I grew up on the water - fishing family (no, not angling, the *real*, commercial kind for scallop, lobster and ground fish).  We always had a 5-lb jar of petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) and everything electric - connectors, lightbulbs, fuses, battery cables, plugs, etc. received a heathy smudge before being put into service or whenever cleaned and returned to service.
 
> On 15-Apr-2016, at 21:47, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
> 
> And FYI, I find that those ubiquitous 9 LED flashlights, you know the cylindrical ones that are about 3" in length and 1" in diameter and take 3 AAA batteries and available in many colors of the rainbow, are a FAR superior solution to reading maps in the dark instead of being hunched over with a dim light above the glovebox.  So my van has 2 of those mounted for ready access, a 3rd one in the glovebox, and a bunch of AAA batteries in the drawer.  Ready for reading maps or WHATEVER.
> Tremendous battery life and performance from those things, around $1 each.
> 
> I always smear some general purpose grease on contacts in flashlight and on the ends of the batteries, just a smear.  Defeats corrosion superbly.  No, NOT di-electric grease, just white lithium grease or whatever, practically anything, Vaseline is good too.  I live 1 mile from the ocean with a salty sea-breeze, and a little grease goes a long way, keeps things working.  Especially when you need it most.
> 
> Rich
> San Diego
> 
>