Which grease for plastic gears?

[David Paste]

I have a need to re-grease plastic gears in old CD players, etc. I have some "silicone lubricant" which seems very thin and really seems to be for bedroom antics than anything shed based.

I have a pot of moly grease (don't get it on the settee) and lithium grease (sort of beige coloured) but I don't think these would be suitable because AFAIU they are made with such ingredients that will destroy the plastic gears.

I do not know much about grease.

Please can any one recommend a suitable (thick, not runny) grease which is compatible with plastic?

Thanks in advance.

[Animal]

There's a red one that's ok on plastic. Just buy some.

[John Rumm]

CPC do 50g tubes of a viscous silicone grease.

(electrolube do similar tubes)

[Clive Arthur]

1+

I once took a motorised wing mirror apart to find plastic worm gears smothered in what I'm sure was silicone grease.

[David Paste]

I bet that wasn't a mk4 mondeo. Sigh.

Thanks all, I got the silicone grease.

[Brian Gaff]

The main thing in plastic gears is to clean off all the old now very sticky stuff that has that over time. After that I have found tat a tiny amount of what we used to call sewing machine oil works a treat. Keep it away from belts though, as the most annoying thing is that these slip and won't let the discs out. I have also encountered unrepairable loading mechanisms where teeth are actually missing from a gear wheel due to the limit switches not working or being in the wrong alignment, Are you listening Goodman's, so in my view its the removal of the old grease and reassembling that is often the most difficult part, if you use thin oil it seldom causes an issue. Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. The kind of whitish KY gel lookalike is a must have for D-I-Y - all plasics that need lube will do well on it

[Animal]

sewing machine oil has destroyed many plastic geared machines. Some plastics swell over time & fail.