cleaning 7-pin receiver connector on truck

[Omrod]

I keep getting "Trailer Connected" message in my truck, I was guessing the pins were somewhat corroded. I have sprayed dielectric spray and I do not want to short out anything by using a metal brush.
So what is the best way to clean the receiver on my truck?
I tried doing a search and came up with nothing. Thanks for any help!

[mdcamping]

mdcamping wrote:
I've used a pocket screwdriver and scratch up the terminals

Mike

well I had to take my own advice. Just returned from a trip to NY, anyway when I was pulling into the campground noticed the trailer controller read NC. Put my hand on the plug which felt very warm, tried plugging & unplugging several times and no luck. So after setting up camp I then dug into my tool bucket and pulled out the small screwfriver and did what I have done in the past. I also found that works well is the file like teeth on my needle nose pliers, worked great on the male connections. I was back in Business!

Been awhile since I cleaned the terminals as it was overdue :C

Mike

[JRscooby]

Gdetrailer wrote:

JRscooby wrote:


I'm not much smarter than a box of rocks, but have used Dielectric grease on hundreds of light cords for millions of miles for decades. And sense I started, the only issue I have had is careless handling. Start with tight, clean connections. A little of the grease about every 10-20 unhooks. I assume that like any grease, it will keep moisture, therefore corrosion off the contacts. And because it is non-conductive, I do not need to worry about it causing short circuits.

In the case that is "working" for you, basically you are depending on the contact springs to be strong enough to displace enough of the dielectric grease from the contact surface to make a electrical connection.

Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.

The metal to metal contact is all that will carry the current, even if nothing is used. And the odds the friction of connecting will scrape off the grease is much higher than it will remove enough of any corrosion

Whatever contact is being made is compromised electrically and adding needless resistance to the equation.

Any corrosion will also compromise the contact. And it will also reduce the spring pressure. Cleaning likely will restore contact, but every time a abrasive is used, there is less metal, weaker contact.

The proper tool is two of the greases I mentioned (Oxgard or No-Alox) and you just apply that to the contact surfaces only, it will not run or creep and it is specifically made for doing the exact thing you want which is to keep moisture away from the contact surfaces.

There is 2 things that can go wrong when you plug in the light cord. Bad contact, and just as bad if not worse, contact between the conductors, or a short.
When mine is covered with dielectric grease, I plug in, the contacts slide on each other, the grease will stack up in bottom of socket. I would be willing to bet the magic you recommend will do the same thing. But, and to me a big but, the dielectric, being non-conductive, will not cause a short.

I would add that your recommendation would likely reduce problems in something like a crimp connection, where the fit tightens after the wire is in place.

[dedmiston]

I have no dog in this hunt, but I've definitely learned over the years to beware of anyone telling you how wrong you are.

That level of hubris doesn't typically pan out.

[PA12DRVR]

"Interesting comments. I surf other forums and dielectric grease was always recommended as the solution for this problem. I can tell you only from my experience, since using the grease, I have this error less than I did using a dry connection. I will continue to use it even if it is the wrong product, only because it works. Thanks for the definitions and experience from electricians and electronic techs."

My experience as well. The emery board, sandpaper, etc probably helped, but after doing that AND applying the dielectric grease, the repeated "trailer disconnected / trailer connected" cycle went away and has been gone for 2+ years now vs. the usual 1-2 weeks after using ONLY the emery board / sandpaper / wire file solution.

[Thermoguy]

Interesting comments. I surf other forums and dielectric grease was always recommended as the solution for this problem. I can tell you only from my experience, since using the grease, I have this error less than I did using a dry connection. I will continue to use it even if it is the wrong product, only because it works. Thanks for the definitions and experience from electricians and electronic techs.

[Gdetrailer]

agesilaus wrote:
Hmmm...that is new info for me, I saw one of the electrical guru's advocating it's use on these connectors and just assumed (yes I know) that he knew what he was talking about. A tiny amount on the end of the truck end connector certainly abolished the lost connection messages for the next couple hookups.

Not all electrical gurus understand what "dielectric" means.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition Link

"
dielectric noun

di·?elec·?tric? di-?-'lek-trik

: a nonconductor of direct electric current"


Now, ask a Electronics Tech (like myself) that is familiar with the way capacitors are made and they (like myself) will tell you that a dielectric (electrical insulating) material is placed between two conductive plates which forms a capacitor...

Electrical leakage through the capacitor's dielectric insulation means that cap is shot and needs replaced..

Rather than depending on a grease or spray to fix intermittent electrical connections, it is best to simply scrape or sand all tarnish from the contact surface.. Small pocket knife blade, small flat blade screw driver, sandpaper folded over a few times or even a Emery board cut to fit in the contacts.

If it is shiny, it will work, anything else less than shiny and all bets are off.

I run my trailer connections 100% dry, no grease, no sprays. I take a piece of sandpaper folded over a few times and burnish the contacts till shiny.

Then insert plug into socket and I wiggle the socket a few times, any grit from the sandpaper leftover from the will help clean the socket contacts..

[agesilaus]

n the case that is "working" for you, basically you are depending on the contact springs to be strong enough to displace enough of the dielectric grease from the contact surface to make a electrical connection.

When I said tiny I meant very small a blob about 1/8 in by 3/16 in on the end of the contacts. Not enough to travel down the metal blade

[Gdetrailer]

JRscooby wrote:


I'm not much smarter than a box of rocks, but have used Dielectric grease on hundreds of light cords for millions of miles for decades. And sense I started, the only issue I have had is careless handling. Start with tight, clean connections. A little of the grease about every 10-20 unhooks. I assume that like any grease, it will keep moisture, therefore corrosion off the contacts. And because it is non-conductive, I do not need to worry about it causing short circuits.

In the case that is "working" for you, basically you are depending on the contact springs to be strong enough to displace enough of the dielectric grease from the contact surface to make a electrical connection.

Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.

Whatever contact is being made is compromised electrically and adding needless resistance to the equation.

I am just trying to correct the old wives tales that dielectric grease is a magical cure all for everything electrical.

It isn't.

It isn't the proper tool to use if the goal is to get the best electrical contact.

Dielectric grease as mentioned on the website I linked typical uses are for preventing electrical "leakage" in high voltage situations like your spark plug boots and distributor boots.

The proper tool is two of the greases I mentioned (Oxgard or No-Alox) and you just apply that to the contact surfaces only, it will not run or creep and it is specifically made for doing the exact thing you want which is to keep moisture away from the contact surfaces.

[mdcamping]

I've used a pocket screwdriver and scratch up the terminals

Mike

[dodge_guy]

As cheap as the plug is, just buy a new one.
Also check to see if you have some debris in the trailer end. I had sand get in mine and it stopped any connection to the contacts (dropped it in the sand by accident).

Dielectric grease is to keep corrosion from happening, it does nothing after the fact.

[agesilaus]

Hmmm...that is new info for me, I saw one of the electrical guru's advocating it's use on these connectors and just assumed (yes I know) that he knew what he was talking about. A tiny amount on the end of the truck end connector certainly abolished the lost connection messages for the next couple hookups.

[JRscooby]

Gdetrailer wrote:

Thermoguy wrote:

Dielectric grease has been the best fix, but not always.

NO, wrong application for dielectric grease.

Dielectric grease is a Silicone grease made of liquid Silicon and a thickener.

Silicon IS a NON-CONDUCTIVE ELECTRICAL INSULATOR..

See HERE

Highlights from website link..

"Dielectric grease assists in preventing arcing between electrical parts.

Dielectric grease is also known as tune-up grease. It is a silicone-based and non-conductive type of grease to protect electrical connectors from corrosion, moisture, and dirt.

It disrupts electric currents’ flow, thus making it ideal for sealing and lubricating rubber parts of electric connectors.

Ensure that the grease does not touch the path of electrical currents or where parts are connecting. This is because the grease is an insulator, and it disrupts the flow of currents. Therefore, it is recommended to use dielectric grease on surfaces of electrical parts where the currents are not passing.

When using dielectric grease for an automotive tune-up on a diesel or gasoline engine, start by applying a little grease at the end of a spark plug wire’s rubber boot and spread it only to cover the inside lip. This prevents high voltage electricity from flowing to the boot and leaking from the engine block. It also makes it less difficult to put the boot over the ceramic insulator. It creates a watertight seal around the spark plug, protecting the connection from dirt and water.

The other great use of dielectric grease is on gaskets of multi-pin connectors or rubber mating surfaces in the truck and automotive engines. In this application, it acts as a sealant and lubricant of the connector’s non-conductive mating surfaces. However, it is not advisable to use the grease on the connector’s actual electrical conductive contacts.

Cons of Dielectric Grease

Although dielectric grease is beneficial, it can also be detrimental when applied incorrectly. The grease is non-conductive; thus, when used incorrectly, it can prevent current flow. If you fail to clean the conductor’s contact points after applying the dielectric grease, the current will not pass through.

"

There is special grease made specifically for electrical contacts, it is sold as OxGard or No-Alox which are designed to prevent corrosion from moisture. Those types of grease you only apply to the contact surfaces as it does allow for electrical conduction but seals moisture which causes corrosion of the contacts away from the contact surfaces. These greases were developed to help allow Aluminum to copper wiring interfaces to coexist..

BUT, to make this work properly, the contacts surfaces must be 100% corrosion free which means you must use some elbow grease, muscle and sandpaper to shine the contact surfaces clean of any corrosion.

I'm not much smarter than a box of rocks, but have used Dielectric grease on hundreds of light cords for millions of miles for decades. And sense I started, the only issue I have had is careless handling. Start with tight, clean connections. A little of the grease about every 10-20 unhooks. I assume that like any grease, it will keep moisture, therefore corrosion off the contacts. And because it is non-conductive, I do not need to worry about it causing short circuits.

[Gdetrailer]

Thermoguy wrote:

Dielectric grease has been the best fix, but not always.

NO, wrong application for dielectric grease.

Dielectric grease is a Silicone grease made of liquid Silicon and a thickener.

Silicon IS a NON-CONDUCTIVE ELECTRICAL INSULATOR..

See HERE

Highlights from website link..

"Dielectric grease assists in preventing arcing between electrical parts.

Dielectric grease is also known as tune-up grease. It is a silicone-based and non-conductive type of grease to protect electrical connectors from corrosion, moisture, and dirt.

It disrupts electric currents’ flow, thus making it ideal for sealing and lubricating rubber parts of electric connectors.

Ensure that the grease does not touch the path of electrical currents or where parts are connecting. This is because the grease is an insulator, and it disrupts the flow of currents. Therefore, it is recommended to use dielectric grease on surfaces of electrical parts where the currents are not passing.

When using dielectric grease for an automotive tune-up on a diesel or gasoline engine, start by applying a little grease at the end of a spark plug wire’s rubber boot and spread it only to cover the inside lip. This prevents high voltage electricity from flowing to the boot and leaking from the engine block. It also makes it less difficult to put the boot over the ceramic insulator. It creates a watertight seal around the spark plug, protecting the connection from dirt and water.

The other great use of dielectric grease is on gaskets of multi-pin connectors or rubber mating surfaces in the truck and automotive engines. In this application, it acts as a sealant and lubricant of the connector’s non-conductive mating surfaces. However, it is not advisable to use the grease on the connector’s actual electrical conductive contacts.

Cons of Dielectric Grease

Although dielectric grease is beneficial, it can also be detrimental when applied incorrectly. The grease is non-conductive; thus, when used incorrectly, it can prevent current flow. If you fail to clean the conductor’s contact points after applying the dielectric grease, the current will not pass through.

"

There is special grease made specifically for electrical contacts, it is sold as OxGard or No-Alox which are designed to prevent corrosion from moisture. Those types of grease you only apply to the contact surfaces as it does allow for electrical conduction but seals moisture which causes corrosion of the contacts away from the contact surfaces. These greases were developed to help allow Aluminum to copper wiring interfaces to coexist..

BUT, to make this work properly, the contacts surfaces must be 100% corrosion free which means you must use some elbow grease, muscle and sandpaper to shine the contact surfaces clean of any corrosion.

[Thermoguy]

Omrod wrote:
Thanks for the replies. What happens is . . . I'm traveling down the road, pulling my camper I and get: ding, ding, ding and a message saying "Trailer Connected". I dismiss the message and a little while later it does it again. It gets annoying after a while. My battery is fine no corrosion there and it doesn't look real corroded inside the plug. I was hoping there was "magic" spray with baking soda or something.

I'm guessing you have a GM Truck of some sort... I have seen that message.

I have tried unplugging and plugging back in. Sometimes works for the rest of the trip. Dielectric grease has been the best fix, but not always. I have also had to have the steering stabilizer sensor changed out twice now. That was the most recent fix. Nothing else worked and it is a real PIA... Also, when that happens, you lose your trailer brakes, so drive carefully.