Author Topic: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant  (Read 1889 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline My S1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Joined: Oct 2022
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 257
Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 12:23:12 PM »
This may have come up before but I can not find anything on the search page.  I'm going through the wiring harness and cleaning up the contacts and terminals with CRC spray cleaner.  It doesn't seem to do much good on oxidation and I worry about degenerating the plastics and of course the damn overspray.  Could someone please recommend a first rate solution, possibly in brush form, that will eliminate the old oxidation and prevent future corrosion?

Offline TurboFource

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Sep 2019
  • Location: Maryland
  • Posts: 2,327
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #1 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 12:50:49 PM »
I dip mine in a vinegar/salt solution, then water/baking soda solution to neutralize, spray with WD-40 to displace the water and then put dielectric grease on the connection.

The salt makes the vinegar more acidic, I put as much as will dissolve in it ….

You can see in the pic the oxidation has discolored my solutions….
« Last Edit: Monday,March 17, 2025, 12:52:21 PM by TurboFource »
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline Kendo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Jul 2015
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 674
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #2 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 01:27:12 PM »
Is it just a dip, or do the connections have to sit for a bit?

Offline TurboFource

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Sep 2019
  • Location: Maryland
  • Posts: 2,327
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #3 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 01:34:21 PM »
I dip for a couple of minutes
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline TurboFource

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Sep 2019
  • Location: Maryland
  • Posts: 2,327
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #4 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 01:51:05 PM »
Just did this one as an example ….this one was really grubby

After and before ….
« Last Edit: Monday,March 17, 2025, 01:55:18 PM by TurboFource »
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline Kendo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Jul 2015
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 674
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #5 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 02:03:51 PM »
So you don’t have to disassemble the connectors to do this. I always wondered about that. I see the utility of the WD40 for ejecting water in the process.

a friend who did Japanese woodworking as a hobby used camelia oil to displace water. Japanese tools are generally sharpened with water as a lubricant. Thinking a bit, WD40 is probably better because it eventually evaporates.

Offline My S1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Joined: Oct 2022
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 257
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #6 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 02:28:31 PM »
Interesting "green" solution which I always appreciate.  I used to put a dab of dielectric grease on my electrical connections until I was advised against it.  Went on you tube and found a number of demos proving that dielectric grease does not conduct electricity.  Apparently it is just an anti corrosive.  Who knows...I'm still searching...

Offline My S1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Joined: Oct 2022
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 257
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #7 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 02:35:34 PM »
To add to that-dielectric grease is very useful for sealing out water, oil and debri.  Just not good for transferring electricity.  A little dab will do ya in the proper places.  Does anyone know of a goop that will improve conductivity and prevent oxidation/corrosion?

Offline TurboFource

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Sep 2019
  • Location: Maryland
  • Posts: 2,327
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #8 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 02:37:40 PM »
I figure it scrapes off where there is actual metal to metal contact and keeps the rest from corroding … I could be wrong  :confused: all the connections have had continuity …
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline My S1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Joined: Oct 2022
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 257
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #9 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 02:57:55 PM »
That is the way I used looked at it as well.  Just ran across this you tube video which has a few good observations;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv22edIEl7w


Offline Kendo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Jul 2015
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 674
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #10 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 03:40:35 PM »
This sounds like dieting advice. Are we ever going to learn what ACTUALLY works? Maybe good enough is, well, good enough :)

Offline Kendo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Jul 2015
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 674
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #11 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 03:59:07 PM »
Also, I’m using the dielectric grease Bryan suggested (Burndy Penetrox A), so Bryan if I got that wrong, please chime in!

Offline 314159td

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Dec 2023
  • Location: Hermosa Beach CA
  • Posts: 158
    • Project Portfolio
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #12 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 04:44:27 PM »
A dielectric grease is the correct product in this application. There are some made by DeoxIT that also remove, in addition to preventing corrosion. L260 is the grease family, and there are variants for very specific applications. Copper, aluminum, graphite, and quarts particles. For most of our stuff, the copper particle variant is fine - L260Cp. There is also a variant with their D100L stuff mixed in, even better against corrosion.

Where you have many contacts in one housing, like modern electrical connectors, L260Np (no particles) is required and can't break up corrosion as well. Definitely have a look around the DeoxIT product pages and see what makes sense for your specific application.

This is what we use on the boats; works great or we wouldn't spend the time applying it. Super-lube and others make completely adequate dielectric grease if you don't need the corrosion dissolving properties.
« Last Edit: Monday,March 17, 2025, 04:52:21 PM by 314159td »

Offline 314159td

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Dec 2023
  • Location: Hermosa Beach CA
  • Posts: 158
    • Project Portfolio
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #13 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 04:47:13 PM »
Dielectric grease preventing/disrupting an electrical connection is a frustratingly common misconception. The dielectric grease fills the air gaps that already weren't conducting; the metal contacts push the grease out of the way there they do physically contact.

You wouldn't want grease exclusively conducting electricity. That doesn't end well.
« Last Edit: Monday,March 17, 2025, 04:48:59 PM by 314159td »

Offline My S1

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Joined: Oct 2022
  • Location: Northern California
  • Posts: 257
Re: Electrical Connection Antioxidant and Lubricant
« Reply #14 on: Monday,March 17, 2025, 04:56:25 PM »
314159td,  have you used  DeoxIT®, #D100L-2DB ?  I'm seeing mixed reviews on the internet but it sounds useful...expensive as all hell.  Seems like it needs a bit of abrading to clean up old oxidation.

https://caig.com/product/deoxit-d100l-2db/?sfw=pass1742255554