Vaseline on battery posts and cable connections?

[vavavroom]

Why does oil leak from a properly tightened drain plug? The parts don't fit together perfectly at microscopic levels so the grease will migrate into the space.

A terminal clamp and post interface is about making sufficient contact to allow the flow of current. Grease will not impede this flow in any significant way even if both, the terminal and clamp surface, are a bit rough but clamped together tightly. Also, the terminal post is made from very soft metal that allows for excellent contact-making.

 

[vavavroom]

For what it's worth on the regular ATE tube of multipurpose Plastilube it mentions it's suitable for electric terminals. I put merely the thinnest coat of terminal grease on the terminal posts to prevent corrosion from moisture. Sealed batteries, while still vented, they don't release nearly the amount of electrolyte vapors the older and not sealed batteries released.

 

[nutdriver]

All purpose automotive grease has worked well for me for many years.

 

[sk_pete]

Would you spray it on your lips as a moisturizer?

Not medical grade Vaseline, I'm sure..

 

[CharBaby]

I know so many old timer & current tech who use many of their own beliefs & products on top of battery posts. Is there a proper product to use? Sure! It's the product that are made especially for battery posts.

My Dad for instance, used Vaseline or some sort of anti seize. And I know so many techs who use just about anything that's a lube. No one seems to be having issues with their product of choice. I use dielectric lube. I buy a large tube and it lasts me a really long time. And I use it on other electrical connectors as well.

 

[gman2304]

This morning I remembered I had a tube of Sil-Glyde on the shelf and after reading the uses on the tube it states that it can be used on spark plug boots, battery connections, weather stripping and a multitude of other applications. It’s also effective from -20F to +400F and won’t melt or run which addresses the 2nd part of my question about handling the under hood heat from a turbo engine, so I decided to use the Sil-Glyde and put a thin coat on the battery posts and connections. I’ll see how it holds up.

 

[meep]

I took a first responder / emt course years ago. They taught us that one drawback of Vaseline is that it can harbor infection; we were told to dress wounds with KY instead.

 

[4WD]

I took a first responder / emt course years ago. They taught us that one drawback of Vaseline is that it can harbor infection; we were told to dress wounds with KY instead.

Uh - well … I have Mupirocin

 

[MSCH]

basic automotive and electrical advice is keep all connections clean,dry and tight...

 

[vavavroom]

Uh - well … I have Mupirocin

Hmm, off-label use. Do the terminal posts have a bacterial infection? As long as you don't use industrial grease on your body like you would Mupirocin it's probably okay.

 

[chainblu]

I suppose the stuff that's made for such usage would be best, but I've used grease, motor oil and yes, Vaseline. The terminals didn't have corrosion, so I assume it worked.

 

[SaberOne]

Yes, back in the day I used those little round green and red felt pads, together with some can of red spray stuff.

 

[4WD]

Hmm, off-label use. Do the terminal posts have a bacterial infection? As long as you don't use industrial grease on your body like you would Mupirocin it's probably okay.

What ? Read what I responded too …

 

[y_p_w]

I took a first responder / emt course years ago. They taught us that one drawback of Vaseline is that it can harbor infection; we were told to dress wounds with KY instead.

It was originally designed for **ahem** "medical use". I think the main difference would be whether or not something has preservatives to control microbial growth. I know I've gotten in trouble for talking about medications, but I'll just say that I have developed allergies to all three antibiotics in Neosporin. This is not medical advice for anyone else, but I was specifically advised (in my case) to just dress cuts/wounds with plain petroleum jelly.

Just for research I checked the ingredients (although I'd think they might reformulate occasionally).

Water, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Chlorhexidine Gluconate, Gluconolactone, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide​

Chlorhexidine gluconate is actually a disinfectant. I specifically remember this from my days of wearing contact lenses where several disinfecting solutions said they didn't contain that because of incidences of eye irritation/sensitivity. I saw it as an ingredient on some gas permeable contact lens solution and was surprised because I thought it was no longer used for anything that would get in eyes. Methylparaben is definitely a preservative.

 

[X15]

X15 said:
Aka vaseline in a can with solvents and propellant.



No it is not a little more than that. Propane is the aerosol propellant. Petrolatum is petroleum jelly. Acetone, Xylene, Ethyl Benzene and Toluene are organic solvents used to emulsify the petroleum jelly and to act as the liquid carrier for the aerosol spray. Once the aromatic solvents evaporate, only the petroleum jelly remains on the battery terminal. Simply a more convenient application method than a Q-tip.
View attachment 149113

To be fair to @atikovi there could well be anti-oxidants or other additives that are not listed in the SDS.

It's just a commodity product designed to be as cheap to produce as possible however, so I doubt there's anything that's not absolutely necessary in it.

The point was that the main constituent is vaseline, not something more exotic. If all I had on hand was vaseline I would use that before going out and buying something.

 

[Nesterenko]

Gunk brand red colored spray with the little straw, sparingly though.

 

[dumkid]

i put my terminals on dry, and replace them if they're severely corroded. if you keep the terminals clean they take a looooooong time to corrode.