DIY fix for loose electrical connection

[bobdbilder]

I came about this accidentally. My car had a problem which caused the engine to run on 3 cylinders instead of the normal four. After a few days of trying to identify the problem, I found out that it was because of an ignition module which had a loose connector. This module fires up two spark plugs.



The connector looks like this.



Since I am broke, 48 year old without a permanent job sending it to a mechanic was not an option. So I had to fix this on my own. I had some Thermal Paste for my PC which I had bought recently. This was used as a thermal conductor from the Processor to the Heat SInk. I was thinking if it could transfer heat, it could transfer electricity. I used this to fill the holes on the female connector. And it works even though I was wrong.



I found later that the thermal paste is a dielectric compound. It contains Aluminium Oxide as a cheaper alternative to most Thermal Pastes. Dielectric compounds are used in the making of Capacitors. It does not conduct electricity but rather stores energy or electrical magnetic waves. Basically, the gaps of the connector filled with this material acts as a small capacitor.

If you are on a budget this would be a good fix as long as the paste holds up. Sometime down the road, its going to dry up and you need to add more paste. But if you have the cash, do get it replaced, it saves a whole lot of trouble for the next 5 years or so.