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There's a thread about keeping wire connectors clean by gearloose in the tech folder but there is disaggrement about products to use. I'd like to routinly clean connectors any time they are apart and undecided on what product to use. Deoxit D5 followed by Deoxit Shield is one that I've looked at. Anyone have a go to product for keeping connectors in good condition or is routine cleaning even nessary (I'm in Central Tx where it rains alot and humidity run's high but there's no salt on roads nor coastal salt air)? While we are on this subject,how much is enough and is there such thing as too much dielectric grease when it come's to electric plugs and wire connectors? Keep it civil,I get the feeling Max consider's grease a slippery subject.
I've used the DeOxit products for years, audio, automotive and motorcycle. On the F-350 I've used it on the connectors for the PCM, FICM, and every other major component connections where abrasion would not be a good idea. This is good stuff.
And I use dielectric grease and conductive grease, conductive on single point connectors. There have been a lot of discussions both auto and audio about the greases and deep in the weeds discussions have been that the dielectric grease is fine everywhere. These are guys that will spend tens of thousands of dollars on audio speaker cables, power cables and interconnect cable with more theory that will make a PHD's head spin.
Thanks for the insight TMT. In the case of multi-pin connections,do you follow D5 with Shield,di-grease or both? By comparison,my wife's Dodge Caravan has soft rubber gaskets inside hard plastic connector sleeves that simply wiping with grease make's a nice water proof seal.
I don't go as nuts as I could (should?) as I typically have cleared with D5 then use dielectric. In my audio world, the guys typically go D5 then Shield.
However, there is a Caig products more based towards automotive that we used at the facility for vehicle test equipment and long term test field situations, and that is there 260 greases, we used L260 as that is what the electronic lab guys recommended. I never bought any personally as I've had a good supply of D5.
And yes I have used this also. Most people don't have access to it
and that is the reason I don't post about it that much. I have a bottle
sitting on my shelf and I do reach for it a lot.
The .mil had a whole stable of cleaners and preservatives and CPCs "corrosion preventive compound". 1,1,1 Trichloroethane was commonly used, a non residue type solvent. Electronics grade CPC was a barium containing compound. DeOxit is good stuff for stereo and audio equipment, radio etc; it sure seems they changed the formulation a few years ago though. Part of the problem is that anything that is "safe" probably won't work very well and the "good stuff" will attack plastics.
No, I mean the powerful non-residue type cleaners. Mostly banned or difficult to obtain so it's a moot point. DeOxit is mostly Naptha (lighter fluid) and a tiny bit of Oleic acid.
What hasn't been watered down since EPA took up the big hammer? Gunk engine degreaser isn't near what it was once. I guess it's the price we pay when people don't have sense enough to use stuff per instructions. I recently visited a man who sniffed airplane glue and has lived with the mind of a 5 year old 50 years since.
I've been using ACF-50 on aircraft since the early 90's, have not found anything that works better. Boeshield T-9 and CorrosionX are similar products and work as well.
As I'm reading Lear's site they describe ACF-50 as a corrosion inhibitor, but not remover. Same with a review. So do you need to use something like DeOxit to clean off the corrosion first then this product displaces moisture and protects?
Basically yes, some type of petroleum based carrier solvent coupled with metallic "soaps" effective on dissolving and washing away corrosion. Corrosion inhibitors are bit of a different deal.
Corrosion on electrical connections in aircraft is only repaired by replacement on anything I work on. The key is to prevent the corrosion and the inhibitors do that well.
