Don Del Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I had a problem a week or so ago when the fuel pump stopped working 50km from home. Subsequent investigation found that the cause of the failure was corrosion of the fuel pump supply pin in the connector on the top of the pump. Any suggestions as to how I can prevent this happening again? Application of vaseline or grease? If grease what type? Cheers, Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMc Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I had a problem a week or so ago when the fuel pump stopped working 50km from home. Subsequent investigation found that the cause of the failure was corrosion of the fuel pump supply pin in the connector on the top of the pump. Any suggestions as to how I can prevent this happening again? Application of vaseline or grease? If grease what type? Cheers, Del Use Dielectric Grease (or Vaseline, if you can't get Dielectric Grease), on the terminals, the body seal in the connector housing, and around the wire seals where the cables enter. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Del Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Paul, Many thanks! Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Does Vaseline work, I've always been hesitant in case it shorts something...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMc Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Does Vaseline work, I've always been hesitant in case it shorts something...! I've used it without problems but, you got me wondering So I tried the probes of my continuity tester in a pot of Vaseline and I didn't get a flicker from it. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Del Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 I've used it without problems but, you got me wondering So I tried the probes of my continuity tester in a pot of Vaseline and I didn't get a flicker from it. . Hi,I have just been checking vaseline in Wikipedia where it is defined as being "a non-polar hydrocarbon hydrophobic (water-repelling) and insoluble in water". The other consideration (minor?) is that vaseline is the trade name for petroleun jelly which is "a mixture of hydrocarbons, having a melting-point usually within a few degrees of human body temperature, which is approximately 37 °C (99 °F).[2] It is flammable only when heated to liquid, then the fumes will light, not the liquid itself, so a wick material like leaves, bark, or small twigs is needed to light petroleum jelly". Hope this helps. Del Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Pretty much the same petroleum jelly used to impregnate Denso tape - which was used to insulate HV cable joints and telecom insulators for many many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Okay, after reading this: http://www.ehow.com/how_8632961_use-vaseline-cpu-sockets.html I'm convinced. A CPU is a hellish environment! Btw. Never type "using Vaseline to..." into Google with auto suggest on. #Educated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Ah, Thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 The UK telephone network is stuffed with vaseline-filled terminals, there's probably at least 10 in your home phone line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Just spoke to my very knowledgeable electronics guys, who made the very good point that it's likely to leak out on a warm day. You need to seal the Vaseline into the connector after the fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Then they handed me silicone thermal compound with a rye smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 The UK telephone network is stuffed with vaseline-filled terminals, there's probably at least 10 in your home phone line. It is also full of wires that are simply twisted together........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Don't forget the string! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul mc Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 i use red rubber grease, was suggested to me by some motocross friends of mine. It's really really sticky and doesn't get thin when wet, i pack it into terminals in exposed environments like tow sockets with good results. You can get it from a good motor factor, cheaper than vaseline! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFC Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Copper grease is my favourite - works a treat on everything electrical. I even dip the ends of wire in it before crimping on the terminals - no corrosion is sight :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Erm, you use COPPER grease in electrical terminals? You know copper is quite a good conductor, right? It may be insulated by the grease, but I personally think it's completely the wrong product for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Ummm... You can just go to the store and get dielectric grease, designed for the purpose.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFC Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Erm, you use COPPER grease in electrical terminals? You know copper is quite a good conductor, right? It may be insulated by the grease, but I personally think it's completely the wrong product for the job. I used Copper Grease for 9 years on my Caterham 7, which has similar Micky Mouse electrics to a Land Rover. Good conductivity is a bonus with electrical connections and it excludes moisture - the enemy of good electrical conductivity. A win-win situation I think Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Not really a win-win, if you are talking about a multi plug connector, you have two or more connectors all surrounded by copper-laden grease. Dielectric or vaseline for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFC Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Not really a win-win, if you are talking about a multi plug connector, you have two or more connectors all surrounded by copper-laden grease. Dielectric or vaseline for the job. I considered that, but when I inserted the probes of my multi-meter set to resistance into the pot of Copper Grease there was no conductivity until I touched the probes together. Perhaps a Megga would give a more meaningful insulation test, but at the time, Copper Grease was all I had available and it has worked for me. If there is a specific product for this purpose, it might be best to buy that. All I'm saying is that Copper Grease has worked for me, both on any electrical connection, including light bulbs and as an anti-seize on nuts and bolts. If used on bolt threads that require a torque value, don't forget to reduce the torque you tighten the nut/bolt to - same goes for thread locker. I can't remember the % reduction, but it'll be on the Internet somewhere - I'll check. Here you go:- "You can generally use anti-seize on a bolt as you see fit by applying a simple rule of thumb: With anti-seize, the torque needed to achieve the same clamping force is 2/3 to 3/4 that of the dry bolt. A 100 ft-lb torque specification becomes 70 ft-lbs with anti-seize. I would avoid coating the head seating area of a fastener with lubricating compounds. If you really slather the whole works, you could double the design preload or more. Thread locking compounds do not have as much of a lubricating effect as anti-seize so torque settings do not change as significantly. Source: http://users.telenet.be/miata/english/suspension/torquesettings.htm Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Perhaps a Megga would give a more meaningful insulation test. Given that I've got a tub of copper grease (Coppaslip) and a Megga on hand (and it's a slow day at work) I thought I'd try it. At 1kV the reading was >2000M ohms. I'd say that's pretty non conductive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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