salt air corrodes electric window switches -help

My dad has a car in Mexico with electric windows and the salt air gets in the window switches. he's had to replace these switches several times due to corrosion. does anyone have a better idea to solve this problem? I was thinking maybe a marine switch that is waterproof. any ideas or sources for parts would be great. I'm sure he'll have to re-mount anything that isn't original, but that's fine. At least they'll work.

thanks in advance.

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Reply to
alex
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Reply to
William R. Watt

Perhaps you could take apart the switches and coat all the contacts with dielectric grease.

Reply to
James Sweet

Like the others have said, dielectric grease. We have serious salt on our roads and that stuff is the only way to go.

It also works great on sensor plugs and sockets. We were told 3 years ago our TPS was cooked. I cleaned it with a contact cleaner like WD40, then used dielectric grease on the seals of the plug.

Lasted until last summer and had to do it again.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

alex wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

You have to use the original switches. Probably putting on some dielectric grease or the equivalent would do the job. There are also some rust inhibitors used for electrical systems. You would have to research out something that would be available in your area for you. Check with some of the major electrical and automotive suppliers in your area for this type of product.

Reply to
Jerry G.

thanks for the great info on how to fix this problem. I'll send these ideas off to my dad.

thanks again - Alex

Reply to
alex

Vaseline.

I'll bet some fine casseroles that dielectric grease aren't found in Porta Vallarta... uhmm...unless I'm WRONG.

Reply to
Tibur Waltson

Well, maybe there is something like it in the local Wal-Mart. :')

Greetings from _Puerto__ Vallarta.

Reply to
El Meda

They sell it as spark plug boot protector to make removing the boots easy later and it even comes with new plug wire sets so my guess is you are wrong....

I could be wrong, but vaseline is a petroleum grease that does conduct electricity.

Dielectric grease is a silicone based product that does not short out wiring.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Reply to
Mike Romain

*IF* it does conduct, it is very high impedance and won't have any practical (or discernable) effect in a vehicle power window switch (low voltage and high current).
Reply to
Richard Crowley

Hi, Another solution may be to spray the switch with foam spray out of can sealing the whole assembly. Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

That'll just make a big mess, that stuff is nasty.

Reply to
James Sweet

If vaseline gets warm, it has the bad habit of flowing into gaps, becoming a somewhat modest insulator and fouling up the electricals. Dielectric grease is designed not to do this...and is quite widely available particularly in a resort town.

Reply to
L0nD0t.$t0we11

Hi, Better idea. Use RTV silicone sealant. Use gobs of it to seal switch assembly. Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Some of the curing agents in silicone tend to do really really nasty things to electricals. If you are gonna use a silicone sealant, get it from an electronics place, not a car or home improvement store. But then consider just how much of a PITA it will be if you ever need to get into that connector or switch and how much fun it will be if that stuff gets between the contacts and then cures.

The nice thing about dielectric grease is that it tends to stay put, and will politely move out of the way with the slightest contact pressure.

Reply to
L0nD0t.$t0we11

Hi,

12V low curret situation, it's not much of a concern. Tony
Reply to
Tony Hwang

The only way to *completely* protect it would be to seal the button and all. Of course, that would render the switch useless.

OTOH, grease protects the metal surfaces while still alowing them to touch when needed.

Reply to
Richard Crowley

LOL!

Just try to get 12 volts to pass through RTV silicone...

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Reply to
Mike Romain

I will use dielectric, it's cheaper even.

Vaseline also flows at very low temps and the OP mentioned a warm climate.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Reply to
Mike Romain

Well, the problem with sealing like that is that eventually it will fail. Then it serves to keep moisture in, rather than out. Stuff that remains gooey has the advantage that it will tend to heal itself, or at least to do no harm.

Reply to
Stephen H. Westin

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