Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:38:51 -0700
Reply-To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: Re: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
In-Reply-To: <793380.90340.qm@web33904.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
As I understand it, if you use conductive grease on a multi-pronged,
multi-circuit connector you run the risk of misapplying (or over applying)
the grease and having it make contact between those circuits, or having it
ooze later and making contact, or it could make its way out of a connection
where it might create a short to ground. Dielectric grease won't do that. If
you properly clean your connections and then apply the grease, the
connectors will make metal-to-metal contact through the grease and the
grease will create a barrier to corrosion, inadvertent conduction, and will
help prevent seizing.
I don't think I typed the word 'grease' enough there (cue John Travolta
references...)
I would guess that in Danny's case the process was band-aiding a symptom,
like easing the friction between the needle and the track and therefore
making it respond more smoothly, until it wore off again.
Cya,
Robert
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Danny
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 10:26 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
Sounds strange to me as well. I am a mechanical engineer and an old boy
electrician showed it to me up in Kodiak Alaska. There is a lot of corrosion
and rust up there. While I was chief engineer of a plant we used it on lots
of conductive points and other electrical connections. It solved many
problems for us. Who knows maybe we got lucky. But I do swear by it today. I
had a 89 Toyota 4X4 truck that was giving me a lot of rough running and hard
start issues, it felt like a bad ignition switch. But the plant electrician
pop-ed the top off my air flow meter smeared on some dielectric silicon
grease on the point where the needle runs and the truck ran better than ever
from that day on. Every 2 months or so it would start to run rough again and
I would pop off the top and re apply the grease and problem solved. I guess
to each his own........
Danny
'84 Westy (Vanny)
--- On Tue, 6/9/09, Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
From: Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 9:07 PM
Hello folks,
I was reading the discussion about high powered headlights overheating some
connectors, and again I saw mention that use of dielectric grease is good
practice. .... to put it on the contacts. Of course I've seen it
referenced many times.
But this confuses me. Dielectric grease is an insulator, right? It is
non-conductive. Why would we put it on the contacts where we want a better
connection? Why wouldn't we use conductive grease on contacts? Or is the
proper application of dielectric grease to put it on the outside of the
connector, but never on the contact points themselves? I keep a tube of
conductive grease around the garage, use it only very rarely. If we use
dielectric grease only on the outside of a connection, why not just use heat
shrink tubing?
Thanks!
Roland
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