AFT tent light corrosion

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TheHillsAreCalling
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AFT tent light corrosion

Post by TheHillsAreCalling » Mon Jun 04, 2018 11:03 am

HI folks,

The interior light in the AFT tent of my Bongo (i.e. the one behind the AFT lock/cancel button) has stopped working, and on dismantling it I can see that there's a lot of corrosion in there.

I can't see any signs of a water leak in the area, so my best guess at present is that it somehow got condensation in there that caused the corrosion.

Anyway... My main questions are...

1) It's too fiddly to get in there to rub down many of the corroded bits, and it's all rivetted so I can't get the corroded bits off to work on them separately. Is there anything I could soak it in to clean the corrosion off that won't damage the metal or plastic? At present, I can't even get good contacts for the multimeter in order to isolate the problem!

2) If I can't clean it, then does anyone know where I could get a replacement unit? It's not for sale in the store here, or the compatible parts database unfortunately, and extensive googling has got me precisely nowhere so far.

Many thanks in advance for any help or advice you may be able to offfer,
Phil
Markas
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Re: AFT tent light corrosion

Post by Markas » Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:14 pm

Hi Phil,
Don't have a pop-top so can't visualise the light fitting in question, but as you say the corrosion's probably just the result of condensation. How about using coca-cola to attack the corrosion, assuming you are able to rinse all traces of it away afterwards?
Mark
1999 Bongo 2.0L, Northstar Outback rear conversion
Markas
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Re: AFT tent light corrosion

Post by Markas » Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:25 pm

Digging around various Mazda EPC's, I find that a Mazda Demio roof light appears to use the same lens (51-311) although the housing is rather larger (part no. 51-310)
Here's the page I found:
Mark
1999 Bongo 2.0L, Northstar Outback rear conversion
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sotal
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Re: AFT tent light corrosion

Post by sotal » Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:34 pm

I recently used white vinegar on corroded battery terminals which worked well. Not sure if it would work the same as the corrosion on that might have been from battery acid. It fizzes away, if you could spray it on it might work? It is going to be easiest if you can remove it though.
TheHillsAreCalling
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Re: AFT tent light corrosion

Post by TheHillsAreCalling » Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:16 am

Thanks guys - really useful. I'm trying the vinegar approach as it's what I had to hand (thanks for the suggestion Sotal) and will check the results when I get back from work. I also managed to sort out a couple of decent contact points for the meter and have isolated one bad joint that I'll have a go at soldering. With any luck, that'll sort it [-o<

If all else fails, the info on the Demio roof light could prove invaluable - many thanks Markas.
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Doone
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Re: AFT tent light corrosion

Post by Doone » Tue Jun 05, 2018 5:05 pm

I recently saw a photo of where the headlinng had been removed from a Bongo camper. There was surface corrosion in several places on the underside of the roof. So condensation is a likely explanation. I wonder if you could get a non corroded unit from a breaker, if it doesn't clean up ok.
Allan's closed. We recommend PGS (Plymouth Garage Services) or Mayflower Auto Services in Plymouth.
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