The use of dielectric grease is to help prevent corrosion of the
connections...due to water infiltration. It is NOT to promote a better
electrical connection.

On Jun 10, 2009, at 4:38 AM, Robert Fisher wrote:

> As I understand it, if you use conductive grease on a multi-pronged,
> multi-circuit connector you run the risk of misapplying (or over
> applying)
> the grease and having it make contact between those circuits, or
> having it
> ooze later and making contact, or it could make its way out of a
> connection
> where it might create a short to ground. Dielectric grease won't do
> that. If
> you properly clean your connections and then apply the grease, the
> connectors will make metal-to-metal contact through the grease and the
> grease will create a barrier to corrosion, inadvertent conduction,
> and will
> help prevent seizing.
>
> I don't think I typed the word 'grease' enough there (cue John
> Travolta
> references...)
>
> I would guess that in Danny's case the process was band-aiding a
> symptom,
> like easing the friction between the needle and the track and
> therefore
> making it respond more smoothly, until it wore off again.
>
> Cya,
> Robert
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of
> Danny
> Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 10:26 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
>
> Sounds strange to me as well. I am a mechanical engineer and an old
> boy
> electrician showed it to me up in Kodiak Alaska. There is a lot of
> corrosion
> and rust up there. While I was chief engineer of a plant we used it
> on lots
> of conductive points and other electrical connections. It solved many
> problems for us. Who knows maybe we got lucky. But I do swear by it
> today. I
> had a 89 Toyota 4X4 truck that was giving me a lot of rough running
> and hard
> start issues, it felt like a bad ignition switch. But the plant
> electrician
> pop-ed the top off my air flow meter smeared on some dielectric
> silicon
> grease on the point where the needle runs and the truck ran better
> than ever
> from that day on. Every 2 months or so it would start to run rough
> again and
> I would pop off the top and re apply the grease and problem solved.
> I guess
> to each his own........
>
>
> Danny
> '84 Westy (Vanny)
>
>
> --- On Tue, 6/9/09, Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
>
> From: Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Correct use of Dielectric grease?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 9:07 PM
>
>
> Hello folks,
>
> I was reading the discussion about high powered headlights
> overheating some
> connectors, and again I saw mention that use of dielectric grease is
> good
> practice.  .... to put it on the contacts.  Of course I've seen it
> referenced many times.
>
> But this confuses me.  Dielectric grease is an insulator, right?  It
> is
> non-conductive.  Why would we put it on the contacts where we want a
> better
> connection?  Why wouldn't we use conductive grease on contacts?  Or
> is the
> proper application of dielectric grease to put it on the outside of
> the
> connector, but never on the contact points themselves?  I keep a
> tube of
> conductive grease around the garage, use it only very rarely.  If we
> use
> dielectric grease only on the outside of a connection, why not just
> use heat
> shrink tubing?
>
> Thanks!
> Roland