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Date:         Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:54:32 -0700
Reply-To:     Doug in Calif <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doug in Calif <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Subject:      Re: The nature of dielectric grease;
Comments: To: jimt <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I too thought it was conductive. I bought a squeeze bottle of the stuff and use it on those pesky spade connectors that rip the skin from your fingers when you try to remove them 20 years later.

For the record I had previously tried using some cool red Chevron 100 percent synthetic grease on the battery terminals on my Porsche. This turned out to be a very bad idea, the stuff lost all moisture and turned to a kind of red non conducting nail polish. I found out the hard way when it stopped the voltage to my instuments in a very on/off fashion. It actually shorted and ruined one of the boards in the instrument cluster.

why not just use moly grease?

Doug

----- Original Message ----- From: "jimt" <camper@TACTICAL-BUS.INFO> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 2:33 PM Subject: Re: The nature of dielectric grease;

> It is that nonconductivity that makes it useful for many electrical jobs. > It seals contacts from water and other corrosive elements yet provides a > lubricant for easy removal of the connections later. Same for light bulbs > and spark plug boots, etc. it is not being used to make it more conductive. > With a correctly done connection the grease is pushed aside except where > there is no contact. > jimt > > On 8/27/05 3:06 PM, "Robert Fisher" <refisher@MCHSI.COM> wrote: > > > I'm puzzled about how people use this stuff. I put a big blob of it on a > > piece of wood and checked it with my multimeter. No conductivity on any > > scale. > > > > The dictionary defines 'dielectric' as: "A nonconductor of electricity, > > especially a substance with electrical conductivity of less than a millionth > > (10-6) of a siemens" > > > > If I'm not mistaking this and any number of past posts, folks seem to be > > using this as an aid to conductivity. > > > > I thought it was used to, say, keep yer plug boots from getting stuck, or as > > a corrosion/dirt/etc. barrier outside of a connection that in itself would > > not conduct the juice in that connection to something else. > > > > I suppose I could be misinterpreting what folks are saying about their use > > of the stuff... I also suppose that if you coated a contact with it you > > could still get conductivity where the grease was pushed aside and you had > > metal-to-metal contact, but that seems iffy. > > > > Am I missing something here? > > > > Cya > > Robert > >


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