Thermal Paste For TFI?

[miamibob]

When replacing a TFI, Motorcraft includes a "paste/gel" to be spread on the backside of the TFI. Was wondering if this is better than Silver Thermal Paste used for computer CPU's/Cooling fans/Heatsinks. I would think the CPU stuff would be better but seeking to tap into the collective experience of my fellow mangs! Thoughts???

P.S. Already have some recent, leftover OCZ Silver CPU Thermal Paste, hence the question.

[pantera77]

Not sure what the Motorcraft TFI's come with but the aftermarket ones always just have dielectric grease. Thermal paste would be much better and is what most guys use.

[miamibob]

They call it "silicone grease" but my guess it is merely dielectric grease. They included the chemical name for it (Di-methypolysiloxane). Now say that three times quickly!!!

[gadget73]

If its clear, its dielectric grease. Nice stuff for spark plug wire boots, or you can put it into the electrical connector but its not a particularly good heat conductor.

[miamibob]

Looks clear but the package is slightly yellowed (not a confidence builder, in itself).

[Toploader]

Jeeze, yellow?.......like the Calamari I ate last night, had dinner at a buds house, new wife....from Bari Italy

Looks clear but the package is slightly yellowed (not a confidence builder, in itself).

[sly]

The BWD from O'Reilly came with thermal grease. Been on the beater since the ECM fried and took the original TFI out with it.

[LithiumCobalt]

I purchased a NOS Motorcraft unit and it didn't come with anything. Went to the Shack and bought a tube of the silver heat sink goop.

[miamibob]

I purchased a NOS Motorcraft unit and it didn't come with anything. Went to the Shack and bought a tube of the silver heat sink goop.

That's about what I have and what I'll use.

[DerekTheGreat]

I went to the computer store and got some of that silver thermal paste stuff for Ashley's TC when I swapped her TFI out. Expensive stuff lol, hope there's a good reason why you're supposed to use that and not dielectric grease. Do they really go bad without it? I put a lot on too...

[LithiumCobalt]

Dielectric grease likely doesn't have any thermal transfer properties like heatsink paste does.

[miamibob]

I went to the computer store and got some of that silver thermal paste stuff for Ashley's TC when I swapped her TFI out. Expensive stuff lol, hope there's a good reason why you're supposed to use that and not dielectric grease. Do they really go bad without it? I put a lot on too...

Ford claims "premature failure" if the stuff they include is not used but my money is on the thermal paste from a computer store.

[slack]

I purchased a NOS Motorcraft unit and it didn't come with anything. Went to the Shack and bought a tube of the silver heat sink goop.

I did the same exact thing. Got a NOS Motorcraft one and went down to Radio shack to get the grease as it didn't have any in the box. It's been over a year now and I haven't had any problems.

[gadget73]

There are other tricks you can employ to get better heat transfer. Finely polishing that mating surface first with a file, and then with finer and finer grades of sandpaper until it looks like a mirror is one. The idea of the thermal goo is to fill in any voids between the back of the module and the distributor. If you mechanically remove the high spots, you can use far less thermal paste and still get a better surface.


Really the way to make sure it doesn't overheat though is to remote mount it. Or just don't worry so much about it. I got well over 200k out of the original on the Mark VII, and its actually still good. The pickup fell apart, but I had already bought the new TFI before I realized what the failure was. I have the original around here somewhere as a spare. And for what its worth, the factory installed TFI module had white residue under it.

[DerekTheGreat]

...The idea of the thermal goo is to fill in any voids between the back of the module and the distributor... ...I got well over 200k out of the original on the Mark VII, and its actually still good. The pickup fell apart, but I had already bought the new TFI before I realized what the failure was. I have the original around here somewhere as a spare. And for what its worth, the factory installed TFI module had white residue under it.

All of the modules I pulled from the yards had that same whitish residue under them. We thought the TFI module was responsible for Ash's long crank times but every time the dizzy came out it got a different module and we ended up with the same result. I'm starting to think those either work or they don't, so we've got about four spares!