Dielectric Grease - Best Practices?

[OK-944]

Am about to go through all of the grounds in my ’87…and my procedure with my 85.5 was to clean all grounds thoroughly, reconnect them, then cover the finished connection with a generous dollop of dielectric grease.

Since then, I’ve been witnessing lots of controversy regarding dielectric grease…with some “experts” claiming that the grease should be applied to the contact surfaces prior to reassembly - while others claim that nothing should come between the metal surfaces, but to cover the finished connection to protect it.

So…any comments would be appreciated - thanks!

[9FF]

Ftw nothing between the individual terminals and just a smearing of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) over the top. Basically also the same procedure for your battery terminals.

[pfarah]

I've always applied a thin coat on connections prior to assembly with never any issues.

[djnolan]

I would not overdo it with dielectric grease. I overdid it on my spark plug wires and ended up with a misfire. I was told it caused arcing, even though it is supposed to be an insulator.

[9FF]

Originally Posted by pfarah

I've always applied a thin coat on connections prior to assembly with never any issues.

It’s a common misconception but because dielectric grease is non-conductive applying it to individual connections before you assemble is counterproductive to what you are trying to achieve for a grounding point. First it will try to isolate each connection from the ground it’s trying to reach and second it can cause a capacitive effect causing your grounds to surge your circuits. Btw I am a qualified aircraft electrical technician fwiw.

[dcarlson]

https://www.farmandfleet.com/blog/what-is-dielectric-grease/

You're welcome.

[88Silver924S]

On bayonet connectors and pin and socket connectors I use a light smear on the connectors, then when the connectors are connected the grease is scrapped off the contacting surfaces but left surrounding and protecting the contacting points from corrosion.

However when you screw down a grounding ring terminal there is no scrapping to produce a metal-to-metal contact so assemble "dry" and then protect from corrosion with grease or even a coating of enamel paint. Dad used Vasoline which is okay but has a low melting point and is not as water resistant as silicone grease so may not protect as long. For car batteries, again connect dry, metal to metal, then coat with a battery terminal goo (the stuff I have is red and messy = NOCO NCP-2)