Best way to clear grit and sand out of 7 pin plug??

Well, this was one of those "easier than it seems" projects. First, I fired up the shop vac with a crevice tool. A little dust came out, but there were still grains of sand that were visible, trapped in the "female" prongs of the seven sockets.

Next, I fired up my air compressor with a narrow tipped air blower attachment. Bingo! I was worried that the stream of air would drive the sand grains deeper into the sockets, but nope. Out they flew.

My guess is that the air jet created back pressure within the body of the socket, blowing the grains of sand outward. (And no, none of it got in my eyes.)

Since that was so successful, I checked out the "male" fixture on my truck. It, too, was sandy. A few moments of compressed air, and it was clean as a whistle.

Someone above suggested "why bother cleaning this?" Maybe it's just my ultra-cautious mindset, but my response is that having sand and grit inside an electrical connection can't be a good thing. It'll interfere with the on-the-road performance of the seven pin assembly, and it'll abrade the components.

Plus, to be honest, what else have I got to do? Maintenance on my rig is always more fun than doing chores around the house!! ;)

Don’t get too carried away with this just wash it when you go to the car wash keep it simple unless you just need something to do

SPRAY strong soap. Wait overnight then blast with water hose nozzle. Been there don that

You can clean with WD40 but as you suggest it would then attract more debris. I like to use WD40 as the cleaner and then use a dry silicon spray to clean out the WD40! You end up with a nice dry clean connection.

Lots of great suggestions here -- thanks! I never would have thought of washing it out with water, but of course the connections get wet in the rain. So water should be ok.

And obviously, I will try dry methods (vacuum and air compressor) first. Then water. The let it dry and blow it out some more.

The screwdriver idea makes sense -- I can insert the blade gently to open up a gap so the grit can be blown out.

I am reluctant to try WD 40 -- I'm worried that it will trap more grit.

Someone suggested taking the unit apart -- it's a one piece molded item and can't be disassembled.

I've done a lot of off road towing, and I have never seen so much dust and grit in my equipment as we experienced in the Mojave Desert. Wow!! Might be a good idea to wrap some plastic around the 7 pin next time we go there, as suggested above.

I use one of these to keep it clean and dry it works great.
https://www.reese-hitches.com/products/7_Way_Plug_Storage_Box,P-320

I use one of these it works great.
https://www.reese-hitches.com/products/7_Way_Plug_Storage_Box,P-320

I would suggest first blow out as much as possible with air.
Next submerge in Simple green without diluting it. Leave in the Simple green for several hours or if you have the time a full day.
Next blow out the simple green with air then use hot water to remove the rest of the Simple Green. Then blow out with air until completely dry.

As stated get a cover for the plug when not is use. I found one at my local NAPA Auto Supply. 7 way rubber boot

pigman1 wrote:
Duhh? Take it apart, wash thoroughly with soap and water using a toothbrush to get in crannies, rinse and let dry and put it back together.

Duhh? Not all of them come apart. Some are molded together at the factory.

Duhh? Take it apart, wash thoroughly with soap and water using a toothbrush to get in crannies, rinse and let dry and put it back together.