Truck to Trailer Plug Corrosion Protectant

[rgevans871]

I'm looking for something to apply to the electrical contacts in the 7 prong connector that will prevent oxidation of the contact surfaces. I previously used a silicone dielectric grease, but recently learned that this grease is an electrical insulator and I'm thinking may be responsible for poor electric brake performance. A grease or spray that protects against oxidation and is also an electrical conductor would be preferred. Does anyone have any suggestions?

One that I've found on the Internet is called Nooxid, but I haven't found a place to purchase it from.

[KC1BUD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgevans871 I'm looking for something to apply to the electrical contacts in the 7 prong connector that will prevent oxidation of the contact surfaces. I previously used a silicone dielectric grease, but recently learned that this grease is an electrical insulator and I'm thinking may be responsible for poor electric brake performance. A grease or spray that protects against oxidation and is also an electrical conductor would be preferred. Does anyone have any suggestions? One that I've found on the Internet is called Nooxid, but I haven't found a place to purchase it from.

I use tuner cleaner from Radio shack works like a charm.

[Ray,IN]

Check an electrical supply specialty store for no-oxid. Any grease containing graphite is an excellent conductive lubricant too. To avoid the mess, I have began to use wife's worn-out fingernail emery boards to clean the contacts. I then wash away any grease and dirt with contact spray. A clean, dry contact has the least resistance.
Keep in mind the spring contacts in the truck/vehicle end will lose their tension over time. This creates a poor contact with high resistance, and sometimes no contact.

[Superslif]

With my first trailer I had the same problems from the start with oxidation. A friend suggested WD-40. I give it a squirt every month or two. Since then no problems in 10 years.

[JimmyDee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN To avoid the mess, I have began to use wife's worn-out fingernail emery boards to clean the contacts.

Never use an abrasive on any electrical connection contact. They usually are silver or tin plated to help prevent corrosion and cleaning them this way will speed up the process of corrosion.
Jim

[RottenRalph]

Check out Corrosion X. THE best stuff for electronic connections.
http://www.corrosionx.com/

[Ray,IN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyDee Never use an abrasive on any electrical connection contact. They usually are silver or tin plated to help prevent corrosion and cleaning them this way will speed up the process of corrosion. Jim

That didn't occur to me, thanks Jim.

[K-Star]

I always used a burnishing tool to clean relay contacts. That was part of my standard toolkit. On circuit board contacts I used a ink eraser then wiped with alcohol.

With corrosion on plug contacts I use am emory board and have not experienced any problems. Just don't grind away mercilessly on the contacts. Just "sand" it enough to remove corrosion.

[Route 66]

As Jim notes above, WD-40 works great as it also displaces moisture.

[rgevans871]

Thanks for the advice in your responses. Since I've already filed the contact surfaces to clean them up, I've probably removed most of any original protective coating. I think my best fix at this point, short of replacing the connectors, is just to apply a light coating of an oxide preventive coating and electrically conducting grease such as NO-OX-ID to the contacts. The Corrosion X website indicates it is a dielectric which is also an electrical insulator as noted in my original post. This may be all right in connectors that scrape or force the grease or coating off of the contact surfaces when making the connection, but I don't think that's necessarily what is taking place with this type of connector. I've also heard that WD-40 is good to use with electrical contacts, but see no where on the can or their website where that is a recommended application. I'm again wondering whether the film left on the contact surfaces is a conductive material.

[Ray,IN]

FWIW; WD40; product literature says it may be used to spray on spark plug wires to remove water and insulate the wire from spark-overs when the engine is wet. I know from experience that if it is not allowed to dry completely, when you attempt to re-start the engine after it's use, it can/will catch fire from a spark-over. Things got real interesting quick!

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

I've always had good luck with diaelectric grease, but the contacts do have to have good tension. You don't want something that conducts electricity, since it's liable to get between the pins.

After a bunch of years of use, though, those things just get beat.

It's only a few bucks and a few minutes to put a new plug on, and reliable brakes are a must-have.

[justimagination]

If you have ever noticed on different vehicle mfgs., they will coat any taillamp bulbs with a small amount of lithium grease. I found that Penzzoil actually sells it in like a butter tub. Some is yellowish, and some is white, either way, it's a good corrosion fighter, and is conductive, so no loss of connection there. Good Luck,
David G.