If a leaking clutch cylinder has dripped brake fluid on your fuse box you should clean it out immediately. Brake fluid melts the plastic of the fuses, as well as the fuse box itself. The fuses go within days or weeks of exposure to the fluid, depending on the extent of contamination, but the fuse box takes much longer to show the effects, ...months or even years. Just wiping it off is not enough. It gets inside where you can't easily clean it, and slowly eats away at the internal webbing that supports the contacts against the fuses in their sockets, and they loose their spring pressure, and circuits one by one, start to become intermittent, and wiggling the fuse becomes necessary to make it work. This causes resistance which results in high heat from the poor contact, and in time the fuse socket either melts over the contacts, or crumbles into carbon dust, and you have no place to put a new fuse anymore (if you can even get the old one out). This is also a potential fire hazard. A fuse box is not by any means an easy item to replace for anybody. It is major surgery in extremely cramped quarters. You will need to completely flush it out, to avoid this slow and horrifying death of your fuse box. I have witnessed this gruesome process first hand, and it's not a pretty sight (or smell when a fuse socket melts). This is the voice of experience, the previous owner of my XJ didn't clean out the fuse box when the master cylinder failed, and over the last 4½ years I have watched helplessly as my fuse box has slowly decomposed.The only products I would recommend for cleaning the fuse box are aerosol electronics parts cleaner, designed for cleaning electronic components. These will safely clean and flush away the brake fluid, and evaporate with little or no residue (just be sure there is no silicone in it, it attracts dust). You can find a suitable cleaner like this at any Radio Shack. They usually carry two types, do not get the one that contains a silicone lubricant, it will work okay as a cleaner, but it leaves a silicone film that will attract dust.
This will be a very messy operation, so take precautions if you have a carpet you care about. You can take some heavy mill plastic (a heavy garbage bag is okay in a pinch) to line your floor, and tuck it up under the fuse box (when you get it loose) then put several layers of newspaper over the plastic to soak up the liquids so they can be easily removed when you're done.
First disconnect your battery, then remove all the fuses, flasher, and circuit breakers. This is a good time to clean them by spraying a small amount of cleaner on a clean rag and wipe them thoroughly. Now remove the screws that hold the fuse box to the firewall, and gently pull the fuse box up and away (it won't move far, you're trying to turn it up so the fluid can run out as you flush it). Let any fluid that is there run out, then (wearing eye protection) spray the box from every angle, through every fuse socket from both directions, and up inside every place you can get it. Use about half the can to flush it thoroughly, then let it dry out for a few minutes, and get in there with a flashlight and a small mirror to see if you have any more brake fluid left in there. If so, repeat the process with the rest of the can (I would do it anyway just to be safe). After it is all drained and dry, remount it to the firewall, replace the fuses, hookup the battery and you're done. Sounds like a hassle I know, but it's WAY WAY easier than replacing a fuse box.
Questions? Comments?
dch@olypen.com
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