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Condutive Grease?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Geo
  • Start date Start date
Testarossa said:
Don't use this stuff in switches or fuse boxes, but for a single line connection it works well. It is conductive. http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=998017421
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I have that stuff too(and half a dozen similar products) it has a slightly lower dielectric strength and is specifically designed for Al/cu or al/al connections, there's no benefit using it on cu/cu (or plated for that matter) you could use it if you have it, but dielectric grease is the way to go.
 
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Ilsco deox is non conductive, I don't know about the gray deox that is so messy to work with, but it's purpose is to prevent oxidation in aluminum wiring connections not to conduct electricity. It all works much the same as dialectic grease. Any insulator squeezed thin enough will allow conduction.
 
Matchless said:
Yes, please stay away from any conductive grease on a bike! Never put it in switches! You will soon have power leaking to the other contacts in the switch as well.

I prefer using a waterproof grease inside switches and red rubber grease on any rubber parts where they contact metal.

Dielectric grease is non conductive and the purpose of dielectric grease is to prevent corrosion and ingress of water after you have cleaned the contacts/terminals or have fitted new ones. It does not really matter if the whole terminal is smeared with it before plugging it in. The metal to metal contact will still be good. Theoretically it does not seem a good idea, but in practice it is!

Dielectric grease does not improve or fix bad connections due to corrosion or weak contact in terminals!
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I've heard stories of this magical red rubber grease. What exactly is it called and how would I go about obtaining such?
 
OldVet66 said:
Ilsco deox is non conductive, I don't know about the gray deox that is so messy to work with, but it's purpose is to prevent oxidation in aluminum wiring connections not to conduct electricity. It all works much the same as dialectic grease. Any insulator squeezed thin enough will allow conduction.
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I hope I wasn't the reason for this post, I was not meaning to imply that it was a conductor just that the dielectric strength was actually lower than dielectric grease. It is still an insulator. I just wouldn't go search it out for use on a motorcycle, dielectric grease is cheaper and more readily available. I have used the GB, Ilsco, and Noal-ox on bikes, cars, boats.. and actually for its intended purpose also.
 
lordcannon88 said:
I've heard stories of this magical red rubber grease. What exactly is it called and how would I go about obtaining such?
Click to expand...

Have a look here, not sure what its called in the USA:

http://www.therevcounter.com/uk-motorbike-forum/51637-red-rubber-grease.html

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9014109&contentId=7027101

http://cgi.ebay.ie/CASTROL-GIRLING-RED-RUBBER-GREASE-BRAKE-GREASE-BEST-/400085380144

www.fleetline.co.za/Downloads/Red_Rubber_Grease.pdf

Its good stuff to have available.
 
Thanks for everybody's input. I am still a little confused. I know and understand that it should not be liberty applied on connectors because of voltage leakage, especially high voltage. etc..However,if conductive grease is applied sparingly in a thin layer to a low voltage connector (butt,ground etc) would it not improve the conductivity and performance of the connector or connection.One would think since it is conductive it would. If not, why?
Thanks for everybody's indulgence.
Geo
 
Just put some dielectirc grease on them to stop corrosion build up.If the wires are good going into the male and female ends the the meer fact that they are connected will conduct the electrical path as normal..all this is really frivalous and only serves to add to the complicating of a simple situation. Clean all the connections, thin grease and plug them in..walk away..simple.
 
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There is no logical reason to use conductive grease. The power that goes through any connector (call it voltage, call it current, whatever) is so low that the possible benefit is far outweighed by the danger of causing a short if it leaked out of the connector and touched a ground anywhere. The enemies to our connectors are moisture and corrosion. Dielectric grease guards against both without any danger of shorting anything out.
For example, I am installing two terminal strips on my bike. They have covers, but are not waterproof. I filled them with dielectric grease to prevent against moisture and corrosion, without any danger of the connectors shorting out against each other.
Let me repeat: The power through any conductor is so low any possible improvement is far outweighed by the danger you have just introduced.
I really wish you the best, but several knowledgeable members have repeated the same thing over and over. You are far better off by filling the connector with dielectric grease than putting a thin layer of conductive grease.
For example: The item on our bikes that draws the most current is the coil(s), about 4 Amps at best. Let's say you gain 5% by using the dangerous conductive grease (most likely way too high an estimate). You have just increased the amount of current to 4.2 Amps. Is it worth the risk to you? Not to me, I value my bike, my wiring harness and my life far to much to make such a mistake.
Best of luck.
 
Hell regular axle grease has been used since there have been cars!! Great grandpa, Grandpa, and Dad all did it and nothing ever corroded or failed to operate properly..GHEEZ!!!
 
Geo said:
Thanks for everybody's input. I am still a little confused. I know and understand that it should not be liberty applied on connectors because of voltage leakage, especially high voltage. etc..However,if conductive grease is applied sparingly in a thin layer to a low voltage connector (butt,ground etc) would it not improve the conductivity and performance of the connector or connection.One would think since it is conductive it would. If not, why?
Thanks for everybody's indulgence.
Geo
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If you want to speak in hypotheticals yes, a very minute difference.
You should run a bench test. Set up two static connections with the same load and use conductive grease on one and the other just clean very well. Be sure to use about 13vdc source and maybe a 5amp load(that's your high beam). Then measure the voltage drop across the connection. You know what you'll find?
No difference.
nothing. Because you likely do not have equipment accurate enough to measure the difference. We are talking microvolts at best.

It's not a spaceship it's a motorcycle.

There are much better things to waste time and money on than conductive grease.
 
Its not a spaceship..its a motorcycle..ROTFLMAO! WELL PUT Bluewool, WELL PUT! Next topic:: cotter pins or small nails!!! LMAO!!!
 
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chuck hahn said:
Next topic:: cotter pins or small nails!!!
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Neither one.
noway.gif














Cut coat hangers. :p

.
 
Steve said:
Neither one.

Cut coat hangers. :p

.
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I, uh... yeah, I'll admit to that one. But it was a long time ago, when I was young, and foolish, and ill-equipped... :rolleyes:
 
Geo said:
Thanks for everybody's input. I am still a little confused. I know and understand that it should not be liberty applied on connectors because of voltage leakage, especially high voltage. etc..However,if conductive grease is applied sparingly in a thin layer to a low voltage connector (butt,ground etc) would it not improve the conductivity and performance of the connector or connection.One would think since it is conductive it would. If not, why?
Thanks for everybody's indulgence.
Geo
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Just again, do not confuse theory with practical application! They can be two completely different animals. We are talking only motorcycles here and mostly 30 year old GS's.

No OEM ever used conductive grease. If needed gold plated connectors would be a better idea.

If you use conductive grease in multipin connectors or switches you are sure to eventually have some bridging between pins and allowing leakage.

Anyone working on the bike down the line would never expect conductive grease and when disconnecting a connector may smear some around that could cause faults that may be very hard to locate.

An insulator with some conductive grease on the outside would not be a good insulator, especially if it is touching ground or another insulator with a bit on the outside.

Rather clean or replace any connectors that are suspect and only use dielectric grease if needed.
 
I think the biggest problem is that dialectic compounds are mistakenly termed as conductive grease, even by retailers advertising the product. I did find a carbon grease for switch gear knife blades, and a silvered thermal compound used to reduce contact pitting in contactors. Besides that I saw a lot of dielectric compounds advertised as conductive grease.
 
OldVet66 said:
I think the biggest problem is that dialectic compounds are mistakenly termed as conductive grease, even by retailers advertising the product. I did find a carbon grease for switch gear knife blades, and a silvered thermal compound used to reduce contact pitting in contactors. Besides that I saw a lot of dielectric compounds advertised as conductive grease.
Click to expand...

Yea, that may be the case; however he had a specific product in mind "mg chemicals carbon grease", which IS a conductive grease, see post #11
 
Dielectric good conductive grease bad, and it doesn't matter how you apply the former.:D
 
Thanks to everybody for their great advice and tips! As a newbie reading the electrical problems of these bikes sometimes you start thinking outside the box..That's why I posted my questions,I didn't want to do something stupid....Now,about those "emergency" cotter pins...........................
 
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