What to use to prevent galvanic corrosion (electrolysis) between al and stainless?

[scooper77515]

Boats tend to use stainless bolts in aluminum holes, and over time, they create a voltage and slowly "weld" themselves together.

What is good to use as a lube/separator/insulator between the two materials to keep this corrosion from seizing up your bolts?

Most boat people say NO to anti-seizing compound because many of them have metal in them. So, if not that, then what?

 

[El Toro 33809]

The Seadoo service/shop manuals are very specific about what compound to use where. The parts catalogs show the products as well. Have you referred to either of those for your specific application?

 

[scooper77515]

On this specific part, a hydraulic hose going into an aluminum manifold (splitting a single out and single in to dual out, dual in) they don't recommend anything. There are small o-rings, and all they are worried about is leakage of the fluid.

I am more worried about how difficult it will be to change the hydraulic hoses the next time I need to swap them out, and how much more I will need to spend on the damaged parts ruined while taking it all apart.

I have used Permatex Anti-seize in the past on all my stainless-to-aluminum fasteners on my seadoos, and at this point, I guess I will continue on my glastron.

The boating guys say the AS compound has metal in it, and will draw a current actually quickening the galvanic corrosion process, but I have applied a current to a minuscule amount, and there was to transfer. In fact, I couldn't get a reading on my probes until I scraped them together inside the compound until they were clean metal-to-metal, and even then, it was a weak and obstructed flow.

 

[Coastiejoe]

One thing you can do I would think,,,

Is get some sort of a sleeve or hose that fits over the hydrolic house itself. Install it all and put a fair amount of Permatex around the fitting, slide the sleeve/hose down over where the fitting is and wipe off excess Permatex. I think this would at least prolong your galvanic concerns.