Melting Fuse Box

[That Ozzy Guy]

I was taking my sound system out a few days ago and when I got to the actual deck I discovered the fuse box cover had a bit of heat distortion. Checking the fuses I found the top two on the right hand side had overheated and melted the plastic box. They are still holding on but it’s bothering me now so I’m going to be replacing it.

The weird thing is there were two wires that had been tapped in to two separate fuses. I’m no electrician but I’m willing to bet that this could be the cause of the overheating. These wires were not there when I bought the car so some electrician has done a dodgy job of it. I have heard of the fuse boxes melting with stock load but putting extra current through them will accelerate the process right? Now that I think about it, when I bought the car the cover had been melted extremely. The box itself was fine which leads me to believe that either the cover was from another car or this car has a recurring problem.

My question is, would there be an independent fuse solution so that I can avoid tapping the two wires in to the box to avoid putting extra load on it? Also, I’d be right in thinking that if I were to trace the wires that use the two fuses where the melting occurred I would find a short somewhere? What else could cause the fuses to overheat?

Thanks

[Curtis240Z]

The most common cause of melting fuse boxes are loose/worn rivets securing the fuse clips to the fuse bars on the back of the fuse box.

MSA sells the new blade type fuse box as which is a good alternative.

[That Ozzy Guy]

I found a local that sells the following.

http://www.painlesswiring.com

[e_racer1999]

^^that's pretty sexy...

[sblake01]

^^that's pretty sexy...

Yes, but the one from MSA is a direct plug-in.

[Bambikiller240]

If you do use the Painless kit, don't just crimp the new terminals onto the wiring. SOLDER all of the connections and cover with shrink-tube insulation. It adds work to the installation, but crimped on terminals are trouble just waiting to happen. (again)

[Inf]

How much does painless want for that kit? The MSA one is pretty pricey IMO(and even more for shipping to you in Australia), but installing it would be more 'painless' than the Painless wiring kit I am sure.

[That Ozzy Guy]

Well this kit costs me AU$165 without wiring and I can have it this afternoon. Car will be back on the road next weekend at the latest.

MSA kit (not sure who makes it?) costs US$160 plus shipping and it will be here in a few weeks.

Does anyone know how many fuses come on the MSA kit? As it stands I need 10 and if the MSA one is a stock standard replacement it's no good to me.

At the end of the day there is not much $$ difference considering I still have to buy wiring with Painless but there is a difference I imagine in quality and in how quickly I can get my car back on the road. I don't have much of a choice really. I'm just worried about the size of the Painless kit. Might be a tight fit and I might have to cut away the original fuse back plate.

[Inf]

Ah I see. I misread earlier posts. I hope you keep us updated on how it goes. Lots of people have fuse box issues so it would be awesome to have some good references

[Marty Rogan]

Ahh, you are officially a member of the melted fuse box club!! It has happened to both my cars. Uusually the third fuse down, on the right; dash & tail lights. Last time it happened to me, I was picking up the car in another state, at the beginning of a 1,000 mile journey. Just a little something to add to the excitment!

I bought the MSA box. It is a direct 1 -1 replacement, with no extra slots. The quality seems good and I have not had any problems since putting it in over a year ago.

Sounds like it won't work for you, but I thought others might want to hear feedback on the MSA piece.

And yes, it is high priced, but low hassle to replace.

Marty

[That Ozzy Guy]

Ahh, you are officially a member of the melted fuse box club!!

Marty

Gee thanks. I didn't want to be a part of the club but now that I'm in it, how do I resign?

I bought the fuse box today. Second picture, 12 circuit model. The top one is 18 circuit and used for race cars apparently. Carries a big price tag as well.