Bulkhead connector question

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 05, 12 8:59 am

Hi all, question for all the electrical gurus please....

Going to give my bulkhead connector its 6 monthly clean tommorrow before the damp sets in over winter... Its in great condition, no green oxidation etc and works fine. This is a preventative step more than anything. My question is.... Is it wise to just spray it with WD40 prior to reassembly, or pack it with dielectric grease/ vaseline? Reason I ask is that Ive heard that the grease can prevent clean contacts etc and cause problems. Could it potentially be a conductor and cause shorts maybe? Is it wise to pack the outside of the block where the wires go in to prevent moisture getting in or just leave it to 'breathe' ?

Any advice appreciated,

Cheers Steve

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Fri Oct 05, 12 11:12 am

Give the contacts a spray with electrical cleaning solvent such as "Electrolube".

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 05, 12 11:30 am

Thanks for the advice Dave... Ive got some spray from Maplins that cleans and evaporates really quickly, is that the same sort of stuff?? Does it leave a protective coat or would you suggest any other lube type coating after cleaning to keep moisture at bay??

Cheers Steve

autofetish · Post by **autofetish** » Fri Oct 05, 12 11:46 am

Dave999

will
be
along soon

he will

say

clean with your maplin clearner (anit static)

then fill with

vaseline

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Fri Oct 05, 12 11:58 am

Electrical contact fluid should leave a protective coat. If all else fails WD40 will do.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 05, 12 12:02 pm

Fantastic gents! Thanks as always... Little job for tommorrow morning,

Cheers Steve

Dave999 · Post by **Dave999** » Fri Oct 05, 12 12:06 pm

all action in this area is better than nout

vaseline for the messy types

WD40 and the electrical stuff is all good....anything that keeps humidity and condensation off the brass connectors...any protection they might once have had would have been minimal and they were only designed to last the life of the car....i.e 5 years

Dave

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Fri Oct 05, 12 12:25 pm

When I first bought my car I packed the thing with vasane and have had no trouble since that was in 1978 !

autofetish · Post by **autofetish** » Fri Oct 05, 12 1:05 pm

JohnR wrote:When I first bought my car I packed the thing with vasane and have had no trouble since that was in 1978 !

But it has not been on the road since 1979

Mossy68 · Post by **Mossy68** » Fri Oct 05, 12 4:45 pm

My wife's old Renault used to throw up electrical faults all the time.
I unplugged an used wd 40 on all the connections I could find.
Never had any more problems !!!

Gary

Mick70RR · Post by **Mick70RR** » Fri Oct 05, 12 7:06 pm

We use this at work for all vehicle electrical connections. I use it on the bulkhead connectors, just squeeze it in and it stops any moisture reaching the contacts.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Molykote-Dow- ... 593wt_1271

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 05, 12 7:53 pm

Thanks gents....going to give it a thorough clean out with my Maplins spray, let it dry completely and I've just ordered some of that stuff Mick has recommended. When that arrives, I will pack the connector out with it and should be ready for the Winter!!

Mick, what else would you say I should coat with this stuff??? Im thinking starter relay connections, earth points, voltage reg connections etc??

Cheers Steve

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Fri Oct 05, 12 8:06 pm

If in doubt then another winter job would be to bypass the Ammeter gauge - that will resolve most of your issues in the long term..............

Mick70RR · Post by **Mick70RR** » Fri Oct 05, 12 8:07 pm

I only use it inside connector blocks Steve, you don't want it on the outside because it will just collect dirt and it never goes off.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Fri Oct 05, 12 8:39 pm

Gotcha Mick, will stick to inside the block WD40 the rest.... And thanks Pete, thats on the list for the future and I know there are some good threads on this on here when I come to do it....

Cheers Steve