Guest Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Hey Guys... Yesterday after pickin up my '71 from the mechanic (he adjusted my brake job), my driver told me of a brakelight that was out.. So today I pull the lens off and what do I find? A gooey mess of unidentifiable stuff. Coule someone ID this stuff and tell me why it's there and why I also found it when I replaced the bulbs in the parking lamps in front (under the headlights). The Left and Middle have the goo, the Right has some goo inside of a corroded socket. Below are links to the images. I'm headed to buy 6 new bulbs to redo the tail end and clean up this mess with electric cleaner, hopefully one of ya'll will be able to ID this crap for me. Hopefully I'm supposed to get rid of it..<P>Any and all help is appreciated!<P>Scott<P><A HREF="http://cyberbuick.servebeer.com/~omstauf/taillight/left.jpg" TARGET=_blank>Left Bulb</A><BR><A HREF="http://cyberbuick.servebeer.com/~omstauf/taillight/middle.jpg" TARGET=_blank>Middle Bulb</A><BR><A HREF="http://cyberbuick.servebeer.com/~omstauf/taillight/right.jpg" TARGET=_blank>Right Bulb</A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skyking Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Scott, I can't exactly identify what your gooey mess is but I know some people put grease on the ends of bulbs to stop corrosion. Maybe someone used some other agent to try stopping corrosion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 Betcha it's white lithium grease. Bad choice for lubin up the electric! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scott mich bca # 6619 Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 I've seen it at Sears Hardware. It is "bulb lube" !<P>It looks like white grease. I have seen it on newer cars.<P>It must keep the moisture out of the socket and improve conductivity.<P>Scott Mich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AWBE Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 I always called it buned-out-bulb goo!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 "Bulb Lube" I can sorta buy (not literally of course).. White Grease? It's brown to dark brown and sticky as heck.. Or is the 'White' part not the color? The idea that it was put there knowingly by someone amazes me in the first place. They must of thought, "Hey, lets fill the Grand Canyon!" <P>There is quite a bit in the left and middle, but looks like someone got carried away inside the right one (which is corroded, Hrmmmm) as it's full of the stuff. Tomorrow (since I lost daylight today) I plan on redo'ing the tail-lights.. Removal of all (well, i try) brown icky goo, and possibly use a bit of dielectric grease on the metal bits.<P>Here's another question for ya.. Why would they corrode in the first place?<P>Thanks Guys!<P>Scott<P>p.s. I 'hate' broken bulbs, I can't imaging trying to remove one from this icky crap even if I had a small potato.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 There is a "grease" that GM has been using in production for quite some time. Many of the replacement sockets are packed with it in them. Many of the bulbs that are removed (for whatever reason) within a few years of production (in recent history) typically have it. It appears to be a thick, lithium-type grease that is yellowish/brownish in color.<P>I initially suspected it had something to do with corrosion resistance (as we usually saw it on rear sockets and bulbs) but later determined that it could well be there to aid in heat transfer to the socket and its mounting area. This way, the heat the bulb produces is spread more evenly instead of being concentrated with the locating pins and contacts. As the mounting areas and sockets become lighter in weight and construction, the heat transfer issue could be more of an issue than in the past when sockets and such were more substantial.<P>For some reason, we're not seeing it being used as much now as it was in the '80s and '90s. I have seen the "bulb lube" at the store, but I suspect it's more along the lines of the thick, dielectric silicone that goes inside the spark plug boots. <P>You can also use the dielectric silicone to coat anything rubber that might squeak (i.e., hood bumpers, weatherstrip) in addition to its original spark plug wire uses. It's thick-bodied, opaquely clear, and a little bit goes a long way. Motorcraft was one of the first sellers in the later 1970s and others now sell it in smaller amounts.<P>Whatever "goo" you found could be something that someone read about in some "tips" or something. Might not hurt to clean the socket out and "relube" it?<P>Enjoy!<BR>NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 I had the same stuff on my Skylark and Century. I think it is dieletric grease like what they use to lub points. Brown and very sticky stuff after being cooked for 15-20 years. Does stop the socket from coroding though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Chapman Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 JPC nailed it right on.<BR>Clean it up with mineral spirits or electrical contact cleaner. You can buy more at NAPA or, if they don't have it one of the local Porshe/European exotics store will have it. Properly used, it will save electrical components from corrosion caused by electrical flow between dissimilar metals (dielectric?) and common old moisture.<P>JMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSMAG Posted June 26, 2002 Share Posted June 26, 2002 SCott,<P>I've had several Skylark/GS cars from that era and they ALL had that stuff in the sockets. Even the '70 convertible has it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2002 Share Posted June 27, 2002 Probably "Dielectric" Being in the Auto-Electric business,I recpmmend it. It keeps down corrosion. It is WONDERFUL for trailer hook-up connectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 28, 2002 Share Posted June 28, 2002 Have you heard of blinker fluid? It lubricates the Johnson rod which rides on the muffler bearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 28, 2002 Share Posted June 28, 2002 Dont drink any more of it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 28, 2002 Share Posted June 28, 2002 Tom, you're confussing me with a woman being shystered at a local mechanic.. <BR> <BR>Today I 'finally' had some time to pop both lenses off and clean up this horrible mess. I used Craig DeoxIT which worked pretty descent with q-tips. I put new bulb in w/o anything but some extra deoxit. I'll put some dielectric grease in there when I get some for good measure.<P>Thanks All!<P>Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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