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Burning Brakes
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From: west bloomfield michigan
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This winter I thought I would clean all the ground wires on the vette, question is do I need to remove the neg. term. on the battery or can it be done with out removing it? should I put dielectric grease on them when cleaned? I have all the grd. point locations, any thought would be appreciated. (GINO) HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY THE FLEAS OF THOUSEND CAMELS STAY AWAY FROM OUR CARS.
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Team Owner
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From: cookeville tennessee
Melting Slicks
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From: SC
This winter I thought I would clean all the ground wires on the vette, question is do I need to remove the neg. term. on the battery or can it be done with out removing it? should I put dielectric grease on them when cleaned? I have all the grd. point locations, any thought would be appreciated. (GINO) HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY THE FLEAS OF THOUSEND CAMELS STAY AWAY FROM OUR CARS.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 91
Likes: 4
From: PA
8VETTE7 and Bill Curlee really know this cars electrical system!
I was cleaning the one on top of the passenger side wheel well and when reconnecting some relays started clicking.
you will find the locations in here. Here is Bill Curlee's sticky. very good read:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...tion-long.html
I used De-ox on my connectors after sanding them with a scotchbrite pad. The green hue on the pins also will give it away.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Sorry, but this post contains some bad information. Your quote about dielectic grease is correct but your understanding is apparently incomplete or I read it wrong or your wrote it wrong... or any combo of any of that.
Mostly disagreed. 
Any electrical connection in an outdoor environment would be best insulated from any contact with the air since it always carries moisture. The green funk you see on wire or connectors is electrolysis, which in this case is a result of a poor connection exposed to moisture and/or oxygen.
Using a small amount (just enough for a light coat) on the multi-pin ground distribution connector pins/pin sockets will insulate them from air and thus prevent corrosion and drastically slow down electrolysis. Dielectric grease is not thick enough to prevent a connection between the pin and its socket. The grease gets pushed out of the way and fills the voids normally occupied by air. If you use it liberally enough, the grease will ooze all over once the air pockets are filled and then you have a little mess to clean up, but no big deal. It will not, as you suggested, prevent the connection from being made. Even if it were to get warm enough for gravity and engine vibrations to make it ooze out and get lucky enough to fall on another ground connection (highly unlikely anyways) it would do more help than harm anyways.
Speaking of crimped-on connectors for stranded wire- no treatment could be better than dielectric grease packed into the exposed wire strands and into the connector prior to it being crimped. To really "seal" the deal, insulate the bare end with shrink-tube while some excess grease is still there. The grease WILL NOT interfere with the electrical connection despite the fact of it being non-conductive... it is not intuitive, I know.
Here's another thread, same-ish subject:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...-location.html
and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W7o-CRRmGo
Nevermind the product endorsement, which is not implied or intended.
Experiment with it... clean the pins from two of your ground distribution connectors and for one of them, coat the pins with a light application of dielectric grease. Check them both in 6 months. The difference will be more pronounced with greater exposure to moist air... driving in the rain or in the southeast... outdoor storage, etc.
Next time you change light bulbs... use a little dielectric grease on the threads/connector pins. There are dozens of practical applications where it really helps. Google is your friend.
Dielectric grease is a silicone-based lubricant that does not conduct electricity. This is a very useful property to both waterproof and prevent corrosion on electrical connections. Because the grease does not conduct electricity, it will not interfere or scavenge power from the electrical current going through the connection.
Covering a ground connection (after it is made) with this stuff may help precent corrosion but if you get the grease warm enough (ie engine compartment) it is going to flow and may get between the metal contacting surfaces, especially the stranded wire connections that are crimped on. That may serve to reduce the metal to metal contact needed for a solid ground point. If you look carefully the C5 has crimped connections while on the C6 GM went to soldered connections. So I would NOT use it for those reasons.
As always YMMV.
As always YMMV.
Any electrical connection in an outdoor environment would be best insulated from any contact with the air since it always carries moisture. The green funk you see on wire or connectors is electrolysis, which in this case is a result of a poor connection exposed to moisture and/or oxygen.
Using a small amount (just enough for a light coat) on the multi-pin ground distribution connector pins/pin sockets will insulate them from air and thus prevent corrosion and drastically slow down electrolysis. Dielectric grease is not thick enough to prevent a connection between the pin and its socket. The grease gets pushed out of the way and fills the voids normally occupied by air. If you use it liberally enough, the grease will ooze all over once the air pockets are filled and then you have a little mess to clean up, but no big deal. It will not, as you suggested, prevent the connection from being made. Even if it were to get warm enough for gravity and engine vibrations to make it ooze out and get lucky enough to fall on another ground connection (highly unlikely anyways) it would do more help than harm anyways.
Speaking of crimped-on connectors for stranded wire- no treatment could be better than dielectric grease packed into the exposed wire strands and into the connector prior to it being crimped. To really "seal" the deal, insulate the bare end with shrink-tube while some excess grease is still there. The grease WILL NOT interfere with the electrical connection despite the fact of it being non-conductive... it is not intuitive, I know.
Here's another thread, same-ish subject:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/audi...-location.html
and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W7o-CRRmGo
Nevermind the product endorsement, which is not implied or intended.
Experiment with it... clean the pins from two of your ground distribution connectors and for one of them, coat the pins with a light application of dielectric grease. Check them both in 6 months. The difference will be more pronounced with greater exposure to moist air... driving in the rain or in the southeast... outdoor storage, etc.
Next time you change light bulbs... use a little dielectric grease on the threads/connector pins. There are dozens of practical applications where it really helps. Google is your friend.
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