ME and My WD-40

[kern16]

Getting ready for our annual End Of The Year Ride and as luck would have it very cold temps here N the deep South of high 40's (Ok I know I'm asking for it) anyway went to my always reliable 2010 Kawasaki Concours I think the only thing that might be more reliable was my mom's old cast iron skillet if you catch my point. Turned on ignition switch hit starter button and NOTHING? Dash lights were on, horn worked, turn signals etc. I'm not a mechanic but I do know enough to start with the easiest solution first so pulled battery had it load tested cleaned my ground connection and buttoned everything back up. Hit the starter ...........NOTHING? So my next move was to check fuses and circuit breaker and then for some reason I still don't know why I picked up my handy can of WD-40 and sprayed it into the starter button housing. You guessed it hit the button and it fired right up! So here's my question if your still with me. I assume the WD-40 must have cleaned the contact points and what concerns me is this a long term fix or is it likely the next time i'm a few hours from home this will reoccur? Again I assume if not a long term fix I need to remove the housing around the switch and give it a through cleaning.
Your comments and suggestions would b most appreciated
OH and Happy New Year!

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Your WD40 loosened something in the switch that was preventing it from closing enough.
 Just keep a can of it in your pocket when you ride.  If it doesn't work , spray it.

[yogidozer]

I'd take it apart and clean it. WD stands for water displacement, maybe just condensation/corrosion. good winter project. Supergirl new episodes don't start til next week

[Wayne Orwig]

The WD40 will clean out the switch. Good, in that it now works. Bad, in that it may have cleaned out any grease that would protect the contacts. It may now be more prone to failure.

I would disassemble and wipe some better lube on the contacts.

[Lannis]

The WD40 will clean out the switch. Good, in that it now works. Bad, in that it may have cleaned out any grease that would protect the contacts. It may now be more prone to failure.

I would disassemble and wipe some better lube on the contacts.

WD40 has a little bit of lube in it.   It's not like "electronics cleaner" or brake degreasers, which take ALL of the oil and grease away.   95% solvent and 5% lube is what I understand.

But it's certainly not grease.   And when you say "wipe some better lube on the contacts", surely you don't mean that stuff that rhymes with "hide my metric crease" .... ?

Lannis

[rodekyll]

Really any waterproof grease will do it.  I prefer my Bosch grease for switches and vasoline for bulbs and terminals, but last night I changed out an outdoor bulb and coated it with CV joint grease because that's what was handy.  It didn't interfere with connectivity and it waterproofs well.

[kingoffleece]

ACF-50

[Nic in Western NYS]

Shopping around for some 2018 moto-hilarity.  Let's look see about this thread right here..

>I'm not a mechanic but I do know enough to start with the easiest solution first
No fun at all.  All the best threads end with "you should always start with the easiest solutions first."

>surely you don't mean that stuff that rhymes with "hide my metric crease" .... ?
Promising, time will tell.

>The WD40 will clean out the switch
Getting warmer!  But not like the Ducati forum when some pleb (like me) posts about using that WD stuff on the drive chain

>ACF-50
Got my full attention, this could do it!

Happy New Year you congress of ravens!

[yogidozer]

dielectric grease 

[Rough Edge racing]

dielectric grease 

   Dielectric is an insulating grease? Would that be correct to use on switch contacts?.......What happen as some of you know, is common in cold climates. The grease got thick and prevented the electric  contacts from closing...A starter button  is not a sliding contact self cleaning switch like bike headlight switches or ignition switch...I don't believe the lack of grease will cause additional wear. I believe the grease is for corrosion resistance purposes...

[yogidozer]

   Dielectric is an insulating grease? Would that be correct to use on switch contacts?.......What happen as some of you know, is common in cold climates. The grease got thick and prevented the electric  contacts from closing...A starter button  is not a sliding contact self cleaning switch like bike headlight switches or ignition switch...I don't believe the lack of grease will cause additional wear. I believe the grease is for corrosion resistance purposes...

Dielectric grease is electrically insulating and does not break down when high voltage is applied. It is often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector without arcing.

[Ncdan]

Folks can say whatever they want about wd40 not being a good lube due to a small percentage of lubricant however here’s my take. I don’t care about the technical aspects of the stuff but I can tell anyone this. I clean my beach kept bicycle chain once a year with heavy degreaser and apply WD40. By the end of the day there is a coating of, some type of lubricant , on the chain that remains there until the next total cleaning. This bike is 12 years old and heavily ridden and the chain shows no need if replacing. So there👍

[brider]

By the end of the day there is a coating of, some type of lubricant , on the chain that remains there until the next total cleaning. This bike is 12 years old and heavily ridden and the chain shows no need if replacing. So there👍

OK, since I'm a bicyclist, I can't resist this one and have to call a VERY good-natured _ull_hit. WD-40 is universally acknowledged among cyclists as the WORST chain lube imaginable. Well, maybe not the worst, I suppose water or nothing at all would be the worst. It's GREAT as a water or leftover de-greaser-displacing penetrating spray, but it HAS to be followed up with a proper lube that penetrates the plates and rollers and stays there.

Lightly-loaded bike chains can take a YUUUUUGE amount of abuse and stretch and last for years, especially if they're single-speed or never shifted. With only WD-40, though , they're noisy and squeaky and inefficient.

However, I do not judge ANYONE who rides a bike, however it's maintained. I'd give my lefty to live by a beach to ride my bike.

[Rough Edge racing]

Dielectric grease is electrically insulating and does not break down when high voltage is applied. It is often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector without arcing.

  The switch is subject to about 14 volts at most and maybe an amp or two...Nothing close to high voltage or high amps. Yes it may arc slightly..Actually when I think about, the starter switches I have seen and replaced are a small sealed unit where no contacts are exposed...So the grease would never be directly be on the contacts, yes?

[kingoffleece]

ACF-50.
We use dielectric on our plows.  The connections take a beating from cold and salt.
ACF-50 is better.  Every time we overhaul the connectors we switch over from dielectric to ACF-50.

[yogidozer]

  The switch is subject to about 14 volts at most and maybe an amp or two...Nothing close to high voltage or high amps. Yes it may arc slightly..Actually when I think about, the starter switches I have seen and replaced are a small sealed unit where no contacts are exposed...So the grease would never be directly be on the contacts, yes?

I would still use to keep condensation/rainwater off. cannot hurt, and I have a tube around. enough for a lifetime

[molly]

Clean and unsieze with WD40, protect with ACF5O.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0aPOEFYlD8

[flower_king001]

OK, since I'm a bicyclist, I can't resist this one and have to call a VERY good-natured _ull_hit. WD-40 is universally acknowledged among cyclists as the WORST chain lube imaginable. Well, maybe not the worst, I suppose water or nothing at all would be the worst. It's GREAT as a water or leftover de-greaser-displacing penetrating spray, but it HAS to be followed up with a proper lube that penetrates the plates and rollers and stays there.

Lightly-loaded bike chains can take a YUUUUUGE amount of abuse and stretch and last for years, especially if they're single-speed or never shifted. With only WD-40, though , they're noisy and squeaky and inefficient.

However, I do not judge ANYONE who rides a bike, however it's maintained. I'd give my lefty to live by a beach to ride my bike.

Cyclist as well...I use Prolink or Tri-Flow lubricant after giving a good clean with Park's chain scrubber.
Bianchi-Infinito
Trek 4.5 Madone
Lynskey R255
Trek FX

[Idontwantapickle]

Happy New Year you congress of ravens!

Magnificent!!   

[Lannis]

There's a lot of guys (well, to be honest, the old guys who sit around the hardware store) who swear by rubbing WD40 onto swollen or sore joints like knees, wrists, and fingers.

I wouldn't try it myself but they SAY they do it every day and if they miss a day, their joints get sore and swollen ....

Lannis

[Socalrob]

There's a lot of guys (well, to be honest, the old guys who sit around the hardware store) who swear by rubbing WD40 onto swollen or sore joints like knees, wrists, and fingers.

I wouldn't try it myself but they SAY they do it every day and if they miss a day, their joints get sore and swollen ....

Lannis

Well, smart folks like Issac Newton drank Mercury during the enlightenment as a health aide.

[yogidozer]

There's a lot of guys (well, to be honest, the old guys who sit around the hardware store) who swear by rubbing WD40 onto swollen or sore joints like knees, wrists, and fingers.

I wouldn't try it myself but they SAY they do it every day and if they miss a day, their joints get sore and swollen ....

Lannis

those guys are talking about a different kind of joint 

[Chuck in Indiana]

There's a lot of guys (well, to be honest, the old guys who sit around the hardware store) who swear by rubbing WD40 onto swollen or sore joints like knees, wrists, and fingers.

I wouldn't try it myself but they SAY they do it every day and if they miss a day, their joints get sore and swollen ....

Lannis

We use WD 40 for cutting fluid on plastic.There is some lubricity, and evaporative cooling.
We use lots of WD40. 
Frank (RIP) our old machinist swore it helped his arthritis. Hmmm. I thought.
Had a production job, and Dorcia came out to do the production work on the cnc. I never told her what Frank said. After a couple days of having her hands in WD40, she told me that her hands had quit aching. <shrug>  She's an old wife, so maybe it's an old wive's tale..  

[Ncdan]

Ok Brider, I�ll offer the facts and your are more than welcome to argue, compare, judge or analyze them however you wish, all in fun of course as we are all buddies here. Here�s my defense for my stand on the subject.
The picture posted is my 58 pound pit/ coonhound mix ridding in her cart that I built her, due to four ACL operations. I have been pulling her fat ass all over Myrtle Beach SC for 8 years now. The cart and dog is 90 lb. I also am an avid biker and have ridden two centuries back to back. The old trek in this picture has the  same chain that came on it and

has given me 12 years of flawless service, 8 years of extreme service towing 90 lbs of hound and cart, endless amount of miles and I am capable of administering extreme force on the gears and chain. Never a broken chain and only 2-3 adjustments due to stretch. The only service is once or twice a year complete degreasing and re- coating with WD40.
I�m not going to argue that your choice of lube is not as good as mine but it would make one look foolish to attempt to prove a point that WD40 makes a poor biicycle chain lube with a testament like my experience with WD40 on my bike chain. Now after being enlightened to the fact that wd40 is a lousy lube for a bike chain after it makes it 20 years I�m going to throw that worn out chain away and never use wd40 for bicycle chain lube again, lol 😂
No offense intended my friend, just facts.

[Murray]

WD40 and its variants leave a thin kero/oil layer behind, this insulates when you get a chance clean the switch with some appropriate electrical contact cleaner (isopropyl alcohol or one of the co cleaner products). Yes it will sometimes get you out of the crap and displace some green fuzz or water.

[Chesterfield]

I almost think your better not putting any grease in those type switches, it always seems like dried out grease causes the problems. I think you would be better off just shooting them with WD40 or a real switch cleaner most have a little lubricant in them. I prefer this one.

[brider]

due to four ACL operations.

4 ACL operations...on the dog??!! Wish I was your dog! I've got 2 bad knees and I'm too cheap to get them fixed!

Whatever you're doing works, you'd be a fool to change your methods based on what I say, that's what I'd say to me!

But for MY experience, I grew up in Michigan riding a MTN bike year-round during college, and the slush/salt/mud/water just laughed at WD-40, and I started out using WD-40 then because it was so much cheaper than dedicated bicycle chain lube. Fast forward a few years to my mtn-bike racing days in AZ and then here in CT, and there is no way WD-40 could stand up to that abuse. It's not designed to.

So I guess what ever works, works because the environment it's used in doesn't overpower it's capabilities. I retract my judgement that WD-40 is the worst, because obviously it's not the worst for you!

[Wayne Orwig]

I almost think your better not putting any grease in those type switches, it always seems like dried out grease causes the problems. I think you would be better off just shooting them with WD40 or a real switch cleaner most have a little lubricant in them. I prefer this one.

You may be right. But I had a Kawasaki that the switch contacts would fail on if I rode in  the rain, if the contacts weren't kept greased.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Ncdan]

4 ACL operations...on the dog??!! Wish I was your dog! I've got 2 bad knees and I'm too cheap to get them fixed!

Whatever you're doing works, you'd be a fool to change your methods based on what I say, that's what I'd say to me!

But for MY experience, I grew up in Michigan riding a MTN bike year-round during college, and the slush/salt/mud/water just laughed at WD-40, and I started out using WD-40 then because it was so much cheaper than dedicated bicycle chain lube. Fast forward a few years to my mtn-bike racing days in AZ and then here in CT, and there is no way WD-40 could stand up to that abuse. It's not designed to.

So I guess what ever works, works because the environment it's used in doesn't overpower it's capabilities. I retract my judgement that WD-40 is the worst, because obviously it's not the worst for you!
[/quote on the dog issue, there�s no such thing as a free dog. Both of the ACL failures had a second failure before the healing process was over so 4 separate operations. Daisy was crippled for two  years ina row. That�s where the doggie cart came in. 4K in vet bills but she�s worth.
As far as the chain conversation, I realize there are lubes especially formulated for things such a bike chains and I�m pretty sure the bike shops make sure their hard core ridders inform them that these special lubes has additives that make them much superior over any other lube and that although they cost 5 times more than say WD40, they are well worth the cost. I reckon it depends on how much one is willing to spend on the � special chain oil� I guess i look at this like I do chain saw chain saw oil. You know,  I used regular old cheap grade 30 weight motor oil for 40 years until I was informed by my son one day that I need to use special oil designed for my saw. So I went to Walmart and paid 5 times more for this special oil and guess what? You got it, I couldn�t tell a bit of difference in the saws cutting ability. As long as the chain is sharp and there�s some type of lubricant, the saw cut fine. However I did attempt to tell myself it cut better so I wouldn�t feel stupid for spending a lot more money for that �special oil�:(
I admit I have no idea of the ingredients in my WD40 but I do know it turned from a very thin liquid to a heavier oil that turns to a heaver consistently within the hour after applying to the chain and will stick to it for extended periods of time. I would love to remove my 12 year old well used chain and have it analyzed by a metallurgist in comparison to a chain used the same amount of hours and the special chain oil used on it. Well bottom line I spent around 3 bucks for my chain lube over a 12 year period and still have a very functioning bike chain.
I have enjoyed our conversation Mr Brider and commend your gentlemanly responses. I consider you a gentleman and a scholar and am proud to call you my guzzi brother;)

[rodekyll]

You folks might want to investigate the firearms lubricant/preservatives.  It sounds as though they have the properties you want.