Lubricating Electrical Automotive Switches, Contacts, etc.?

[Artfuldodger]

Not just automotive but any electrical component that has a few contacts and moving mechanical parts.
I pulled an old turn signal switch off a donor car and sprayed some contact cleaner in it. I know they make specialty switch lubricants but would WD-40 work?

Also something I else I thought of was I once sprayed some contact cleaner in some guitar amplifier pots and it messed them up. I do know that these are more prone to strong cleaners so on some components it might be better not to even use contact cleaner. If one does make sure it says "safe for plastics."
One good product for those is DeOxtIt.

Some electrical components do need lubricating and others don't.

 

[The Original Rooster]

I learned a valuable lesson about dielectric grease and coax cable connections. Make sure the grease stays only on the threads of the connector and don't let any get on the copper conductor in the middle. With low voltage signal connections like that, that little bit of grease is enough to cause signal strength problems. Once I cleaned it up, my signal strength problems were solved.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Ideally dielectric grease will provide a non-conductive and waterproof layer around electronic or otherwise normally c
Electrically conductive components.

There has been dubious real world results pertaining to spark plug use of dielectric grease but in my experience it does more good than harm.

It is also very good for underground direct burial wiring connections for irrigation systems and there are special connectors pre-packed with dielectric for this purpose.

As far as other moving mechanical parts, dielectric would be an inferior choice compared to many other options. It’s primary use is in non-moving, but maybe slightly vibrating, electrical parts