Dielectric grease - need help

[Bill Goddard]

I have been using dielectric grease to protect electrical connections from corrosion. The other day on a whim I checked a gob of the grease with an ohm meter and found no conductivity. If dielectric grease dosn't conduct electricity why are we using it on connections in lieu of any other grease? Bill G

[160B]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dielectric-grease.htm

Dielectric grease is a non-conductive, silicone-based grease that's designed to seal out moisture and prevent corrosion on electrical connectors. It also disrupts the flow of electrical current, which makes it good for lubricating and sealing the rubber parts of electrical connectors. It's commonly used in automotive spark plug wires, recreational and utility vehicles, and electrical systems in aircraft.

[TomW]

Dielectric grease withstands high temps better than regular grease, which means that, except for the engine area, there is really no reason regular grease isn't perfectly acceptable. All regular grease is electrically non-conductive.

(160B types faster than I do!)

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree, any grease will be better than no grease. If you put grease in bulb sockets (as most new cars have been doing) make sure it's a high temp grease. For a short time I was using Vaseline, until I learned it melted from the heat and smeared the glass bulb. Now I use high temp grease.

[Patrick L.]

I used vaseline for years [and still do at times depending on which is easier to find] before this new fangled stuff came along.. Like said your looking for just a corrosion and waterproofer form of STUFF..

[P.S.]

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There ARE conductive greases like Penetrox. These are used in the communications industry. It's essentially hi-temp grease infused with zinc.

It won't show perfect conductivity, but it will show some resistance (small amount of conductivity).

I have pulled apart antenna connections that were put together with Penetrox over 20 years ago and they still look perfect.

[BrianBurkert]

Conductivity would be undesirable as it would increse the likelyhood of short circuits.

[P.S.]

Nah, just the opposite. Conductive grease isn't used between circuits, it's used for connections of the same circuit. For instance, the screws upon which the wires connect in the Model A electrical junction box. Or, the stud upon which the wires connect to the cutout or alternator. Zinc impregnated grease can also be used on battery terminal connections, etc. Though, it's really not needed.

It's most valuable use is when electrical or electrical-mechanical connections are made using dissimilar metals or stainless hardware. The conductive grease impregnated with zinc helps prevent the destruction of the dissimilar metals and keeps stainless hardware from seizing when it needs to be disassembled later.

[marc hildebrant]

I use this type of grease on the distributor cam surface. It works great as a lube for the rubbing part of the points.

Bert's suggested the idea. Not mine....

Marc

[ctlikon0712]

Sort of on subject, most halogen bulbs get super-heated. When handling halogen bulbs they caution you against getting oils, including skin oil on the bulb because it causes a hot spot and eventually a failure. Here at work we were talking about the pros and cons of putting the grease on the contact ends of the 500W halogen bulbs on the common yellow light stands to maybe make the bulbs last longer. On a model A, would dielectric grease at the bulb contacts cook off and the vapors coat the inside of the lens and reflector?