Cleanup from a leaky heater core

[vjaneczko]

As I was working to finish my stereo replacement project, I noticed that all the wires near the hood release handle were slippery, and I found out my heater core is leaking. The parts should arrive Wednesday and I've done it before on a buddies car, but my question is; what's the best way to clean the wires that are coated with coolant (I'm guessing it's a very small leak and it was mostly turning to a mist or steam) and clean the carpet?

[jdewing59]

I would recommend using brake clean to remove the antifreeze from the wiring harness. Spray the brake clean only on a rag and wipe the wires with the rag. Spraying directly on the wires is not a good idea. Make sure to remove and replace any wet electrical tape. This will help to prevent adhesive oozing out onto your clothing etc. later. Good luck.

[JimBee]

When my carpet became saturated, I pulled the front seats and took out the carpet, put it on the lawn, used a good detergent and a soft bristle scrub brush and scrubbed it all down, then hosed it off and let it dry in the sun. Once you get into a mindset for removing the seats, it goes pretty fast. HOWEVER, mine's a '93, so no side seat airbags. If yours have those, obviously extra care needs to be taken. Otherwise, scrub and rinse lightly, vacuum it out with a wet dry vac.

[FCPEURO]

+1 to both of these ideas. You can also use a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a rag to clean the wires. That will work well too.