Electrical grease

zoidberg

zoidberg

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I'm about to mate the parts of a wiring loom multi-part connector, and the supplier, Beta Marine, suggests packing the parts with Vaseline. There have been 'discussions' hereabouts on the merits of petroleum jelly on battery terminals, and I'm yet to be convinced that Vaseline is optimum.

I have all sorts of left-over lubricants - white lithium spray, WD-40, Teflon grease, stuff for trailer bearings, BoShield, what goes into the stern gland - and I seek the guidance of the congregation....
 
Silicone grease from the plumber's supplier. Your leftover Teflon grease will do too, as will most winch greases, but they're generally too pricey to use for the simple job of keeping moisture away from contacts. Same applies for Contralube :)
 
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Baufix Silicone grease ....... Lidl often have it

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Silicone grease is probably least likely to damage the plastics and rubbery bits of connectors.
Leaving exposed parts greasy so they collect dirt which holds moisture is often counterproductive.
 
MikeCC said:
...no silicone (the presence of which can be a pain in some circumstances)
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The reason for that has not be explained on this thread I think... it makes GRP repairs or painting wood difficult in the future. It is invisible, persistent, easily spread about & impossible to remove without grinding or paint stripping. You don't even know it's there until your lovely new work fails. Avoid anything silicone on a boat, grease, sealants & fabric proofers like Fabsil (do that well away from your boat & leave to dry).
 
AngusMcDoon said:
Avoid anything silicone on a boat, grease, sealants & fabric proofers like Fabsil (do that well away from your boat & leave to dry).
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I'm as anti-silicone as you seem to be, Angus, but exclude silicone grease from that prejudice. It's thoroughly waterproof, kind to seals and O-rings, and easy to keep where it belongs. In fact it's impossible to buy many boat loos without also buying a great gob of the stuff already on the pump piston.
 
The multi-plug connector that joins the engine harness to the cable that goes to the panel on my Beta has started to give me problems by refusing to stay well connected resulting in random disconnection of communication/power to the panel. The engine continues running of course and the first I generally notice it is when the stop solenoid button does nothing when trying to shut down, or more problematically turning the key to start does nothing. The engine is 10 years old and I put the problem down to doing what you are thinking of doing - greasing the connector to exclude moisture, it lubricates too of course and the two just don't positively locate any longer . I now have a cable tie to keep the plug/socket together.
 
cindersailor said:
The multi-plug connector that joins the engine harness to the cable that goes to the panel on my Beta...... the two just don't positively locate any longer . I now have a cable tie to keep the plug/socket together.
Click to expand...

I've just this morning been struggling to make this connection. I guess it would be reasonably straightforward standing alongside such an engine, mounted on a trolley in the Gloucester factory or at a boat show. It wasn't, battling in a near-impossible contortion down the back and almost underneath.... The 'female' component had a tight sheath that resisted attempts to slide it back, because the attached loom-cable was too short. The 'male' component could be located but not pushed fully home. I'm unable to determine whether the partial-location is sufficient, or not.

The other struggle today was with the M8 engine bolt which is intended to locate the Negative lead from the Start battery. That, too, was close to impossible to undo. It was so difficult of access that a pro engineer, who'd been helping, gave up - twice. He couldn't get a tool onto it.

I persevered. I had to. The idea of sailing with only paraffin lamps and a new but unusable engine doesn't appeal. The blerry thing is out. Getting it back in again is a wholly different question....

I'll ask 'Adrian' of Beta Marine, for comment.
 
You are right, the black rubber sheaths that are intended to protect the connector are a bit of a pain. I managed to slip these up the cables to give good access to the connectors and then threaded the cable tie between the wires entering the fittings on each so as to be able to securely tighten once the two were connected, then slipped the sheaths back over. Fortunately access is good on my engine, but I did have to unscrew the cable restraint on the engine to do this.
 
If the multi plug is disconnecting randomly, I would replace it all, or even just solder the wires together permanently unless it's required to remove a panel.

Try AES for electrical plugs etc
 
I use silicone grease. Tales of it messing up varnishing etc are exaggerated. It is easy enough to not get it on stuff you don't want it on. It is also simple enough to get it off if you do let it get on something. No need for sanding, grinding or atomic explosions, just wipe surfaces to be varnished with automotive panel wipe.
 
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