Sorry AX... I think that I must have been typing my response the same time as you.

The fuse block sits directly under the vent cowl. When we first put the truck back together, I discovered that some water was getting in around the cowl when I ran it through a touch-free car wash. We resealed the cowl, and I also took the extra step of mount the fuseblock inside a plastic box just in case it dripped again. I also have an occasional drip from my A/C expansion valve, but thankfully that's no where near any wiring.

As you guys well know, these old trucks are not exactly air/water tight. They didn't have pressure washers back then.

-DV

 

I spent most of the day yesterday cleaning-up my wiring and trying to fix the loose connection on the fuseblock. I soldered that faulty crimp on the main power coming in. It's hard to do a good job because you really can't get to it. I also ran a second feed to the auxiliary bus bar as was suggested. I'm not sure how much good it's going to do because, again, you can't get to the connection to crimp it while the bus bar is inserted in the fuse block and it's almost impossible to remove the bus bar without destroying it. We'll see how it does, but if the problem persists I may have to replace the entire fuseblock which essentially means rewire the truck.

I've made a couple of attempts at some type of quick release mount for the fuseblock without any success. The fuseblock just has one mounting hole on each side that bolts through (in my case) the firewall.

I would appreciate any ideas that you guys might have for a quick-release or a better way to fix the loose connection.

-DV

 

If it were me, I would strip away some of the insulation on one (or both) of the black wires that are jumpering the bus bars together. Then I would take my heavy gauge (assuming that it is around 8 - 10 ga) feed wire and solder it to the jumper wires on the fuse block. From the looks of your block it's only the red feed wire that has a questionable connection, the black jumper wires seem to be OK,so use them to "feed" the supply voltage in parallel to the existing feed setup.
I hope this makes sense.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...1&d=1346968925

Looks like there is a quick release mount built into your fuse block you could use, similar to the way I mounted mine. See the two L shaped bars on the lower side in this pic, with the door latch looking piece in the center between them. A piece of flat stock the right size to slide into the channel the bars form with a square cutout that the center piece can lock into is all you need. Depending on the flex room behind that center piece it's shape may need adjusting into a symmetrical hump like and inverted U instead of the triangular shape it is now so the metal mount can be slid over it. It doesn't need to be very tall, just enough to hold it but stil be removable with a good tug. Then just bolt the metal mount to whatever is convenient.
The corrosion may be causing a high resistance which in turn may be what is causing the wire to get hot. I would clean the corrosion off the fuse block before I reinstalled it. Remove all the fuses, dunk the entire block into a container of 25% vinegar in water. Slosh around a bit for about 5 min or so or until the corrosion and discoloration is gone. Brushing with a toothbrush will improve the results. The brass may turn a dull color, but that's OK.
This is important! to neutralize the acid: Rinse by sloshing in the container filled with clear water, then in a solution of 1 teaspoon BAKING SODA (good ol Arm and Hammer from the pantry or the back of the fridge ) dissolved in pint of water, until there is no more bubbling Make sure the baking soda solution is deeper than the vinegar. Dry with a blast of compressed air or let air dry, reinsert the fuses making sure the blades on each are clean. If they have any corrosion clean off with a green scotchbrite pad before reusing.

 

Charlie and AX: I like all of your suggestions and I will do them all. It sounds like a lot of trouble, but it's far less trouble than being stranded on the side of the road.

Thanks again for all your help.

As a footnote to this whole discussion, it looks like what happened is the main hot wire slipped out before it was crimped during the manufacturing process. You can't see it from the photo, but the wire doesn't go all the way down into the socket the way the other wires do. It stops short by just about the same amount that the insulation stops short of the top crimp that is supposed to be around the insulation but is instead around just the wire.

So I guess another lesson for those who might be reading this thread some time in the future is to always do a visual inspection of the fuseblock and the harness before installing it, paying close attention to any circuit that looks different from all the others. This would be a good idea regardless of whose harness was purchased. I don't know that it would be any easier to fix, but at least I could have returned it for another one before installing it.

I don't know if I'll get to it this winter or not, but I'm going to add a rewire to my list. Next time I think I'll use two smaller fuseblocks, and install one under the hood for all the circuits that don't have to come into the cab and the other one under the dash on some kind of hinge so I can swing it down to access it (great idea Chuck). If I wind-up doing this, I'll try to document it in a thread and add it to my build thread.

There's nothing new here; I've had to redo several things on this truck because I didn't like the way I did it the first time.

-DV

 

If you do it over, or for anyone thinking about putting their fuseblock under the hood or anyplace where it might be exposed to the weather, you might consider installing it in one of these: Pelican Micro Case Series Dry Boxes 1020 FREE S&H 1020-025-110, 1020-025-100, 1020-027-100, 1020-025-113, 1020-025-120, 1020-025-170, 1020-025-240, 1020-026-100, 1020-028-100, 1020-02A-100, 1020-02G-100. Pelican Dry Boxes.
Screw thru the bottom to wherever you want it mounted run the wires out thru the lowest point and seal the wire hole with strip caulking putty like this: 3M Strip Calk 08578


Note: I am not recommending either site, these products are available from a number of sources which may be less expensive or easier to shop, I just used them for examples.

 

Yeah, I had thought about just picking up a waterproof junction box of the right size from the electrical supply store, but those boxes look nice and they're not that expensive.

-DV

 

Interesting, and good find on the poorly crimped connector. I would offer up this thread to the harness supplier..maybe get a new one free of charge. It looks like the fusebox power supply to Buss-bar connection is "non-serviceable" ??
Although I haven't heard many complaints about EZ wire, this one I have heard more than a couple of times, the others being just poor/non-specified install instructions...BTW, I am using the same 21 circuit system, I have yet to make the battery connection..but always look with interest problems that arise. Surprisingly, EZ is aware of some quality control issues "in the past" just as described...your chances of getting a new one (mention FTE and they're competition..speedway,RF,Autowire..) are pretty good..offer them your photos, findings and this discussion.
I highly recommend a properly rated fuse-link at "all" power sources..just be sure and place them "outside" the cabin,.. if and when they blow, they could burn your nostrils with toxic smelling smoke and maybe even impair/distract your vision momentarily while driving..
..as a side note, reproducing an intermitant electrical gremlin "on-demand", says in fact, that one has already determined what it takes to make the system fail..and that is your 1st clue to the repair.
As you know, a truely 'intermitant electrical' has no pattern or reason...which makes finding and fixing them that much more rewarding...and time consuming lol!. Sometimes a system needs to be operating for some time before a failure occurs, and it's good advice to have a meter handy. Good Luck!

 

Especially since if you watch the harbor freight ads in the magazines, they sometimes include a coupon for a FREE VOM meter! I picked up a spare for my in vehicle toolbox a few weeks back that way (remove the cheap batteries and pack them in a separate plastic bag with the meter or replace them with good alkaline ones if you won't be using it often). Anyone who doesn't know how to use a VOM meter for checking electrical wiring, speak up and I will write up a simple how to.