ChickMagnet

Anybody here know if dialectic grease and thermal grease are the same? I'm pretty positive I need thermal grease for the ignition module. Guy at kragen says you can use dialectic grease on/for the ignition module. Is there a difference? I'm pretty sure thermal grease is for heat transfer and dialectic grease is for anti-corrosion. Guy at kragen recommends using dialectic grease though and it'll be fine. He says he's been working there for four years and he wouldn't tell me to use it if he knew it wouldn't work. He's probably right but I thought I would check here to be sure.

DaleD

Yes, there is a big difference.
Dielectric grease is a non conductive coating intended to inhibit corrosion.
Thermal grease is generally non conductive, but it's real purpose is to conduct heat.

Greg Gore

This was discussed here a while back and some interesting points came out. In the case of your ignition module any electrical engineer would recommend the heat sink thermally conductive white grease for reassembly to the coil. Here's the sticking point: we believe for whatever reason the factory originally used dialectric grease and this is what the factory service manual also recommends anytime the unit is disassembled and serviced.

ChickMagnet

So your saying it doesn't matter if you use dialectic or thermal grease, as long as you use one or the other? If the factory manual recommends it than I suppose I shouldn't argue with it.

John A. Marker

I have a extra LARGE tube of the thermal grease if you need some. I have a shop in the San Leandro area off Williams Street. Send me a PM or email and we can arrange for you to pick this up.

John

ChickMagnet

Thanks John, I already picked some dialectic grease from kragen. Nice to hear that you have a shop, what kind of work do you guys do?

CentralCoaster

In other words, GM doesn't know what they're talking about, which doesn't surprise me. Thermal grease is the norm for computer processors.

I think on my Ford the ignition module came with some sort of white lithium grease. Is that thermal or just dielectric?

vader86

I just replaced mine, it comes with some white thermal grease in the box. I thought about the need for dielectric too...but put that stuff all over it anyway.

Greg Gore

New GM part or aftermarket replacement? Maybe they come with the right stuff now or perhaps at least other brands of replacement parts do. I had my 96 apart recently and it looked like dialectric grease under the module to me. You want to conduct heat away from the module and into the aluminum heat sink and thermal grease would be the right stuff for this application. Save the dialectric grease for your plug wire connectors and your weatherstrips.

John A. Marker

You really want the thermal grease. with Greg.

I do special precast concrete and steel fab work. I built my own "test pipe" and 2-1/2" cat back exhaust w/mufflers. I also made my own camber brace that easily bolts in and out to give easy access to front of the engine if needed.

With the test pipe and under drive pulleys I ran a 13.6 on street tires in February down from 14.1 last year. I will be adding the cat back, test pipe and drag radials this weekend and trailer the car to Corvette Magic in Sacramento on the 3rd to see what the car will do currently.

rocco16

Well, almost. Try this:


Larry
code5coupe

___________
Not easily impressed....

DaleD

Ok, if you want to be technically correct, the dielectric compound is meant to do both, inhibit corrosion on connections, and provide electrical insulation. But, by definition, a non conductive material, is an electrical insulator.