Cleaning electrical connectors. How to.

I do not use contact spray. Period. I clean my connecters with tooth paste and a tooth brush. I clean the male/female pins with toothpaste and an inter dental brush. After cleaning, I was the connectors with water and let dry. I put dielectric grease on the connector pins with the inter dental brush. I mate the connectors and wipe off any excess grease. I repeat the procedure with all my fuses, fuse holders and battery connectors. When I reconnect the battery connectors, I spray the battery terminals good with white lithium grease. No corrosion. Period.

I sometimes use a pencil eraser on the larger corroded surfaces, followed by dielectric grease.

Preventative maintenance. This takes me about 1 hour to do the cleaning in most cases.

Thanks for the words of wisdom!! From someone who knows. I was just pondering along this line of thought, as I had picked up the DI grease yesterday!

Plus you can that minty freshness on the water all day

You gotta use Ipana tooth paste.

Ipana toothpaste-do they still make that brand? its been a while.

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Originally Posted by Cane Pole

You gotta use Ipana tooth paste.

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I remember "Bucky Beaver" brusha brusha brusha!!

I heard they took Ipana off the market years ago because it contained contact cleaner!

Good tip.....thanks

Forgot to mention contact cleaners can destroy connectors.

Also, if you see green corrosion at your connector (sometimes called patina) , this is a sign that the connector pins are copper or has copper content. Dip you brush in vinegar then add paste and brush lightly and let set for a while. Rinse with water. May take several tries. Don't rough up pins with you pocket knife. You asking for trouble sooner or later.

Not trying to step on toes, but I'm confused.
Lithium grease will work for any point which is not in the electrical circuit path. If you are lubricating the sliding contacts themselves, or any other part of a current path, do not use lithium grease. It is not a conductive medium and will create a high resistance connection. The contacts can overheat and fail. Dielectric grease, which is formulated to be an electrical insulator, will produce similar results. Both types of grease are made to prevent electrical current from passing. There are "conductive" greases that have high carbon (graphite).
Again not trying to step on toes but 23 years as an electrician and I've seen several contacts fail because the current is trying to arc past the grease.

If you like it and it works I'm not telling you to stop

If the connectors are tight, the connection will push the silicon grease aside. Now, if you have a sloppy connection, they you may have an issue. I did say I clean yearly. In fact, a dab of silicone grease comes with some marine connectors.

I have been at it for lots more than 23 years. Not that I know more than anyone.

Here is a good report on dielectrics.

Dielectric Grease vs Conductive Grease

Tom, I have my battery terminals sprayed with the white lithium grease. Is it ok to do this? Been doing it a while.

I do the same. It keeps down corrosion good. The area sprayed is not contact surface.