Seriously, if I did not have a lifetime supply of all manner of Wakefield compound equivalents, I'd grab a tube of Desitin. Then place an on-line order.

Before Wakefield Compound was marketed, most heat sink interfaces used silicone grease to fill the micro-gaps and aid in heat transfer. You probably already have plenty of that around as "dielectric grease" or "connector grease" and don't even need to go to the store for diaper rash ointment.

The thermal paste replacement is, in my opinion, a non-issue. As an experiment, in our '89 wagon, I've been running the ignition power stage with the heat sink mounted dry and dangling from the connector (not affixed to the fender) so I can pull it out and feel the temp rise after a hard drive. It is warm, but evenly so, and never so warm I cannot hold it in my hand, a temperature which is well below that of semiconductor ratings.

An exception might exist if the ignition coil is faulty, from leakage or shorted turns. This might place additional stress on the power stage so that it would fail if the heat sink performance failed under a hot hood. But I think most success stories arise just from the act of "connector reseating" that occurs during troubleshooting.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.