melting inline fuse case

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Dec 17, 2005 | 04:09 PM

high ho silver

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From: Georgia

melting inline fuse case

I am by no means an electical guru so I need some help with this. I installed aftermarket driving lights on my 2000 SD and noticed a strange smell coming from under the dash last night. After further investigating, I found the plastic case that holds the in-line fuse going to the fuse box was starting to melt. All the wiring used came with the light kit and was installed per directions. I did not see any wire chafing, so a short is rulled out. Any suggestions?

Dec 17, 2005 | 04:37 PM

99f350sd

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From: Lyndonville, Vermont

You would think that the fuse holder was rated to low or you had too many lights on it or you changed the bulbs to higher wattage. The only other way to get the holder to get hot is to have a bad connection in the holder.
What size fuse?

Dick

Dec 17, 2005 | 04:41 PM

RAMBOv10

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What type of fuse are you using..glass tube type or blade type. I had the very same problem on my 66 ford I put fog lights on with the glass type fuse. I got me a fuse holder for a blade type fuse and never had another problem.

Daniel

Dec 17, 2005 | 04:48 PM

high ho silver

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From: Georgia

Thanks. I'ts a glass tube type. Not sure what size. I'll try replacing the fuse holder with a two pronged fuse type.

Dec 18, 2005 | 04:59 PM

Dave S

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From: SW Illinois... near St. L

Fire Hazard!!!!!! Disconnect That Circuit!!!

Style of fuse has NOTHING to do with your problem. Wires melt due to heat... heat built up by the electrical current draw. Your wire is over-loaded on amperage that is not yet strong enough to blow the fuse. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION!!!

You either need to decrease the fuse capacity to an amperage on par with the guage of wire you are using, or lessen the load on the circuit BEFORE YOU HAVE A FIRE IN YOUR TRUCK!!!!!

Another common problem with wiring could be the length of the run being too long. Imagine trying to couple a 3" fire hose through a 3/4" garden hose. The Garden hose is going to fail.

Not all products are created equal, so just because the wiring came with your light kit, it still may not be the correct gauge for your particular application due to the length of the run. A suggestion would be to replace the wire (probably 18 Ga) with 12 or better yet, 10 guage wire and try again.

Dec 18, 2005 | 05:18 PM

rwilimo

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Aug 2005

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From: NJ

Sorry Dave S, The quality of the fuse holder absolutely matters, If the holder is not up to snuff as most glass style that come in pre made harness's are not, they will melt, a new holder will likely fix it.

Dec 18, 2005 | 05:50 PM

high ho silver

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From: Georgia

Ok. I cut out the cheap fuse holder and replaced it with a heavy duty C clip type. It was melting the holder where the fuse plugged into the metal clip on the end of the wire. Which was 18 Ga. I never felt the wire getting hot anywhere just the holder. The lights are 55 watt. I'll test them out tomorrow morning.