[FINALLYMIKE]

Good Morning All...

My name is Mike and this is my 1st post.

Proud owner of a 1994 RRC LWB - "Donna". I love this truck!

Recently, I had an issue with the fuseable link bundle coming from the battery to the firewall. The horn, A/C, radio, clock stopped working. I bypassed the 'fused' link and went straight to the battery with an inline fuse.

I think I am a genius as this works for approx. 5 weeks.

The exact same issue(s) occurred this week. However, I swap the fuse and all is well ...for about 2 blocks (my wife was not impressed in the 100F heat).

The original fuse is not blown however is does look a little melted. The new fuse is in good shape as well.

Am I...
- having a ground issue?
- having a heat issue?
- having a wiring issue?

I'm a bit stumped and "Donna" is sitting in the driveway. Any thoughts/feedback would be useful.

Thanks,

 

[mikieman]

maybe...if it a bundle...each one needs a fuse.... just a thought

 

[Kapnrover]

What amp fuse did you use? There's a difference between fusible links and quick blow fuses. The fusible link is also commonly called a slow blow fuse. It can allow it to overdraw for a brief period of time, like when the fan kicks on for the first time. I've also seen regular fuses look like they aren't blown, but not be right.
I think that 1995 and later used a fusible link box, with replaceable links. It's on my list of projects to retrofit.

 

[FINALLYMIKE]

*** UPDATE ***

I redid everything. Used 2 separate fuse holders (20amp each), routed them away from heat straight to the battery. Drove with the radio only for a few days, then the A/C only for a few.

She seems to be running well now. I will definitely look at upgrading/updating to a fuse box. The fusible links seem like very old 'technology'.

Kapnrover ...should I be using a lower amp fuse?

 

[Kapnrover]

The basic principal is that the fuse blows before the wiring melts and catches fire. So, it's based on the max current draw needed. You have to add up the items that are going to run on the circuit and then size the wiring and fuse correctly. If it's not blowing, and nothing caught fire. Stick with it or downsize to 15's or 10amp fuses to test it. I'm sure theres an engineer that disagrees with this theory, but it's probably fine.

 

[FINALLYMIKE]

...well, it happened again.

This time not everything went out though. Mostly because I split the wires and used 2 fuse holders.

Here's the thing though ...I replaced the 20amp's and put in 30amp's.

Am I risking a fire? Catastrophic failure?

If it goes out or happens again, I'll have to convert the whole thing to a fuse box/panel.

Thoughts?

 

[roverandom]

Why aren't you looking for the cause of this problem? Find the source of the circuit overload fault and rectify it instead of worrying about how to make a fuse do the job of a fuseable link.

 

[OkieRover]

OkieRover.com: Victory Beer

I had that exact same issue.

 

[FINALLYMIKE]

Okie-Rover ...what did you do to fix it?

 

[90 red rover]

you need to determine why the fuses are blowing not just keep putting in higher rated fuses. not sure what the wire size is but 30 amps is pretty large for most automotive wiring. Ampacity Charts
there is something that is causing the excessive draw on the wires and popping them. i would have guessed that it was a grounding issue since you are loosing multiple items at once. might be something to check into, but if the fuses are indeed popping then it is likely something else. what do these wires have in common outside of being in the same bundle?

 

[FINALLYMIKE]

Brian - Thanks for the input. I used a 12g. wire so it 'should' be okay.

Here's a bit of an update that also adds to the mystery: The fuses have been working fine for a while. However, recently the problem reappeared. This time it's intermittent and the fuse doesn't blow.

The radio will go (along with the dome lights, horn, A/C, etc.) but only for a short time. Sometimes 2min. sometimes 20min. When I see the second hand on the clock moving again, I turn on the radio and everything is good.

I've memorized the code - 15324! It even keeps the stations. The A/C works ...everything works.

This has been going on for about 2 weeks. The only 'trigger' I've found is the dome light. I turned it on one night and it all went out. I pulled the bulbs thinking I'd figured something out. It happened again the next day.

Soooo...

I've got a great mechanic here in Dallas. I think I've got enough to take to him for troubleshooting. I'm at the bottom of the class when it comes to electrical, it may be time to let an expert handle it.

Thanks for all the input. I'll update when its fixed (I hope).

 

[jeepingpw]

May not be the solution, but when i bought my '92 RRC beater, not much of anything worked.
I cut out all the Fuseable links & wired in a "Bus" fuse panel out of a 1995 Taurus.
1 main power cable to the box & then cut each fuseable link & spliced to a "Bus" fuse.
These look like a very large Fuse, but act as a Fusable link as they are a slow burn so will not blow like a fuse.

 

[FINALLYMIKE]

Man, that looks like a good solution. The location is good too. Were there enough slots for all the Rover components?

Thanks,

 

[57loboy]

As other posters have written, without finding the underlying cause of the fuse blowing, adding slow-blow fuses, bigger wires, etc is only delaying the inevitable. You will be risking serious electrical issues until to identify the fundamental problem.

 

[OkieRover]

Sorry just getting back to this thread. I just fixed the wire that was burned in half. Haven't had any trouble since.