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NO-OX-ID vs. Dielectric Grease: When/Where to Use Which?

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Dirk_S:
My understanding: NO-OX-ID is a conductor; Dielectric grease is an insulator.

Having just recently packed my ignition relay with Vaseline like I was teenage boy discovering steering head bearings for the first time <cough>, I decided to pick up BOTH some dielectric grease and NO-OX-ID, but to my surprise, I’m an ignorant fool. I didn’t realize they differed as they do. Considering my bikes live out in the elements all year long, what applications would I use one over the other?

…and I promise to keep the Vaseline under my bed behind the bathroom mirror from now on.

guzzisteve:
I think you got it correct.  Try a search, Wayne O. has done more than a few explanations on the subject. Interesting reads.

n3303j:



AMAZON among many others.

Get a can of this stuff and spray it into anywhere you want to stop corrosion. Reapply every several months. Plastic cased switches, connectors, plugs, points etcetera. It lubricates as well as protects. It will find its way into every nook & cranny. It will keep switches moving crisply and it will not interfere with conductivity. It will not harm anything.

Kept the Ural running through 5 winters of daily commute over salted roads without a single contact or switch issue. I do all the bikes because they all see weather. Stuff isn't cheap, but does the job excellently without disassembly. Used to spray it in the tailcone of my airplane. Two weeks later I'd see it on the outside at the seams. Meant it was getting into the tight seams and displacing corrosive moisture.

Wayne Orwig:
Dielectric/silicone grease out gases. If it is near a switch or relay, the contacts can get coated with silicon dioxide or something like that. Basically, sand. And they fail.
Some manufacturers even say that the silicone gas can penetrate a sealed switch or relay and recommend you keep dielectric grease a few miles away.
I occasionally use dielectric grease to help seal something like a spark plug boot but keep it far far away from switches and relays.
I often use Caig Deoxit on a connector. Deoxit actually improves the connection by dissolving corrosion. Dielectric grease can only make the connection worse. Deoxit is pricey (cheap Guzzista) so I use a cheap cleaner first, then follow with Deoxit.
I have zero info on NO-OX-ID.

.

MikeP996:
Interesting info that di-electric grease is bad for switches/can turn into sand.  Could you post the reference to the paper/article stating the dangers of di-electric grease for electrical connections.

I'm curious because it is contrary to the current and common use of di-electric grease on electrical connections in many applications on cars, boats, and motorcycles.  It is factory-applied before making many connections, especially those exposed to exterior conditions. 

In the salt-water marine world, where I spent a few years, dielectric grease is commonly used on almost every connection including light bulb sockets!

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