Thread: OVP Relay
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Old 12-06-2008, 11:22 AM
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babymog babymog is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northeast Indiana
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You might be successful, but might not. Often times a dry-contact relay such as these are don't do well with low-amperage loads, a very light corrosion will cause high-resistance contact and thus problems with the voltage output. Cleaning these contacts is also a mixed-success story as you don't want to leave any scratches in the surfaces, nor uneven contact or they will quickly fail again. Some are plated, once the plating is worn through, sanded through, etc. the relay will not be viable. Last, using pretty much any commercial sandpaper can leave deposits from the sandpaper (often an oxide such as aluminum oxide) which will create high-resistance and be a seed for a fresh round of electro-galvanic corrosion on the contact surface.

I hate to say it as I've "repaired" so many low-current dry-contact switches and relays with so many methods and materials, but I've never been successful in making it reliable and long-lasting. I just "bite the bullet" and order new. The OVP is such a common failure item in the '80s and '90s Mercedes with several intermittant symptoms, it is prudent IMO to just buy a new one even if your repair seems to be working.
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