Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 01:20:41 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Wire brush, good sandpaper, elbow grease,
regular grease on critical connections
In-Reply-To: <1863600044.3565407.1586478250886@mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Thinking this whole issue through...yeah, this is the way to go. Solves both short term and long term issues. Whether you have an immediate issue or not. Just makes sense. Scrub, clean, brush, clean again.....finish up with a preservative coating of grease. Brass brushes are cheap at Harbor Freight; so is grease. Old school. Not perfect, but way better than doing nothing. Rust never sleeps (reference to Neil Young).
Rich
San Diego
On Thursday, April 9, 2020, 5:24:10 PM PDT, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Sorry about the math....told you guys about 12 years ago in Alabama. Yep the White Lithium grease solved the "grinding" noise at Steering wheel for the horn ring. So...probably, I gave it a second treatment, and maybe even a third, sorry I don't keep track of all these minor repairs and fixes....heck, all I know is that I bought that big socket (24 MM?) at Sears (when they were still in business). Just saying: di-electric grease is FANTASTIC for stuff like closely spaced electrical contacts (think blue foil connection and others)....as THIN a film as you can apply...mostly to let the blue foil and the connector mate in a nice way.
Regarding connections on battery and alternator and starter motor....YEP...I'm all in favor of a neatly applied and rubbed-in coating of grease that might be slightly conductive. Like I said, Vaseline or General Purpose grease or White Lithium grease. No...we are not counting on the grease to make the connection. Yes....we are counting on the grease to preserve the connection and dissuade corrosion, for decades. Salty air here where I live; and yes, it blows off the tops of waves for thousands and thousands of miles on it's way to San Diego; it resides in the lower atmosphere, for at least a thousand feet or so; yes, it is readily visible. Can smell it too.
Rich
San Diego
On Thursday, April 9, 2020, 4:38:23 PM PDT, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
All I know David, and I genuinely accept you as a Vanagon Guru especially regarding electrical issues. The issue was: the Horn Ring.12 years ago somewhere in Alabama, and that is a long way from San Diego. Outside of a Laundrymat! Yes, I went to nearby AutoParts store for one of those little packets of di-electric grease. Super Duper...my grinding noise went away! Happy guy. But, 6 months later...grinding noise on Steering Wheel came back. Did the same repair...only...this time, I used White Lithium grease on Horn Ring. Now, after 7 happy years...still silent and smooth.
No, I don't quite understand all the chemistry and stuff regarding grease and electrical conductivity; but, I wanted to tell you the story.
Rich
San Diego
On Thursday, April 9, 2020, 4:25:15 PM PDT, David Beierl <dbeierl@gmail.com> wrote:
a little "real" grease (like Vaseline or White Lithium grease that conducts electricity, NOT the coating known as di-electric grease which is greasy and great at preventing surface corrosion but is poor at conducting electricity)
Richard, no ordinary grease conducts electricity, any more than oil does (and grease is oil mixed with a carrier which is a soap, often lithium soap). So in that sense they're all dielectric grease. But the silicone grease called that (and it's quite a lot like Dow Corning stopcock grease or high vacuum grease) is so called because it's *intended* to be used for waterproofing high voltage connections rather than as a lubricant.
Unless a grease is advertised as conductive (maybe loaded with metal powder) the only way to get electrical contact is for the two parts to directly contact each other. This happens at nanoscopic peaks in the surface called asperities, and bolting pressure will normally accomplish this.
Yrs,d
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