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c/avionics-technicians•oscarc12oscarc12•8d ago

Old lead mechanic told me to stop using dielectric grease on cannon plugs

I was slathering it on every connector like he taught me and then a month later a 737 in Denver had intermittent comms traced right back to that stuff migrating into the pins, so now I only use it on the shell threads. Anyone else ever get burned by following bad corrosion advice?
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3 Comments
thomas_torres
thomas_torres5d agoMost Upvoted
Tbh you might be getting lucky with the truck connectors because they don't have teeny tiny pins like aviation cannon plugs do. It's a whole different ballgame when the grease can actually wick into the pin sockets and cause a gap in the connection.
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vera_robinson36
Wait, you had a 737 in Denver with intermittent comms because the dielectric grease migrated into the pins? That's wild. I always thought that stuff just stayed put, you know, like a grease barrier. I've been using it on my truck's trailer connectors for years and never had a problem, but now I'm second guessing every single one of them. Did you have to replace the whole cannon plug assembly or just clean it out real good?
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robin591
robin5918d agoTop Commenter
And it REALLY clogs up the little pins something awful if you glob it on like that.
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