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gregz

dpb wrote:
On 1/24/2014 9:00 AM, wrote:
On Friday, January 24, 2014 9:18:04 AM UTC-5, dpb wrote:
On 1/23/2014 8:26 PM, gregz wrote:
wrote:
On 1/23/2014 2:13 PM, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Fred McKenzie wrote:
In raweb.com,
wrote:
On 1/20/2014 9:08 AM, wrote:
...
with a view to the future, what do you guys use for that kind of
application? Some kind of grease like product that would prevent
corrosion but conduct electricity would seem to be what I need.
Any products to recommend?
...

If you get a good contact a little dielectric grease can keep water and
other deteriorating agents out.

The only goo that I know of that is supposed to conduct is Stabilant 22.
Spendy, and I don't know if it is still around.

Stabilant was developed by my college buddy from the 1950s, William M.D.
"Mike" Wright.

It's still being produced and sold:

Of course, a conductant is _not_ what OP wants here in all likelihood.
Virtually all current connectors include both terminals any more so if
fill it up w/ a conductor he'll short them out for sure. The days of the
old single-wire "hot" bulb connector w/ chassis ground are long gone.

Any conduction taking place, is a very small distance. It will not out
short out connections. Never fooled much with stabilant. What you get is a
highly diluted solution, mostly alcohol.

Don't know about that; I thought the point of "conductive" grease _was_
the conductivity. But the spacing between conductors ain't all that
much in some of these connectors. I'd not take the chance meself.

But, I've not had any use for any and so don't know actual datasheet
spec's...

+1

It would seem to me if you had a grease type compound that was
conductive, the smaller the distance, the worse the problem. If
I have two conductors 1/16" away from each other it's going to
be easier for the conductive stuff to connect them than if they
were 1" apart. I would think you'd only use the conductive stuff
where there is good separation and you can keep the stuff where
it needs to be. With many auto type connectors, you can't do that.

I wound up cleaing the connector with electrical contact cleaner,
then working the connector on/off a dozen times, then applying
dielectric grease. It's working fine as of now.....

I'd never previously actually looked at the datasheet for Stabilant--

The Stabilant isn't actually a conductive grease of which one normally
thinks; it's as Gregz says above a dilute solution in a carrier of a
polymer and it has very unusual properties in that it is only conductive
under an applied field if I read their (limited) top-level stuff correctly.

I was thinking (and writing) of an actual bulk grease that is
electrically conductive such as Conducto-Lube or the like that are full
of Ag or C or other various other conductive materials depending on the
target application and serve also as the water displacement that the Si
lubes do for plug boots, electrical connectors and the like. But, these
latter non-conductive greases don't actually help the connection, it
relies on physical contact to locally displace them for the actual
electrical contact but they remain in the overall connector to keep out
dirt, moisture, etc.

But, while Stabilant would serve well for the connection, it's price
overkill for automotive connectors so I was pretty much discounting its
actual use for your purposes, simply cautioning against slopping a bunch
of a conductive paste grease in there thinking one would want it to be
conductive but not thinking about having both polarities in the same
connector before doing same.

Perhaps that clarifies the difference some and covers both ends of the spectrum...

--

Volkswagon dealers and NAPA used to carry Stabilant. A long time ago,
called Tweek, by audio company.

I'm not sure if i ever measured my cramolin copper loaded grease. I think
it might be best for static elimination. A long time ago something about
railroad tracks was mentioned, can't remember where or who.

Greg