Need some help - CBAngler.com - Chesapeake Bay Angler

5th Tuition · #1 08-12-2010, 09:28 PM

Not a lot of activity on the board so let me ask this question here instead of a different forum.

My navigation lights (both red and green) do the same thing. The bulbs last for a short while (couple hours) then stop working. The filiment doesn't blow!! It's almost like a contact problem. They are "festoon" bulbs. They have a contact on the top and the bottom. It's like corrosion of some sort keeps from making good contact.
My main question is can I use some type of "electrical" grease (looks like white vasoline) and put just a light coating on the top and bottom of the bulb to improve the connection?
I don't use them very often, so they may go unused for a month, then I turn them on and they work fine. But use them for several hours, and one or both of them stop working.
If I put in a new bulb, they work fine again.
I've tried sandpapering the little "donut" contacts, but it still occurs. It's such a pain, that if I see some LED nav. lights that would fit my bow; I might just switch them out when available.
I hope I explained it well enough for a response

.
5th (Marty)

PhilK999 · #2 08-12-2010, 09:33 PM

Marty, I was having a similar problem and did the marine electrical lube I got at the marina and I have not replaced a lamp ina year and was doing on a regular basis before I did that.

Skip · #3 08-12-2010, 09:38 PM

I think what you are looking for is called dielectric grease.
Home Depot carries it.

Odd it happens after the bulb has been on for some time.
Almost sounds like the metal is getting hot and expanding slightly - just enough to lose contact. Might be worth trying to very gently bend the contact upwards for a better contact.

PhilK999 · #4 08-12-2010, 09:41 PM

Skip used the right term. That is what worked for me, I just couldn't engage the brain to come up with the name.

5th Tuition · #5 08-12-2010, 10:22 PM

Phil; that's great to hear that your problem was corrected with the grease. Skip, thanks for the proper name (I couldn't think of it either). I know they applied some to my trailer connection (coupler) last time the trailer was serviced.

I'll hit home depot tomorrow to buy some

.

5th (Marty)

Night Nurse · #6 08-12-2010, 11:02 PM

That reminded me to do the same with my lights. Had the same problem several years back and only now did I lose the bulb. Quick trip to the hardware store for me.

TED

Spot77 · #7 08-13-2010, 09:23 AM

Marty you mentioned that it looks like some type of corrosion getting on the bulb.

Is it kind of a greenish/blue corrosion like you see around a battery terminal?

oldfart · #8 08-13-2010, 09:30 AM

If the grease doesn't cure it, it might be a heat problem. Trace back to the 1st splice and check for corrosion which will cause a resistance in the wire. As the resistance increases with heat, the the voltage will be dropped across the splice and not the lamp. Does the lamp slowly get dimmer or does it just turn off. That might give you a clue to the problem

5th Tuition · #9 08-13-2010, 10:45 AM

Old Fart; once the bulb goes out; it stays out. If I let it cool down and try the next day, it still is out. I swear, it's almost like a thin film of some kind forms to interupt the connection. I wish the bulbs would blow; it would be easier to diagnose. I hope the grease helps form a more consistant contact and takes care of the problem.
It has gotten to the point where if I go out to fish the evening bite, I go out about an hour before dark, fish until about an hour/hour and a half after dark, turn my running lights on for the trip back to the dock (20 min.) and I can count on the bulb to last maybe two or three trips; total an hour for the bulb. One or both will need replacing after three trips. And both sides (I have a seperate red and green) act the same.
It's not that bad to change the bulb, but I hate it when one dies on the run home and I have to worry about DNR police.
Several years ago, my mechanic even checked the motor to make sure it was putting out the proper voltage. It's been a minor problem for a long time.
5th (Marty)

oldfart · #10 08-13-2010, 11:31 AM

have you tried taking it out and puting the same bulb back in? Both bulbs work off a single power feed so it's not like a separate feed like on turn signals. Can you get to it to put a meter on it, can you pull the lense and tap the bulb, being that it is both bulbs makes me think its a problem in the wiring and not the sockets.