Old inspector told me to stop using dielectric grease on cannon plugs

Guy with 40 years in the military said the grease traps moisture and causes corrosion over time, especially on j products out of Phoenix where the humidity spikes. Switched to dry contact cleaner only and haven't had a single pin issue in 6 months, anyone else ditch the grease?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.robin15d ago

Traps moisture and causes corrosion" - that hits home. I've seen it go the other way though. Ran a fleet of dump trucks out of the Midwest, salt on the roads half the year. Dielectric grease was the only thing keeping our trailer light plugs from rotting out in three months. Dry contact cleaner would've been a death sentence there. Depends on your environment way more than people want to admit. If you're in a dry climate or temperature controlled shop, sure, ditch the grease. But out here where it's wet and salty for months straight, that stuff is gold. One size doesn't fit all for connectors.

king.kevin15d ago

Man, that's a solid point about the environment. A buddy of mine ran a small tow truck operation down in Florida, and he swore by dielectric grease on every trailer connector. He tried switching to dry contact cleaner once after reading some forum post, and within a month he had three trucks with dead tail lights. The salt air and humidity just ate the pins alive. So what you're saying about the Midwest tracks perfectly with what @thompson.robin described. It really does come down to where you're working.