Any ideas on how to improve conductivity?

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caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
I have a two prong connector from WM that only works if I wiggle it around. It will sometimes lose connectivity by itself. I use it to power the tiller pilot. I have used dielectric grease to keep the moisture out but it did not help. I have tried spit as well with no improvement. Is there a grease that will promote conductivity. BTW plugs are fairly new.
Thanks as always,
Frank
 

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tommays

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Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack
DeoxIT spray which you can get a radio shack cleans them well ,i use a q-tip to get in and you would be supprised at the dirt it picks up from plug contacts

Then the second spray in the kit seems to protect it well
 
kenn

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
caguy said:
I have a two prong connector from WM that only works if I wiggle it around. It will sometimes lose connectivity by itself. I use it to power the tiller pilot. I have used dielectric grease to keep the moisture out but it did not help. I have tried spit as well with no improvement. Is there a grease that will promote conductivity. BTW plugs are fairly new.
Thanks as always,
Frank
Click to expand
If the connectors are new and they still cut out when you wiggle them, then either there's a problem with how the wires are connected in them, or the connectors are misshaped (eg pins not snug in sockets), misaligned or defective.

Connector contacts are supposed to "wipe" themselves when mated so that there's metal-to-metal contact.. No amount of magic fluid will help if the metal-to metal contact isn't there.
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
I domlt think that these have split pins like the Perko plugs. Think mishaping them by squishing with a pair of vise grips might help? I'll try the spray but it seem to me when I use contact cleaners from Radio shack to do the trailer light it didn't cleani any of the oxidation.
 
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tommays

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Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack



This is a typical motor plug to connect the guage pannel

Its male counter part plugs in and is sealed with a clamp they still get corrosion in the female socket and cause gauge and voltage issues

DeoixIT and q-tips are commonly used to clean it out and restore good connections ;)
 
jibes138

jibes138

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Jan 27, 2008
3,092
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
improving conductivity

If you freeze them with liquid nitrogen you can turn them into superconductors, basically no resistance to current. :)
From a practical perspective metals form oxide layers immediately upon exposure to atmosphere. I'd suggest a mechanical remove of oxides and then an isolation system to keep out the oxygen. Typically this is done with a dielectric grease as you tried. See how much spring load you have on the connector. It should take a significant amount of force to assemble and disassemble the connector, if there is no force then there is little to no contact. The female socket provides the clamping force, if the contacts are distorted or otherwise damaged you may need a new connector.
 
sailingdog

sailingdog

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Oct 22, 2008
3,502
- Telstar 28 Buzzards Bay
First off, if the connector isn't a high-pressure connector, using dielectric grease is a really bad idea. Dielectric grease, by its very definition, is an INSULATOR. This is why it is designed to be used in high-pressure fittings only...and if your fitting isn't one, using it is part of the problem.

First thing to do is check to see that the pins are well connected to the wires—with no break or loose connection. Second, clean the pins and socket with CRC contact cleaner or electronics cleaner. Then try it again. If you're still having an issue, get a better plug.
 
Prime Time

Prime Time

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Sep 25, 2008
544
Bristol 43.3 Perth Amboy
Trailer Plug

After many yrs of dealing with those 2 prong plugs which always seem to fail due to corrosion, my dad switched to 4 prong round trailer plugs. Much better. We use them for radar, autopilot, GPS power, etc... They just do not fail like the others.
 
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Benny

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Sep 27, 2008
1,149
Hunter 320 Tampa, FL
Two prong connectors have been the standart in the industry for many years. They are not the perfect connector, but have been dependable if wired properly. Rule out wiring problems by connecting wire to wire and then place the connectors in place. WM will readily relace a bad connector. Unfortunately the manufacturing tolerances are quite loose for two wire connectors.
 
Timo42

Timo42

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Mar 26, 2007
1,042
Venture 22 Marina del Rey
Frank, are you talking about the autotiller connector, or the alternator connector that we dragged in the water for 4 hours the Sunday before last:doh:If the wiring is ok, maybe tinning the male terminals with solder will help. If all else fails, I have some weatherpack connectors you can have.
 
Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson

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Oct 14, 2005
2,191
1983 Hunter H34 North East, MD
Frank...

the type plug you have (in MHO) isn't made to be taken apart and put back together repeatedly as in every time you go sailing. Try looking at something more heavy duty like a trolling motor male/female connector or an RV trailer plug/socket assembly. Other than adding a solder tinning as suggested, there's no easy way to increase the grip of those plug/sockets.
 
caguy

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Timo42 said:
Frank, are you talking about the autotiller connector, or the alternator connector that we dragged in the water for 4 hours the Sunday before last:doh:If the wiring is ok, maybe tinning the male terminals with solder will help. If all else fails, I have some weatherpack connectors you can have.
Click to expand
Its the tiller pilot connector that I screw with for 10 minutes everytime we go out. I checked the wires on the male side of the plug but I don't think I ever check the wires on the female side. I'll do that next time I'm at the boat.
 
kenn

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
Prime Time said:
After many yrs of dealing with those 2 prong plugs which always seem to fail due to corrosion, my dad switched to 4 prong round trailer plugs. Much better. We use them for radar, autopilot, GPS power, etc... They just do not fail like the others.
Click to expand
I have not yet seen a "marine" connector in boating stores that I trusted. I have access to much better mil-spec connectors, however this year I chose to use the common flat molded 4-pin trailer-light connectors for our mast-lights. They're reasonably-made, survive being stepped-on, watertight when you tape up the crack between them, and can be found just about anywhere.

Ours is a small freshwater boat; this might not be suitable for larger salty boats.
 
jibes138

jibes138

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Jan 27, 2008
3,092
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Macro versus Micro viewpoint

SD, every time I replace a lightbulb in a car I find the connection has a small amount of dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. From a macro viewpoint the dielectric grease is an insulator as you note, however electric current is happening at the atomic level. At the atomic level what is important is that the metals are in contact to allow the free flow of electrons in the electron cloud that defines metallic materials. Since metals have extremely rough surfaces, when looked at atomically the peaks of the respective surfaces will make contact assuming there is a spring force holding them together. What is important is to limit oxidation of the metals as oxides are also insulators (check out anodizing for instance, it is non-conductive aluminum oxide). Since cars and trucks are designed to operate up north in the rotten salty road winters I agree with using modern trailer connectors as a good approach. another one might be to look at Deutsch connectors, that provide a rubber seal around the male piece to keep out water. I'd guess in this case the spring force is missing in the connector or the wires are not properly connected as previously suggested. Another option is to look at the wire itself. I have seen wire corrode over it's entire length inside the insulation so a rewiring may be in order with tinned wire, a lot of old boats (like my Catalina 25 1979 vintage) did not use tinned wire and after ten years in a salt fog I had to rewire the boat. A simple check to see if the wires are good is a continuity check, not sure on the tiller pilot if this is possible but may tell something.
 
Fairwind

Fairwind

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Feb 1, 2007
113
-Lancer -28 The Sea Of Cortez
The marine environment is tough on electrical connections. Copper and brass quickly corrode and 12 volts is not very much push to overcome corroded connections. Gold plated electrical connectors are available and will not corrode and don't cost THAT much more than the copper/brass variety..They are standard on all computer connections..
 
Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson

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Oct 14, 2005
2,191
1983 Hunter H34 North East, MD
Prime Time...

That's exactly the kind of connector I was referring to. I used one just like that on my last boat after I found the the wires inside the Perko-type plug were too big (12 AWG), causing the holding screw heads to touch the case, creating a short.

Pulling it apart and putting it back together while trying to find the problem lead to the plug barrels in the female part to develope enough slop to not provide a reliable connection any longer. Hence the trailer wire connector.
 
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