[ARC5] Lubing Connetors- Round 2

[J. Forster]

> Hi John and all,
>
> I can speak to the proper connector lubricant which should be used. This
> is a subject to which I have much experience and knowledge. I work in
> the automotive industry in Product Development Engineering for our heavy
> duty diesel engines used in the _big_ trucks. My specialty is in
> interconnect technology and wire harnesses on our products.
>
> The material recommended is Nye Lubricants Nyogel 760G.  It will work
> rather nicely as a lubricant for threaded shells. It will be excellent
> for application to pins and sockets to both reduce insertion force plus
> act as a preservative. That's mainly why it was developed.
>
> In North America, at least, one can buy the Nyogel lubricant from their
> local General Motors dealer. It comes in a small 2 oz jar branded with
> the GM label and part number. I bought a couple jars for US$15 each. The
> GM part number is 12377900. Google it with an online supplier named
> "autoplicity" and you should see a nice photo of the container and their
> 'sale' price (at this date) of US$12.18. Figure it would be a lot
> cheaper by stopping at a GM dealer and buying it over the counter and
> just adding tax instead of 12+ bucks plus shipping (& tax?). A little
> goes a long way, so the 2 ounce jar (~50 ml) will last a long time
> unless you have a lot of threaded connector shells.
>
> You can learn more at http://www.nyelubricants.com/products/nyogel.shtml
> . 760G is second in the list on that page. I have a slightly more
> detailed Product Datasheet than the one found on their website.
>
> Nyogel is made using a synthetic base oil (which is Polyalphaolefin
> -same as the pure synthetic motor oils used in motor vehicle engines), a
> fused silica thickener and some proprietary copper antioxidants.
> "Silica!!!",  you say, "....that's sand!!" Yes, but the particle size of
> fused silica is very tiny. The silicone oxide and dioxide particles
> measure in the nanometer size and will not be abrasive to any connector,
> even gold. It falls between the asperities (microscopic bumps and
> striations) found on the contact surfaces of a pin or socket.
>
> I very strongly suspect the well respected liquid material, "DeOxit",
> which is meant for switches and connectors, is simply just a
> Polyalphaolefin with some sort of secret antioxidants added.
>
> Delphi, who is a major automotive connector manufacturer, strongly
> recommends the Nyogel 760G in place of any other grease-like material to
> be used with any of their connectors. Virtually all the other automotive
> connector manufacturers use virtually the same materials. Our electronic
> connectors found in our old and new equipment are much the same except
> many do not need to use silicone elastomer sealing systems because of
> the generally less harsh (damp, wet) environment they live in. Old WWII
> vintage mil gear will have some of the rubber-based seals and this stuff
> will be safe with them.

Most WWII connectors don't have any rubber seals in them. This applies to
non-hermetic MS, Cannon, SCR-522 (I forget the name), etc.

> Silicone oil-based greases should be strongly and firmly avoided because
> some types of silicone oils are not compatible with connector seals and
> other materials of which connectors are constructed. Plus the
> surrounding components which may get into contact with silicone may be
> affected.
>
> The so-called dielectric grease one can buy from their local auto parts
> store is usually a silicone oil-based material and can be used on _some_
> non-silicone elastomer materials found in high-tension ignition
> components. Silicone oils and greases are very hydrophobic, thus the
> popular usage in ignition systems.

IMO, for most uses, the silicone greases are bad news. Among other things,
it's damn near insoluable in anything.

> Silicone oil also presents an often significant problem in which it
> migrates over time thus contaminating areas which must be kept clean for
> painting, dust free or other reasons. I just ban it from being present
> _anywhere near_ my radios and other electronics and I insist the same be
> done in our dealer network worldwide.
>
> Petroleum oil-based lubricants, such as Lubriplate ES-DS which is touted
> as an electrical lubricant, will be a problem for older, natural
> rubber-based seals and components in our older mil connectors and other
> old components. It will also varnish out over time. That means the
> lighter volatiles will evaporate away eventually and leave a sticky,
> gooey mess. Sometimes it leaves a hard residue which is mostly just the
> paraffin filler left behind. You've seen this on old mechanical devices
> which have not been cleaned/re-lubed in many decades such as geared dial
> drives in our beloved boatanchors for example. I use Nyogel on every
> auto radio restoration I do.

I was only considering it for the threads, not any contacts.

Thank you very much,

-John

=================
>
> Hope this helps.
>
>     -Chris F.
>
>
>
> On 4/4/2014 8:51 AM, J. Forster wrote:
>> I've had several suggestions to use a silicone grease. I'm not so sure.
>>
>> Consider where a connector can bind up:
>>
>> The outer Acme [square] thread - silicone grease or perhaps Lubriplate
>> would be fine here, IMO. In fact I've cleaned something greasy off old
>> connectors, especially those with a fine thread, like MS. I'm good w/
>> this.
>>
>> The mating shells - There is usually enough clearance so binding is not
>> an
>> issue. ie: Don't use bent/deformed connectors.
>>
>> The pins & sockets- This is the crux of the matter, IMO. I'm loath to
>> use
>> silicone grease here, because this is current-carrying hardware. I'm
>> concerned that the silicone grease will impair the conductivity of the
>> connection and, if so, silicone grease is very hard to remove.
>>
>> For the last issue, what do people think of tuner cleaner/lube? It is
>> basically mineral oil and a solvent as a thinner. Worst case, it can be
>> removed pretty easily.
>>
>> -John
>>
>> =================