Wire Goop on firewall

[hustlerzlife]

I'm replacing the wires on my GT and it seems like some sort of tar goop covers the hole that the wires pass through the firewall. What is the best way to remove the goop and what should I replace it with.

Also, the connectors that attach to the switch under the brake peddle are odd. Where can a get some; my local hardware store doesn't care them.

[namba209]

If you're referring to the large wire bundle that goes in to the shelf above the brake and clutch pedals, you can remove the sealant and replace it with a plastic grommet or a rubber one, but you have to thread each wire individually through the grommet. I used "Zylene" to remove the residue left from hours of scraping it off the floor and tunnel under the carpet on Willit?

[Johnvan]

That goop is a little ugly.

[jlthunder]

Originally Posted by namba209 I used "Zylene" to remove the residue left from hours of scraping it off the floor and tunnel under the carpet on Willit?

Ouch! You are killing the chemical spelling. It is Xylene. An old school term which is still used in hardware stores is Xylol. From my organic chemical days it is a benzene ring with 2 CH3's attached. There are 3 types, o-Xylene, m-Xylene and p-Xylene.

Be careful with this stuff. Highly flammable, a cancer causing agent, target organ is the liver(use proper PPE) and use in an open area. If I'm not mistaken, it will also dissolve the insulation on wires so be careful with it.

It is also a great paint remover.

[namba209]

Yeah, JT, you're right, I screwed up the spelling big time. Had to be a "senior moment", but I'm authorized to have "one a day".

You're also correct about the hazards involved using it. When I used it on Willit?, the car was just a rolling shell, no doors, hood or anything inside. But it sure did cut through the residual junk left behind. I used a roll of paper towels and filled a 33 gallon baggie with them when I was done. Restomotive "Marine Clean' and a vapor blaster finished off cleaning the interior to a very clean surface.

[jlthunder]

No problem. Senior moments, Hmmmmm. I suffer from multiple moments everyday. Maybe it was all that Benzene I worked with in school. Gasoline is just as bad as Xylene, but people don't think about it since we use it everyday. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread.

[Sparky73]

For both the 'wire goop' and the tar like substance under the carpet, I just used a wood chisel. The tar on the inside was heated with a torch and scraped off. Just heat for a few seconds and it comes RIGHT off.

The wire goop I used the same chisel and a hammer. Most of the time it is so dried out that it will break off in 2 or 3 pieces, along with the paint underneath.

[hustlerzlife]

How about those connectors that attach to the switch under the brake peddle? Any idea on where to get some, I asked an electrical contractor and he said he hasn't seen them before and suggested I just cut a quick-connect in half.

[namba209]

IIRC, the brake switch on Willit? just had standard 1/4" spade connectors. Of course it could have been an aftermarket brake switch, but IDK.

[trlmr]

The connectors on my brake switch is a round post. If yours are the same you can use what is called a "bullet" connector. I think Napa stores carry them. BTW my factory coil used the same connector, maybe someone else has wired their coil with something else?