View single post by Tom Bradley
 Posted: 03-18-2016 05:32 pm
PM Quote Reply Full Topic
Tom Bradley

 

Joined: 07-15-2013
Location:  
Posts: 200
Status: 
Offline
Dielectric grease IS an insulator. What it does is keep out air and moisture to keep the metal connectors from rusting or corroding. Personally, I do not use it, but my car only drives in the San Diego area nowadays, which is a pretty benign environment. If you want to use dielectric grease, you can pretty much spread it all over: it should not interfere with the electrical connection. The nice thing about these slide-on connector is that they do a good job of pushing any contaminants out of the way, as long as they are tight. If they slide on too easily, you can tighten it up by gently squeezing the connector on the wires with a pair of pliers so the gap between the prongs and the flat section is closer together. If the connection is clean, tight and covered with dielectric grease, it should last pretty much forever no matter what the environment. Just be sure when pulling the wires off the alternator that you pull on the connector, not the wires. Copper is not that strong and you could easily end up with a frayed or broken connection.