Stop using dielectric grease on cannon plugs ARINC 600 connectors

I saw three guys at the MRO in DFW last month slathering dielectric grease on ARINC 600 connector pins thinking it prevents corrosion. It actually traps moisture and causes intermittent signal loss. Has anyone else had to re-pin a whole tray because of this?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_grant414d ago

Yeah, we had a whole batch of ARINC 600 trays come back from line maintenance at ORD last winter, all with that greasy mess inside. Ended up having to pull every pin, clean them with isopropyl, and re-terminate a bunch that had already started corroding under the grease. Did you ever find out if the manufacturer has a better sealant for those shell interfaces?

jadej5014d ago

Wait, you had to pull every single pin? That's insane. I feel like the moment you find congealed grease in an ARINC tray you might as well write the whole thing off. Did they at least let you drink some of that isopropyl after you were done? I figured those trays would just get swapped out instead of having some poor tech do pin-by-pin cleaning in the middle of winter at O'Hare. Sounds like a maintenance nightmare that should've been a warranty claim.

angelarivera14d ago

Did the grease manufaturers ever test their stuff on those pins or just assume it was safe?