For those that do Great......

[FrogHat]

But for those of you who don't use the Noalox which is recommended by the Troubleshooting guide for the Protege and the Prodigy.

I strongly suggest you do, it has made unscrewing the end cap and the adapter a breeze.

I was unable to find the exact Noalox that the guide suggested, but did find a Anti Oxidant Lubricant quite similar. Actually it had all the same properties.

The sooner you start using this product you will find that the possibility of cross-threaded will be reduced immensely.

This product acts like "Anti Seize" and is found in the electrical section of most hardware stores. You may get lucky and find the exact one that's in the guide, I was not that fortunate.

But using nothing will only diminish the thread life of these products.

That's my take anyway.

Hope this helps.

 

[quasimod]

DICKW is 100% correct. All aluminum oxidizes, and this will cause pitting and eventually the threads will seize up.

+1 for the Noalox, it needs to be used regularly on all of the aluminum threads on any mod. It's an "anti-galling compound" with particles of zinc that will clean existing oxidization. Work it into the threads with a Q-tip or something. Then work the threads back and forth several times. Wipe most of the goo off with a paper towel or something, so it doesn't get all over your clothes. I like to leave a little down deep in the threads, because it acts as a lubricant and makes the thread action nicer. Now, you're good to go for a week or two.

The .05 oz tube is plenty, and it looks like this:

I got the 4 oz. tube (because I didn't know what I was doing), so I'm probably set for life.

I get mine from Lowe's.



It's in the electrical section, right next to the "wire lube", or "wire pulling lubricant". I mention this, because the store employees have probably never heard of "anti-galling compound", but they likely know where the wire lube is, so ask for that then look around.

 

[Debbie]

I got mine on Amazon. The local hardware store had never heard of it.

Debbie

 

[me2cyclops]

I believe the threads are in stainless not AL ...the contacts in the mech switch are AL and need deox .
it won't hurt the stainless to use it for a thread lube but they don't corrode like that

OJ and if you can find "NSI" brand DEOX it will wash off your hands much easier than that IDEAL cr@p

 

[New_World]

what the cheapest place to buy it online.

I gotta get me some of this!


EDIT:
I just bought from lowes as said above.

they had free shipping. $6 total for 4oz.
i spent a little more to get the bigger bottle.

i wonder if they ship UPS or USPS or Fedex

 

[quasimod]

I believe the threads are in stainless not AL
[...]

Yeah, I was talking about aluminum threads and mods in general.

[...]
if you can find "NSI" brand DEOX it will wash off your hands much easier than that IDEAL cr@p

Is there another reason it is better? I've never seen it.

 

[New_World]

is it safe to use on end of adapater? (where the atty screws in?)
(i don't want to inhale this stuff.)

also i use brasso on contact points to keep the connections clean.

 

[quasimod]

It's for aluminum.

 

[New_World]

can you also use this on your car battery cables?

I've had to clean mine before b/c the connection was corroded and my battery quit.
I just brushed the ends off with a wire brush and it worked but this might be a better solution.

 

[rfw2003]

can you also use this on your car battery cables?

I've had to clean mine before b/c the connection was corroded and my battery quit.
I just brushed the ends off with a wire brush and it worked but this might be a better solution.

It doesn't say if it's compatible with lead on the bottle New_World.

 

[quasimod]

can you also use this on your car battery cables?

I've had to clean mine before b/c the connection was corroded and my battery quit.
I just brushed the ends off with a wire brush and it worked but this might be a better solution.

You can go to Auto Zone or somewhere and pick up a can of battery cleaner/protector that is made specifically for that use. Noalox is made for aluminum.

 

[me2cyclops]

nolox, deox and others do the same thing . they just keep the AL coated so it doesn't oxidize as fast
I have been an electrician for .....over 20 years and have not seen any performance difference from any brand
however nolox will stain clothing and make your hands sticky
deox washes out easy
(makes life easier when you use 2 gallons a month and are not very graceful)

 

[FrogHat]

I have been an electrician for .....over 20 years

No problems with your switches huh...


I had to make a funny....sorry.

 

[quasimod]

While searching for that other anti-galling compound me2cyclops mentioned, I found this article (it's a .pdf file, sorry). Turns out that under certain circumstances an anti-galling compound is recommended for stainless steel. These circumstances include high-speed fastening of stainless nuts and bolts, and aircraft engines. This is totally irrelevant to PV's, so you don't need to rush around slathering all of your stainless doo-dads and gizmos with it, I just wanted to be precise.

They also use something similar on titanium and copper. So it's NOT just "for aluminum", as I erroneously stated. My bad.

It's also interesting (to me, maybe not to anyone else) that stainless is less likely to gall if the parts are two different grades of steel.

 

[quasimod]

[...]
(makes life easier when you use 2 gallons a month and are not very graceful)

Now I understand your antipathy for Noalox (it just seemed odd to me at first that anyone would have strong feelings about an anti-galling compound).

 

[New_World]

While searching for that other anti-galling compound me2cyclops mentioned, I found this article (it's a .pdf file, sorry). Turns out that under certain circumstances an anti-galling compound is recommended for stainless steel. These circumstances include high-speed fastening of stainless nuts and bolts, and aircraft engines. This is totally irrelevant to PV's, so you don't need to rush around slathering all of your stainless doo-dads and gizmos with it, I just wanted to be precise.

They also use something similar on titanium and copper. So it's NOT just "for aluminum", as I erroneously stated. My bad.

It's also interesting (to me, maybe not to anyone else) that stainless is less likely to gall if the parts are two different grades of steel.

thanks for the info.

I do think thats interesting to know as well!

 

[New_World]

update. it works great!

thanks for the posts and thread