spray wire-dry in it before i seal it up? It stays dry in the car, but gets pretty humid here in the summer.

 

I wouldn't spray anything into the ECM or onto the board.

RBob.