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Date:         Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
Comments: To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <000301c9e9a6$edf63b70$c9e2b250$@com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

The use of dielectric grease is to help prevent corrosion of the connections...due to water infiltration. It is NOT to promote a better electrical connection.

On Jun 10, 2009, at 4:38 AM, Robert Fisher wrote:

> 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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