Fact or Fiction - Anti-Seize Enhances Electrical Connections?

I was watching a show on TV and one of the hosts said that after you clean up your confections (leaving this auto correct error in for iceracer )  (mostly ground connections to the frame and motor and other things) that you should then put Anti-Seize on the connections before bolting them back down.  They were specifically calling out the Permitex gray stuff that is an aluminum based past.  At first I was like what????  But I thought about it more and I guess it makes sense.  I also like that it would kind of keep the water and air out of the connection and possibly keep corrosion from occurring in the future.

Anyone have any data or personal experience with this?  I put the Permitex Gray Anti-Seize on just bout everything I take apart and put back together but never used it on electrical connections.

EDIT:  I think it is important to note that you DON'T want to put a conductive past / grease in connectors with multiple pins / wires.   

I would be careful saying "Electrical connections". Jam some metallic anti sieze into a connector on a communication line, and you are going to enjoy a festival of communication issues.  Putting it on a grounding lug on a frame rail would certainly help keep corrosion out.

I usually put powdered sugar on my confections.

iceracer said:

I usually put powdered sugar on my confections.

Here we go again. 

Streetwiseguy said:

I would be careful saying "Electrical connections". Jam some metallic anti sieze into a connector on a communication line, and you are going to enjoy a festival of communication issues.  Putting it on a grounding lug on a frame rail would certainly help keep corrosion out.

Yeah, this. If you're talking molex connectors or any type of sensor/signal wire what you want is dielectric grease, which is an insulator, not a conductor. This helps prevent dirt/moisture/corrosion from infiltrating the terminals. 

KY jelly or diaper cream also works like dielectric grease in a pinch.

I could see aluminum based anti-size helping with large exposed power/ground connections or even older style fuses as it would serve to protect the connection from moisture and help improve connectivity.

iceracer said:

I usually put powdered sugar on my confections.

Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:

KY jelly or diaper cream also works like dielectric grease in a pinch.

Is the reverse true too? I keep plenty of dielectric grease around but not the others.

I know there has been a lot of debate in the Porsche community about anti-seize on spark plugs - there was an old tech bulletin that said not to use it. Rumor said that it interfered with the conductivity. After dealing with a seized plug, I'm always going to use it.

In reply to AAZCD (Forum Supporter) :

Yes, it keeps everything slippery and baby's butt dry and rash free.

I can't speak to using anti-seize on an electrical connection, but I can't imagine it was meant for that.

Now there is "anti-seize" shmoo that is meant for use on electrical connections called Noalox. Actually noalox looks to be the product name used by Ideal.  It's meat for putting on aluminum conductors to prevent oxidization.

Maybe that's what the guy on the show meant?

I just can't see it.  If anti-seize is conductive, when you put it on the connector it ends up EVERYWHERE and would cause a short between terminals.  

This just brought up a random thought and a suggestion to GRM.  When things settle down to the "new normal" maybe there good be semi regular Myth Busters type story where GRM tests these internet/best buddy/grandfathers uncle fixes and finds out if they are real.

Scott

A Carl  Heideman classic about grease might help here, too. 

I'd only do that in one very specific type of connection.

Let's consider a couple of use cases:

1st up some sort of multi pin connector.  In this case you would definitely NOT want a conductive grease. As someone earlier said, it would just cause all sorts of shorts between your pins.  The correct item to use here is a dielectric grease.

2nd would be some sort of terminal connection.  Here, although shorting wouldn't be an issue, it would most likely *decrease* the conductivity of your carefully designed terminals (I used to be one of those engineers designing them).  

3rd is a threaded connection.  This is the only case where I'd use it, to protect the threads.  It's ok to use here because you're using it for its intended mechanical purpose, and usually those types of connections are not carrying much current.

In the show I was watching they were using it for ground leads bolted to the frame and the block.  They were saying that the aluminum in the past would help the connection by filling in the micro gaps between surfaces.   Could be true. . . . .  Kind of dough it but???  I really don't know.   I think it may be good at keeping corrosion at bay longer at the connection point but at that point I would just use a non water soluble grease like the stuff I use on outboard lower ends.      

For the sake of being scientific and stuff, I did an experiment.

First a nut and bolt connection with no anti-seize on it:

This is the same reading I get with the leads shorted on this meter.

Now the same setup, same connection with a layer of the permatex "silver" anti-seize on the rings and the threads of the screw:

Not the result I expected!

Just ran out to the garage to do a bit of an experiment. It seems your suspicions are correct. Anti-seize is not inherently conductive.

i put the multimeter probes about 1/2" apart to start and moved them closer together until i got some degree of continuity. The only way I could get a connection of any kind was to press the probes together so that the metal leads touched.

NB: This multimeter reads 1 if there is no continuity between the two probes and 0 if there is.

It seems that there isn't enough powdered metal in anti-seize to overcome the resistance of the grease that it's suspended in.

I also tried putting a ~1mm layer of the silver anti-seize between two small pieces of scrap steel (just enough to make sure the metal wouldn't touch) and put the multi-meter probes on either side of the sandwich to see if any current would pass through the grease. That didn't work either. No continuity.

You cant really do that type of testing with a regular old multimeter. Their ability to measure resistance doesn't go down low enough to detect what the resistance of a good connection actually is because they can't read that low, so they definitely can't tell if it got better.  For example, if a starter pulls 200 amps, 12v/200a=.06ohms. You could more than triple that resistance before the meter budged off .2ohms. You'd have a slow crank but the meter would read the same. 

You'd have to measure something that was already in the range the meter can measure. 

The point of using grease is not to improve the connection.  The point is to maintain whatever connection you have for a longer time before corrosion messes things up.

I only use dielectric grease where I'm certain I have a good mechanical connection.  For instance, threaded grounds, or eyelets that use a toothed washer.  I'll sometimes use it on spark plugs on the truck (in case of off roading and water) or in the boat, but both of those applications are somewhere north of 50,000v and a spark isn't going to slow down for a mil or two of grease.

I suppose anti-seize would work the same way, but I can't imagine it would improve conductivity.  If you're getting direct metal-to-metal on your ground lugs, I don't think the anti-seize could improve that... even if you pinched the aluminum or copper dust directly between the metals.  It's just another layer of something in the way.

dean1484 said:

I was watching a show on TV ...  I also like that it would kind of keep the water and air out of the connection and possibly keep corrosion from occurring in the future.

Anyone have any data or personal experience with this?  I put the Permitex Gray Anti-Seize on just bout everything I take apart and put back together but never used it on electrical connections.

 

EDIT:  I think it is important to note that you DON'T want to put a conductive past / grease in connectors with multiple pins / wires.   

I have been using anti-seize and dielectric on all my vehicles for a while now due to the pervasive corrosion from aerosolized salt spray that gets everywhere on slushy salted roads.

It is my personal experience that antiseize generally dries up or washes off after a few years. Maybe it helped increase the life a little, or maybe it did nothing, but I'm moving on to try something new. 

I have just recently started using "ox-guard" on some electrical connections due to finding electrical grounds that have corroded away.

It is for household wiring and is conductive (states improves conduction), I don't know how it compares to noalox.

I use it for things like you mention like grounds and single electrical terminals. 

I just started using it the last year so I have no long term experience however I'm giving up on antiseize for grounds and simple wiring as I don't think it lasts. 

This looks to be a video idea for the Farm Life guy to try out.

 

In reply to dean1484 :

The term anti seize is used along with anti oxidant, noalox, goop and a dozen other names. It is similar to automotive never seize but not the same formula.  The electrical version is normally used when using aluminum wire or fittings  are joined to another type of metal. Aluminum lug and copper wire for example. It prevents corrosion and for a while might help with conductivity.  After 30 or 40 years it becomes a sticky paste. 

Way back in the mid 80's I worked for Fiskars yes the scissor company but at a battery charger plant for the telecom industry. we used copper anti-seize on all the bus bar joints and all the hardware. 

Now if you looking for something for electronics and multi pin connections you want DeOx it ask any British or Italian bike mech this stuff is truly a great E36 M3.

DeOx it

I just used anti-seize instead of thermal paste on a computer CPU cooler. Worked great!