The gooey stuff is cable & open gear lube. You guessed it, it is used on gears that don't run in oil and on cables, the intention being that it doesn't wipe or rub off.
Brake cleaner MIGHT cut it, but then You have to worry about what sort of poisonus gasses the residue will make when exposed to the arc. Some of them make phosegen [sp?] gas, similar to agent orange.