Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2023 22:56:51 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Microscopic corrosion on electrical contacts
In-Reply-To: <CAHrsyzwhUnWLQZTFu7E4dqceB+uMqEJM3wV6Hh94_980ZJuWCA@mail.gmail.com>
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Thanks Karl, the link you provided is a very educational one.....I just vastly increased my knowledge!!! One thing I will say about Vaseline....it tends to help "dissolve" surface crud and oxidation and corrosion....at least in my experience.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 03:46:02 PM PDT, Karl Ploessl <karl.ploessl@gmail.com> wrote:
Q: Yeah, But Is Vaseline a Dielectric Grease?
A: Dielectric grease is different from Vaseline, as it uses a silicone base
while Vaseline is petroleum jelly, which is made of waxes and minerals.
https://www.thedrive.com/maintenance-repair/39173/dielectric-grease)
https://askanydifference.com/difference-between-dielectric-grease-and-vaseline/
On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 6:42 PM Mike Miller <mwmiller6@att.net> wrote:
> Different name?
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jun 14, 2023, at 3:36 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks Richard. I still don't know how it is different, though.
> mcneely
> >
> >> On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 3:33 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Dielectric grease would work just fine. Maybe better.
> >>
> >> On Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 03:27:43 PM PDT, David McNeely <
> >> davmcneely40@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> So why not dialectric grease? I know the price would be greatly
> >> different, but the dg is made for the purpose. So, why vaseline? How
> is
> >> the DG different from vaseline?
> >>
> >> On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 12:41 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net
> >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> I've recently been discussing microscopic corrosion that occurs on metal
> >> electrical contacts (with 2 engineer buddies, one at Apple, one at H/P).
> >> You know how sometimes something funky and unexpected happens to
> something
> >> electrical in your Vanagon? Might be a light bulb, might be a spade
> >> connector, might be a speaker connection, might be a door switch, might
> be
> >> an Emergency Flasher switch. I boldly surmise that in general, the
> >> component itself is not the problem.....it's getting electricity back
> and
> >> forth from it. Why? Microscopic surface corrosion....and it doesn't
> take
> >> much. When building a car or some electronic device, everything is
> bright
> >> shiny new, just attach things and everything works just fine. Over
> time,
> >> humidity in air and even worse when near an ocean, starts to attack this
> >> nice shiny metal. Corrosion. Increased resistance at best, failed
> >> connection at worst. Now, given that things need to be built quickly
> and
> >> most cost effectively, there is no corrosion prevention applied.
> Mostly,
> >> these situations are very easy to deal with; you clean them up, with
> >> varying degrees of intensity, and then apply a nice protective coating
> >> before connecting again.
> >>
> >>
> >> Vaseline. A most marvelous thing. Just a tiny smooth wipe.
> >>
> >>
> >> Yes, I've taken fuses out one by one and used steel wool to shiny up and
> >> then a very thin wipe of Vaseline on contacts and they glide right back
> >> into position. Every time I deal with some spade or barrel connector I
> do
> >> the same. Light bulbs?...yes, same treatment. Worried about shorting
> >> something out with grease?; nope, has never happened, and I just
> recently
> >> did similar corrosion fix on my Samsung smartphone battery and also HDMI
> >> connections on back of TV. I mean, I used a toothpick and
> magnification,
> >> didn't slather it on, but it fixed things immediately. Flashlights,
> >> battery operated wall clocks, remote controls, room thermostat....you
> name
> >> it.
> >>
> >>
> >> In cases like the Emergency Flasher Switch....well, you can't readily
> get
> >> inside....but spray Electrical Contact Cleaner and 50 times exercising
> does
> >> the job. Similar with other enclosed things.
> >>
> >> This is my opinion, and I'd love to hear comments pro or con. I'm a big
> >> believer in preventative maintenance; even if something isn't broken, if
> >> I'm in the nearby area I do everything I can to preserve it's life.
> It's
> >> always so easy to do at home, and always so discouraging to try to fix
> when
> >> on the road.
> >>
> >>
>
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