Is it worth putting electrical grease into the electrical connectors?

[mr_magicfingers]

Last time I had the tank off I cleaned a whole bunch of crap off the wiring under there. As it's a 10 year old 1150gs it's not surprising that theres a lot of crap but I pulled a couple of the connectors and they look like they could do with a clean. I sprayed contact cleaner all over them and wiped them out but was wondering if it's worth filling the connectors with electrical grease to keep water out.

I ride through the winter and just thought it might be good preventative maintenance. What do people think?

Cheers.

 

[Bootneck_1664]

Last time I had the tank off I cleaned a whole bunch of crap off the wiring under there. As it's a 10 year old 1150gs it's not surprising that theres a lot of crap but I pulled a couple of the connectors and they look like they could do with a clean. I sprayed contact cleaner all over them and wiped them out but was wondering if it's worth filling the connectors with electrical grease to keep water out.

I ride through the winter and just thought it might be good preventative maintenance. What do people think?

Cheers.

I use ACF50 Because its designed for just that job and more. Awsome stuff.

 

[Mr K]

It's a good idea - Vaseline works if you have some anyway.

 

[mr_magicfingers]

I use ACF50 Because its designed for just that job and more. Awsome stuff.

Bike is currently covered in ACF50, was thinking of the inside of the connector, pull the two sides apart, fill with the appropriate grease and push back together again. Didn't realise ACF50 was designed for that.

 

[mr_magicfingers]

It's a good idea - Vaseline works if you have some anyway.

Ah, interesting, thank you.

 

[cookie]

i wouldn't bother.

mind you, i wouldn't use contact cleaner either. my experience is that it works great in the short term, but has a tendency to degrade to a non conductive coating over time.

WD40 is just as good at cleaning, but doesn't leave any nasty residue.

 

[rce]

You don't want the grease on the mating surfaces of the contacts as it is an electrical insulator. Far better making the connection then grease around the join between the body of the plugs and around where each wire enters the plug.


Vaseline (petroleum jelly) is a bad idea as it is petroleum based and can attack plastics.

 

[Mr K]

You don't want the grease on the mating surfaces of the contacts as it is an electrical insulator. Far better making the connection then grease around the join between the body of the plugs and around where each wire enters the plug.


Vaseline (petroleum jelly) is a bad idea as it is petroleum based and can attack plastics.

If you can use Vaseline on your skin, I doubt it'll affect palstic....and is used in underground telephone cabling ....which is why my hands are so soft...

 

[Ogmios]

as a Guzzi owner

i use WD40 and a Q tip.
sometimes even a wee brush on a Dremel.
Put them back together and
apply vaseline to the plastics sides and backs of the connector blocks.
This helps them slide in easy and i hope keeps moisture from getting in and corroding/affecting the electrical connection.

anyone got a better idea - i'm listening.

 

[MattW]

I use ACF-50 for this on my 1100.
As pointed out, this is what it was designed for.
I believe standard maintenance procedure on Sea Harriers (may they rest in peace) was to spray electrical connectors when they were disconnected and remade (but I read this on here, so believe it or not as you see fit ).

 

[ELIMINATOR]

I've put silicone grease in the connector blocks and had no problems. i got fed up with the connector block on the lower r/s of the tank going "off" and giving my fuel gauge a false reading.

The male / female connectors have some degree of interference fit, this I would guess wipes the grease off at the contact point, while protecting everywhere else?

if i ercall, ACf info. suggests that it provides protection in places that are not subject to ditrect weathering for one year. silicone grease, once the jobs done, it's done.

 

[rce]

If you can use Vaseline on your skin, I doubt it'll affect palstic....and is used in underground telephone cabling ....which is why my hands are so soft...

Because some telecom cables use petroleum jelly filling and hence are stable with petroleum based products.

Certain groups of plastics and rubbers are petroleum based and will start to degrade if petroleum jelly used.

 

[Micky]

Just be careful of the later plugs'n stuff that have the silicon flanged rubber sealing rings ... the WD40 and similar make them soft and expand and then won't go back because they're much too large

Rubber grease would be OK. Every new bike I have I separate every plug and socket, joint or connector that I can get my hand on and put electrical grease or vaseline in there. Never had an electrical problem after considerable mileage and much winter use

Never ever wash your bike when it's hot

The water turns to steam atop the engine, under the tank, and gets in to electrical connections that water can't get to .... causes corrosion and mucho problemo later

 

[motobiker]

I just ride the thing. in all weathers. all year round on a bike that lives outside. If you want to be paranoid, thats fine by me. I find it really entertaining.

However, I'm not about to take the bike apart to protect it from the weather that hitherto its ignored completely. I see no point to that at all. In fact.. all I can see is the potential for even greater problems due to something being missed when putting the thing back together.

 

[Taff]

... Certain groups of plastics and rubbers are petroleum based and will start to degrade if petroleum jelly used.

Which is presumably why you are told never to use Vaseline and condoms at the same time.

 

[Rasher]

ACF for me, especially if it is applied in fine mist form as per All Year Biker, this is how the US Navy apply it to their fighter jets.

I guess spraying from a can is next best thing, but harder to get to all the out of sight connectors, if you have a spray gun you could probably do this yourself.

 

[Steptoe]

Dielectric grease.

Or astrolan, what the aircraft industry use. I have a neighbour who's an aircraft engineer and he gets me my supplies, courtesy of british airways

The most common corrosion on plugs are to be found amongst all the blcok connectors at the top front under the tank

 

[Wrigsby1]

I usually spray a little contact cleaner but not much else. I have never had a major electrical connector issue on a few BM's and their connectors are usually much better than most. In fact they are good for the disconnect/reconnect clean most of the time.

I sometimes pull the odd connector to look for corrosion but only if I really need to or are doing another job that gives me a chance. Overwashing the un-exposed areas of the bike can sometimes lead to water getting in so the only thing the area under the tank usually gets is a quick squirt of WD or similar when I have the tank off for something

 

[ducatiparts.110mb]

I've been using vaseline for years on every electrical connector I dismantle.

It works very well at keeping corrosoin at bay. No ill effects at all.

 

[mr_magicfingers]

Thanks for all the replies, I'll either get some vaseline or dielectric grease and fill them when I next have the tank off.

J.