Do you puts grease on your nuts?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 01 May 2005, 16:23

There is an arguement going round that you shouldn't oil exposed bearings as the oil attracts dirt and this does more damage than leaving them dry! - yes I'm serious - for a couple of years the suppliers of our forklifts wouldn't oil the exposed bits - and the things sounded like scrap! - with rusty bearings everywhere.
This sounds like the typical of some academic - obviously rust is a bad thing as is dirt in bearings and the correct answer is to provide a lubrication system that enables grease to be put at the heart of things and displace old grease and dirt - ie the good old fashioned grease nipple!
As for electrics - this is a problem - the object is to get a clean metal to metal contact and having achieved that to prevent corrosion. Dirt happens as does condensation and corrosion - so I suppose the best thing is to make the connection and then protect it with something that doesn't attract dirt - like silicon. The problem is getting something that is going to last and I suppose a lacquer is really the answer - make the joint and then lacquer it. Dirt will tend to attract moisture and may become conductive in its own right but if its sitting on a blob of grease which keeps the damp from the actual contact it isn't going to do much harm.
In reality how much trouble do we get from dirty greased conections?- or oil soaked ones for that matter - very little - its the dull clean ones that cause the problems.
Wonder how this will all work when we get 36 or 42 volts on our cars!
Jeremy

weety · Post by **weety** » 01 May 2005, 18:16

just about every citroen i have ever had runs a constant loss system from everything that has oil in it...this washes the dirt away from electrical connections and means it is easy to undo all those little nuts and bolts (best not to park on your mates new drive though)....

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 01 May 2005, 18:22

I usually use Silicone grease onto the plastic part of any connectors as I find it not only stops moisture getting in but dirt also thereby preventing corrosion on the actual metal contacts or pins. It makes them 100 times easier to separate too.
If some gets on the metal parts it's by accident but it's never caused me any problems as it is usually only a thin coating or a small drop.
Alan S

PeterMann · Post by **PeterMann** » 01 May 2005, 20:00

I use gearbox oil on both bolts and electrical connectors. As a heavy oil, it is relatively slow to evaporate, and it is formulated with good corrosion inhibitors. Used gearbox oil is fine for lubricating and rust-proofing, and the price cannot be beat. On small-signal electronic connectors, I use silicone spray, just in case the gearbox oil additives might give some conductivity.

rg · Post by rg » 02 May 2005, 03:09

Robin S.,
Please tell me more about your "humming XM wheel bearing".
I have one that sounds like an RB211 on a Boeing 757 in "flight idle.
rg

Dave Bamber · Post by **Dave Bamber** » 02 May 2005, 03:46

Only place I don‘t use copper grease is into aluminium as I believe you can end up with a bad reaction.

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 02 May 2005, 04:36

Agree there Dave, you will make an effective battery
Stewart

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 02 May 2005, 05:06

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Dave Bamber</i>

Only place I don‘t use copper grease is into aluminium as I believe you can end up with a bad reaction.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
The most graphic example of that I ever saw was when I had a problem with rats near stock food.
Problem is that if you set traps, dogs get caught in them and if you set baits then birds, poultry and animals end up beating the rats to it, so I tried a new idea; I'd mix copper sulphate in with some dripping and mix all that into a batch of grain whereupon I'd hide it away from animals but if any traces were taken by other animals and birds, then in small doses it wouldn't be harmful. Large doses cause the breakdown of vital organs and as rats are ferocious eaters, theoretically it was a winner.
Cook the lot up and in my "wisdom" I bought some aluminium pie flans. Poured the "magic Mix" into the aluminium trays whereupon it all poured all over the bench.[:0]
Why? Because the copper sulphate ate through the aluminium like it wasn't even there. Fortunately a bloody big carpet snake arrived a few days later and solved the rat problem. [;)]
Alan S[:o)]

DoubleChevron · Post by **DoubleChevron** » 02 May 2005, 05:50

You guys will be horified to hear I've never 'greased' or oiled a nut/bolt in my life. Never have I had a problem removing them in the future.
Then again, I don't live near the Ocean and certainly they don't put salt on our roads [:D]
seeya,
Shane L.

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 02 May 2005, 09:49

Electrical connections are best protected with a 'tropicalising' coating. Modern versions are a sort of slightly flexible clear plastic, which is impermeable to moisture, but can easily be removed when required.

G4EIY · Post by **G4EIY** » 02 May 2005, 15:30

Hi,
Just out of interest, I carried out a simple test using a small piece of copper and aluminium tube as an electode, and placed them in a glass jar and filled it in turn with tap water, 100% anti freeze and water from a dehumidifier.
The voltage produced from the tap water and antifreeze was similar about 0.65V, but from the water from the dehumidifier this was about 0.35v.
I leave you to make your own conclusions...

LeFrog · Post by **LeFrog** » 09 May 2005, 15:29

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help chuckle at the subject for this thread. Me? I have never put grease on my nuts [;)] and have never been punished for it.