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Topic: Fuse links (Read 2097 times) previous topic - next topic

Fuse links

Being Ford uses wire as a fuse link, how do you handle a fuse burning out if you are on a road trip?

Fuse links

Reply #1 –
Fusible links are not the same type of wire found elsewhere in your car.  Fusible links are made using low temperature melting stranded wire.  One might think of a fusible link as a bundle of slow blow fuses.  They rarely fail and almost never without sufficient reason.  To answer your question more directly, if you were to be on a trip and one blew out, trace the cause of the long term high current draw and then, and ONLY then, replace the fusible link. Short term use of small fuses is perfectly fine for trouble shooting, but bypassing a failed fusible link for any other reason is foolish and ill-advised.

Fuse links

Reply #2 –
If you loose a fuse link you will need a TOW TRUCK. That means you have a sereyous short. Or drawing way to much current in that particular circuit. Normally the ignition system and battery feeds are on separate circuits.
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

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Fuse links

Reply #3 –
oo
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Fuse links

Reply #4 –
Can the fusable links be replaced by manual reset breakers?
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Fuse links

Reply #5 –
Ace is the place! But you might have to go to Home Depot for the fuse box. (lol)
 

Fuse links

Reply #6 –
Daminc,
          You got me wondering about that. Have you ever seen any manual reset breakers that are small enough to fit in line? Where would you get them, Mouser, Allied Elect.? What I would like to see is a conversion list going from 20 gauge fuse link to __ amp fuse. What are you guys who race using?

Fuse links

Reply #7 –
Quote from: daminc;403526
Can the fusable links be replaced by manual reset breakers?


Yes and also a wire 2 sizes smaller then the wire it protects. Also i use a maxi fuse holder and a maxi fuse.There are all kinds of resettable fuses ATC regular and ATC maxi resettable.

Here is a sample of plug and play breakers. They come in all different amperage sizes. The one with the buttons are resettable. The other one is automatic reset!! They fit a standard ATC socket.

I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Fuse links

Reply #8 –
I will disagree once again,, and hope this is the last time but.... i cant help myself everytime i see it happen i have to speak more truth than what is being advertised.

There is just as much possibility that a fuse link could become open without a reasonble cause other than simple poor engineering, heat , corrosion or simple wear and tear.

If i follow to the T what as been advertised as the "rule", then everytime my light bulb blows in my house, i should not install a light bulb until i find something else other than the bulb to blame.  thin filliment light bulbs in an AC engineered circuit sort of "shake" a little until they vibrate upto and hold 60hz at 120vac.  Typically a bulb will blow when you first turn it on because its finally experienced a weak spot due to this vibration.

More in line ,,, if your car headlamp bulb blows or even a tail lamp for that matter, and we follow the "rule", then we should not install a new bulb until we find something else to blame other than the bulb.

same goes for the ignition switch in that if it burns up, we should not put in a new one until we determine some other fualt other than the ignition switch.

hows about the power seat switch, if it burns out and keeps tripping the breaker, we should not install a new switch until we find another fault.


turth of the matter is,,, over time the fuse links big round black plastic heat shrink covers at each end can allow some corrosion to start.  with corrrosion comes resistance and a voltage drop.  now we have two  ingredients to form watts.
The real deal is that 8 out of 10 times, when a fuse blows, there is another downstream fault but not always.  In my experience just handling / bending or dressing in the wiring along the coil is reducing its life span.  When a physical fuse blows, the likelyhood there is a further fault downstream of the fuse is almost 100% and the fuse replacement will not cure the issue.

i have personally inspected to the component level each piece of a burned out fuse link no less than 8 times to see what happened and where.
Each time on 5 fuse links iirc, the fault occured where the wire had been bent exceeding the **BEND RADIUS** of a conductor.  In this area would be corrosion and discoloration from heat.  At the oem welds at the connection points, there would be corrosion also on a couple i looked at.  i have had 3 fuse link failures in my Fox's specifically and in all three cases, one case caused me to move further upstream to find out why and the Ign switch was the root.

not always but in "some cases" when a fuse link blows, it doesnt mean you certainly and undoubtably have unquestionable issues other than the fuse link.

It all has to do with the original engineering , circulair millimeters of copper with respect to temperature rise as well as constant exposure to extreem enviromental conditions these fuse links are constantly exposed to.


I have a death wish here so i will say it.....

stop using stranded solid conductor fuse links and use "FLEX" instead in the same guage.  Also insure you use 90deg or 125degC wire with oil resistant insulation then solder the new conductor in place.
the oem fuse links are typically two or three approx 26awg individual conductors to combine as 2580circular millimetes of copper when speaking to 16ga.
The flex equivilent would consist of a couple dozen 40awg or smaller hairs of copper all combined to slightly exceed 2580circular millimeters of coppper.
With more ROUND conductors stuffed in the same area, you have less air gaps, more copper redunduncy and overall a more dependable wire that can be handled and bent around with the  human hand without effecting its bend radius ect.

Fuse links

Reply #9 –
I don"t AGREE fully but i will let it slide. Either way i have one thing to say JAY. TRUE FUSE LINK WIRE CAN'T BE SOLDERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With that i will let this rest. By the way fuse links are no longer used in modern cars. I have some rolls of TRUE LINK wire in the shop somewhere. I will have to dig it out to prove a point that is nagging at me. Also when a link blows more times than not it is a large current draw most likely Not all the time but mostly that is the cause. Bad comparison with the bulb. Other than that have a good day my brother call you soon . Great weekend Jay

The real deal is that 8 out of 10 times, when a fuse blows, there is another downstream fault but not always.

 This is a reasonable estimation for fuses but not likely. More like 99-1. But with heavy curent links you need heavy current draw.  Vinnie found this out with his pinched wire ETC !! Fuse links are pretty reliable when they are not over loaded. Either way be good JAY
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Fuse links

Reply #11 –
Foe i am going to say that most fuse link failures are from high current draws intermittent or hard. And most fuse links feed things like fuse panels that break the circuits down to smaller fuses. Like the breaker panel in your house. The main breaker is 200A and subsequent brakers are much smaller. When was the last time anyone blew a main breaker when overloading an outlet. NOT HAPPENING.

I agree with you on this one FOE

:hick::mullet::burnout:
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Fuse links

Reply #12 –
If the fuse link is open in a small area or at the crimp then it could be a bad link(probably a one in a 1000), but if the entire length is scorched you can bet a short did the damage, simple really...

Fuse links

Reply #13 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;403698
If the fuse link is open in a small area or at the crimp then it could be a bad link(probably a one in a 1000), but if the entire length is scorched you can bet a short did the damage, simple really...


+++ 1000% That is exactly correct in my view also!!
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Fuse links

Reply #14 –
the factory production connections were cad welded.
if your soldering correctly and doing a "Western Union" bond, there should be no issue even if some of the solder melts. if you have enough solder that melts away to cause a problem, then its not being soldered right.  Melting temps aside, i couldnt imagine any other acceptable means of connection without introducing air pockets of possible corrosion.

these fuse links are really a big deal, anything other than a chemical or electrical bond would introduce an eventual voltage drop... i just cant trust those butt splices in an area like this.

my point mainly was poor wiring engineering in that we have 80% of all fuses on one 16awg fuse link.  check it out, ckt 37 on the 2.3, 3.8 and 5.0.

its just a bit much to swallow and call it "ok"


"how" was vinnies wire "pinched"?
bonded to ground or bent such that it was pinched?


other than the connection method, i reall dont see what you disagree with on my comments.
sure i agree on fuses, you quoted me, but i feel the engineering "as- engineered" could be better so thats why we figure things out and make it so.