Eurolight conversion adaptations

[Huw Powell]

> Be aware of a downside to silicone based goo, paste, sealers, 
> cleaners and the like.

> When I discovered this stuff I used it on every contact until... 
> turning the key did not start the car; everything looked liked bad 
> battery; wiped out this stuff from battery terminal, connected it 
> back and - vuala, car started easily.

> Properly used dielectric grease is great. I use it to "isolate"
> electrical contacts, not to try to make them better.

To avoid being taken too far out of context, let me try to clear 
up/restate where I was coming from here.

My recomendation was to use the silicon to seal the various fittings to 
the headlight assembly to exclude moisture.

Overall, the electrical connection prescription kit consists of at least 
three concoctions, and two or three varieties of "tool."

You should have a decent electrical contact cleaner on hand - the 
non-flammable ones are the best, of course.  Do't ask me how I know.

The silicon dielectric goo is mostly for sealing the physical parts of 
the connection (ie, boots and such), but to do this it often gets all 
over the electrical connectors, too.  In six (or more?) years of 
slathering the stuff all over everywhere I've not seen one problem.

A can of battery terminal corrosion prevention paint is also very nice, 
works well also for starter and alternator (high current) connections.

In addition to the simple chemical cleaner spray, which won't really do 
a lot on its own other than prepare "wipe clean" connections prior to 
reattachment (likewise, it can clean switch contacts), you need a small 
arsenal of physical cleaners: vey fine crocus cloth, emery cloth, small 
and big and light and coarse wire brushes (mostly small and light for 
electrical, of course, big and coarse for plow parts!), and a battery 
terminal cleaner/scraper.

As far as Audi positive battery terminals, I am singularly unimpressed 
with many of them (old ones, that is, 1980's Audis...).  I don't like 
the folded over stamped metal ones that deform and get ugly.  I prefer 
the big heavy lead ones you can clean properly and give you a good 
square inch or so of contact area no matter what.  Any goo that ends up 
in there should get squeezed out when tightened (so there's not much 
point to it).

I've been driving Audis from the 80's for almost 20 years now (! wow, I 
feel old...) and the one singular greatest problem they have is lousy 
electrical connections.  The last electrical connection problem my 1982 
coupe had was six or seven years ago when the parking light connections 
at the fusebox melted.  So I guess, somewhere in my regimen there must 
be something useful.

Of course, I also keep my engine compartments ridiculously clean in case 
I get hungry, and treat these old cars to lots of new parts, before the 
old ones die on me.  That makes it easy to reclean and such before the 
old cleaning "wears off."

Bottom line?  I guess it is to use the appropriate chemicals and tools 
for the appropriate part of the job, and that there will *always* be 
different schools of thought, different experiences, etc., so go with 
what works for you.

On my fourth tube of silicon dielectric grease, though...

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/