Hello The vehicle side has a protector cap but the trailer side does not. Last time I plugged it in the lights did not work until I wire wheeled the connectors. Has anyone tried the Curtis protector caps? https://www.homedepot.com/p/CURT-4-...DJwJnuSzVMYaAiOBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#overlay
Good tip Thanks This Home Depot electrical grease should work too! https://www.homedepot.com/p/Noalox-Anti-Oxidant-Compound-4-oz-30-026/202276208
Maybe this conductive grease is better? I know dielectric grease is used in high voltage applications like spark plug boots to prevent arcing. It also keeps the contacts from corroding but in this low voltage application where conductivity can be a problem because the connection just breaks and the lights do not work. So conductive type grease with silver or carbon having conductivity may help a bit more??
When i have trouble with trailer plugs i clean and fill the plug with this. If that doesn't work, i replace the plug and fill them with same. It works
Hi TD Just got the Carbon Conductive Grease today and wire wheeled the connector pins to make them nice and shinny. So I will try this. It is black as coal because of the carbon. LOL However carbon conducts electricity so it should work well. We will see.
If it was mine, I'd ditch the flat connector and go with a round 7 pin male on the trailer and a 7 pin on the vehicle and keep the trailer connector greased up with di-electric grease. The female will come with a spring cap. I consider the flat connectors to be U-Haul esque.
I’d think the carbon conductive grease would work when there is space between terminals. Not so much in this application where there will be grease touching all the terminals on the trailer side. It would definitely be bad news inside the vehicle end of a 7-way round. Use the stuff recommended above several times as it’s proven to work
Ok the 7 pin is different than my cheap 4 pin connector. Each pin is separated so no chance of shorting. When I plugged it in there must have been a gap because the right side blinker did not work. When I pulled the plug apart and then plugged it in again then it worked. So for the 4 pin connectors this may work better.
I also just cleaned the main ground connection. There was a tad bit of corrosion under the SS washer so I put the carbon conductive grease there too. That may help?
Be careful with that carbon grease...handy stuff if used sparingly, but liberal use of it could easily cause a short, even with a 4 pin. Ask any industrial electrician how they feel about carbon tracking!
I've used Vasoline on connectors, battery posts, bulb bases/sockets, etc. for many years with success. I'd be concerned about shorts resulting from use of conductive grease. I've tested the voltage drop on connections where dielectric grease was used and not seen any significant resistance. Still using dielectric grease where I want conductivity seems wrong. Hence the Vasoline.
I agree about using non conductive dielectric grease. However the reason is that in 120 volt and higher applications there are no problems with conducting the electricity and keeps corrosion down. Since most of the work electricians do is in the voltage range that is all you see in electrical supply departments and stores. It works fine for that. However for LOW voltage applications where a little corrosion can make a difference with a much higher percentage of a voltage drop conductive grease is really needed! It seems like 12 volt DC automotive electrical applications the wiring is heavy and the voltage is high enough so either one works. I especially prefer the conductive grease on the trailer ground connections because that is a real trouble spot! However I did try it on the 4 pin connector and it seems to work well for me there too.
