http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search

http://www.caig.com

This stuff is very similar to Stabilant 22A, but much less expensive.

I have used the DeoxIt and DeoxIT ProGold on most of the sensor terminals and sockets on my '95 with noticeable seat of the pants results, and the contacts were not oxidized to begin with-- I believe the conductivity enhancement produced by the DeoxIt products is responsible. The main sensor terminals it will make a difference on is MAF and MAP.

I also applied it to the MAF terminals/sockets on the 2003 Crown Vic I drive and it made a noticeable difference, a low end torque improvement that is apparent when accelerating from a stop every time.

I even used it on the MAF contacts of the wife's new diesel VW beetle(less than five thousand miles on the clock), and it an improvement is noticed there as well.

It does not cross-conduct. No SES/CEL lights tripped, no codes tripped. I only mention this because spraying down the interior of the sensor connector socket and the terminals in the pigtail from the wire harness leaves an oily residue, but this is how the product works. The twin pack sold by Radio Shack are small spray bottles, net weight 14g each and come each with a red spray tube that attaches to the spray nozzle to aid in directing the spray where intended.

The temperature range of the standard DeoxIt product is -34C to 200C (-29F to 392F) making it suitable for under-hood automotive use. ProGold goes a little wider @ -45C to 245C. ProGold is recommended for dissimilar metals in contact and tin plated contacts. Standard DeoxIt is more general purpose cleaner/deoxidizer and protectant with conductivity improving qualities.

The only contacts it should NOT be used on is oxygen sensor contacts. I don't know why, but I have found several admonishments not to use a conductivity enhancer like Stabilant, OxGuard, or DeoxIt on oxygen sensor contacts while I was researching this category of products.



Some will call BS, but I know how well it has worked on the three cars I have used it on.

 

Very Interesting.

 

NOTE: When mentioning applying it to MAF I am referring to applying it to the male pins inside the socket the pigtail connector from the wiring harness plugs into, as well as to the female terminals in the pigtail connector.

I was not referring to applying it to the MAF wires that sit in the incoming air charge inside the air bridge between the air cleaner and throttle body.

Even though standard DeoxIt is a contact cleaner it would not be suitable for cleaning the MAF wires because of the residue it leaves behind.

 

For price comparison, Advance Auto Parts sells a 15ml bottle of Stabilant 22A, relabeled by Standard Motor Products as SL5, for $67.99

Stabilant 22A is good stuff, but very pricey.

 

And you reckon its a goer mate eh? It sounds good to me in theory, better contact means a more accurate signal to the computer. I know what difference dirt and oxidization on the contacts of computer parts such as ram or add-in cards can make, and to the naked eye, its normally un-detectable. How ever when i give them all a good clean up on a faulty computer it makes it run like new again from constant crashing or even not working at all.

 

I think this is certainly worth looking at. I may have to try it. I have been repairing electronic assemblies for over 25 years and good contact can make a ton of difference in performance.

 

Yes, It is worth a shot for sure, resistance could quite easily effect the reading a sensor is sending to the computer. I build and repair computers in my spare time and as i was saying earlier, even though you cant see the dirt or oxidization, it can make the difference between working or not working.Im very interested to hear some more results on this.

 

If Ecqlers read this thread it will be in their web site saying ..."10 RWHP gain" selling for $99.99

 

 

I'm trying to work out what could be bad about using it on oxygen sensor contact/connectors (pigtail). It was a Volvo site (swedishbricks.com or some such) where someone said not to use it on O2 sensor contacts.

But, O2's give out very low voltage signals, usually between .2v and .8v (if I remember right). Any interference would cause the signal to be lower voltage. The low end of voltage from an O2 is saying the exhaust is lean, and the PCM reacts by adding fuel or richening the mixture. So then it may follow that a less than optimal connection at the O2 pigtail that isn't bad enough to cause the PCM to set a code may have the effect of causing a slight rich condition. It only makes sense that you want optimal conductivity in the O2 pigtail connection so the PCM receives the most accurate signal for part throttle fuel calculations (injector pulse width).

So I'm not sure why it would be bad to use it on O2 sensor pigtail connections.

The way I understand O2 sensors to receive their reference air, use of a product like DeoxIt in the pigtail should not effect the reference air which is taken in at the sensor itself since the pigtail connection is far from the sensor.

 

 

Cant see an issue with it myself. They may have said it on the volvo sight to prevent lean mixtures blowing their engines. Maybe they have taken the plug resistance into acount when programing the computer, we may never know if you dont try it!!! (if it was me id just do them all, if it wrecks one of them you will know next time)

 

Curiousity won. I went ahead and applied it to the O2 contact pins and terminals. Went for a long drive.

Overall the car is just running excellent. I have no complaints. I've always been very in touch with how my car performs. All I can say is it is performing better after putting the DeoxIt on the sensor contacts/terminals (MAF, MAP, IAT, O2's, CTS, TPS, IAC, ICM, EGR solenoid, charcoal canister purge solenoid, ignition coil input plug, and all eight injector terminal connections). There is a long sensor probe plugged into the intake manifold back behind the EGR valve-- I applied it to the contacts/terminals of that one as well.

I picking up a second twin pack from Radio Shack tomorrow to use on my Dakota pickup truck.

P.S. Don't use it on knock sensors, they should be left alone.

 

What about injector connections, spark plugs, etc.?

 

Just edited my above post to include what all I applied it to; includes all eight injector connections.

Spark plugs, I'm not sure of. I did apply some to the optispark end of my coil wire, very sparingly. Spark plugs brings up an interesting thing I noticed once: After dealer shop completed extended warranty job of replacing my optispark and plug wires I noticed when removing the stock wires they put on (I ended up buying some after market spiral core wires...) I noticed a greenish material on the wire terminal in each plug boot. I can only guess at what it was, but it appeared to have been put there intentionally by the shop. OxGuard is a similar product to DeoxIt, and Oxguard is a greenish colored gel. Hmm... But I'm still not sure about using this stuff on spark plug terminals. Its so oily that I wonder if it would migrate down the boot and increase chance of misfire.

NOTE: with COLD temps, best to WARM the engine a little so as to make the plastic on all the sensor pigtails more flexible and reduce risk of breaking a retainer clip on one of the pigtails.

 

Interesting info, considering some of my connectors are 20yrs old - I am in the process of freshening up my engine - I might as well freshen the connectors too. Your info makes sence, the issue was what product to use, and you answered the question.

Thank you!!!! just one more thing to add to my arsenal.

 

What the heck. I got acetone in the gas..... I'll give it a try.

 

Exactly the point I was going to make. If this stuff passes muster, it could prevent a lot of the problems that can plague older electronic cars. I can tell you from experience that a good percentage of the electronic problems I diagnose at work turn out to be no more than a contact problem within a connector. I'll give it a try, I'll have my engine out again soon and it'll be a good chance to use it while checking and replacing, if needed, any aging connectors on the engine harnesses.

 

I used their pens from RS on my dig dash, and the results are great.

I also did a few connections - window sw's, mirror select, the fan relays(they come apart btw) etc.,

I will get the spray kit for the seal tight connections

In a nutshell, a loose or dirty connection causes heat (generated by higher amp draw) and is more then likely the cause of all the bad relays we experience or read about on the forum.

 

Here is some general info about contact cleaners
First of all, the O2 sensor does not only have a low voltage, it also has a very high impedance, low current capability. That means thet it is etremely important not to have a leakage path. So prevent ANY liquid between contacts and ground. Keep it clean and dry. A good protection may be silicone grease (NO spray), it repells moisture. Contact cleaner is a liquid and may alter conductivity in time, so better NOT use it here.
An other warning, NEVER use contact cleaners and sparking or arcing contacts, it may build an almost impossible to remove hard insulating layer. so do NEVER use it on relay contacts, you defenitely can trow the reay in the bin. I saw a student use it at an old relay driven microwave dish drive. Could rewire it to mount about 170 new reays.
The use on sparkplug contacts is not giving any advantage because resistance in the contact is no issue. Use silicone grease (NO spray ) in the boot to prevent moisture from entering the insuation path.
Silicone grease works great as well if sparingly rubbed at the interior surface of the distributor cap and rotor. No moist will make a conductive layer during the wt season in the morning giving a better start. Again, NO spay. It dries and give some layers where moist and dirt can hide after a while.
Contacts that carry hign currents may benfit the most. Use it at contacts for injectors and general connectors in the cable harness.
Ask an old man, he saw the most problems passing by. Just like a good High voltage teacher is always an old guy. Bad high voltage teachers never grow old.