Protecting electrical connections

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Nicholas123

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I just had a crisis when my engine would'nt start & I tracked it down to a badly corroded connection on a thing called a mini relay that was just protected by insulating tape.It was only one out of five so it must be particularly vulnerable but how do I protect it in the future?

I ran some tests on Vaseline a few months ago & it did'nt seem to prevent the passage of electricity so if I daub it all over these connections will it provide a path for them to short out or should I just aim it at this one particular vulnerable connection?
What do others use?
 
Nicholas123 said:
I just had a crisis when my engine would'nt start & I tracked it down to a badly corroded connection on a thing called a mini relay that was just protected by insulating tape.It was only one out of five so it must be particularly vulnerable but how do I protect it in the future?

I ran some tests on Vaseline a few months ago & it did'nt seem to prevent the passage of electricity so if I daub it all over these connections will it provide a path for them to short out or should I just aim it at this one particular vulnerable connection?
What do others use?
Click to expand...
Vaseline, although you can buy a purpose made compound for doing this. I suspect it is mainly Vaseline?
Stu
 
Or £5.50 at Boatlamps

Or go mad and buy the larger size for £25 and immediately put it in a safe place!

Tony.
 
Yes, you can daub it about indiscriminately - don't waste it by using more than a smear, though. Vaseline is actually a non-conductive material so won't short out adjacent terminals, it gets displace as you push the connector home, leaving the surface of exposed parts coated and protected.

Rob.
 
I use an old metal filn canister to melt the Vaseline then dip the whole connector in the liquid - soaks up the cable and seals all exposed bits - no more corrosion and easy to open the connector later if needed.
 
Nicholas123 said:
I just had a crisis when my engine would'nt start & I tracked it down to a badly corroded connection on a thing called a mini relay that was just protected by insulating tape.It was only one out of five so it must be particularly vulnerable but how do I protect it in the future?

I ran some tests on Vaseline a few months ago & it did'nt seem to prevent the passage of electricity so if I daub it all over these connections will it provide a path for them to short out or should I just aim it at this one particular vulnerable connection?
What do others use?
Click to expand...

ACF 50 from amazon
 
On a side note: I never used to use anything on terminals. Having learnt my lesson I use it all the time now. (Contralube.) Worth taking the extra minute or two to dig out the tube.
 
Another vote for Contralube which I got at a reasonable price from Maplins a few years ago. Goes a long way no not expensive in the long run.
 
nigelmercier said:
Unfortunately it was wrong. Vaseline, like many such products, is and insulator and leaves a non-conducting film which reduces the contact area. This is what Contralube was invented to eliminate.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you are right.I carried out some tests a few months ago by smearing some on something & then sticking a multi meter on it & continuity produced the usual beeping noise as if it were not effected.
 
nigelmercier said:
It's great stuff, but not sure about electrical connections: http://bit.ly/ACF-50
Click to expand...

[
[h=2]Product Description[/h] ACF-50 Is probably one of the most effective anti-corrions products on the market, Used originally in the aerospace industry to keep Aircraft in the air it is now available for everyone to use on there vehicles, from motorcycles to cars and everything in between, if it has metal on it it can corrode then you need ACF-50. ]
 
nigelmercier said:
Unfortunately it was wrong. Vaseline, like many such products, is and insulator and leaves a non-conducting film which reduces the contact area. This is what Contralube was invented to eliminate.
Click to expand...
From the Contralube site... •Dielectric product – cannot introduce faults if mis-applied (breakdown voltage is 10kV).

ie it is non-conductive, an insulator.
 
Best thing is to start out with decent materials in the first place, tinned cable and tinned copper terminals instead of the nasty pre packs from chandlers and Halfrauds et. al., don't use spades where you can use ring terminals. For extreme exposure parts in anchor lockers and similar areas make sure the connections are bright, tight and free from grease then apply liquid neoprene, sometimes sold as liquid insulating tape. For less critical areas use protective grease, my favourite is Servisol which has been around ever since I can remember and gives good results. For well protected dry areas provided the materials used are of good quality there is no need for any protection other than that provided by the quality of the materials used. For things like relays which you have no control over terminal quality using the liquid neoprene is no bad thing wherever they are sited.
This makes interesting reading for those interested in the dialectric -v- conductive grease debate.
http://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm
 
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