Again, I partially agree. I have had experiences where a blown fuse permitted me to inspect the load and correct a problem without any sparks or burning. The fuse protected the load in these cases.

Here's what I came up with before reading waaaay too much about fusible links in my 78. I just had some stuff laying around and made these saturday morning. I still need some 50A and 80A fuses but will have to order them online if I continue with these.

BTW, I am troubleshooting some weird no-power with the key on problems and thought the stock links might be the cause.

I saw someone do that somewhere else. If you use fuses like that, then you need to make SURE that the short wires aren't the week part of the circuit; use extra heavy wires for that, or better- metal strips.

I used 14 gauge for these.. but now you have me second-guessing

Someone correct me if any of this is wrong but 14 gauge is commonly used in house lighting circuits and is usually protected with a 15A fuse. 12 gauge house wiring for wall sockets is protected with 20A fuses. But in automotive applications they would fuse those same wires with larger fuses. Maybe fire is more of a problem in a house because it kills people but if a fire starts in a car you just hop out and run off? The gauge VS fuse size issue was discussed on another thread a while back. Does anyone have a chart showing what gauge wires in a car are protected with what size fuses? I THINK 16 gauge wire in the early Z car is protected with 20A fuses. The 40A fusible link at the starter in the early Z protects a 12 gauge wire right? All this rambling would seem to indicate a 12 gauge wire would be needed for the short wires to the 40A fuse.

Edited May 20, 201410 yr by Mikes Z car

Jeremy, if you're having electrical issues, I think I know someone not too far away who knows something about Z car electrical systems...

Thanks for the offer, SteveJ

I went everywhere today looking for female blade clips that will fit those male prongs inside the link covers. I'll order some online and remake them using thicker gauge wire.

The rule of thumb that I have read is that you should use fusible link wire that is two sizes smaller than the wire you are protecting. For instance, if it is 10 AWG primary, you should use 14 AWG fusible link wire. Using the wrong gauge wire would be like putting in a bigger fuse because the smaller fuse kept blowing.

You can find the size of the fusible link wires in the FSM.

In my situation, it seems to me that it wouldn't matter how thick the stranded wire was under the fusible link covers as long as the blade-fuse itself was the weakest link. Right? Instead of 50A and 80A blade fuses, I could use 40A and 70A fuses to be safe.

I see what you're saying about using smaller fusible link wire and that makes sense. I may just order a set of Nissan fusible links and scrap the blade-fuse idea all together.

That's probably right, if if the insulation is really made of a silicone material.

Anyway-

I dissected the severed fusible link for the headlamps (it's a brown one) and took a few photos.

66529.attach

66530.attach

66531.attach

66532.attach

I noticed that some of the copper strands were melted together, as if you tinned them with solder. The rest of the strands were corroded black, in the usual way.

NOTE: You should probably install new fusible links, to provide proper protection from overloads. Old ones aren't up to the standard.

The conductive part was certainly not very substantial, and it looks like the new fusible link I just got has the same size conductor, but with a slightly thinner outer jacket.

I think we can finally say that a fusible link is not "just like" a fuse, as some people who install MaxiFuses think. Neither can you say that there is an equivalent amperage. As Beermanpete stated, it's simply a smaller gauge conductor, and if you wish, you could make your own fusible link, with out any "voodoo" science involved, and that it is perfectly safe to use a piece of WIRE in place of the fusible link, as long as it's the correct gauge of wire.

 

 

Sorry to bump an old thread but I have a question. The fusible link you posted a picture of appears to be red but you called it down? What size is the wire .3mm or .69mm? FSM calls out .3mm fuses which I have and can be ordered though Nissan but they are brown. 

 

Like this:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/240Z-260Z-280Z-FUSIBLE-LINK-SET-AND-TWO-FUSIBLE-LINK-COVERS-OEM-NISSAN-/251845796265?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ANissan&hash=item3aa32de1a9&vxp=mtr

 

But some ads also have red links like this:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Datsun-280Z-Fusible-Link-Set-1977-1978-NEW-/311298908412?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item487adc60fc&vxp=mtr

 

Now going back to this site:

 

http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/fusiblelinks/index.html

 

It gets really confusing what the correct fuse should be in there. .3 on the FSM but the "BR" code for the wire means it should be Black/Red?

Br means brown.  This comes up occasionally.  I'm guessing that the early "Brown" Nissan links looked red.  Then people went by color, not the letters, some web pages were made, and we're locked in to Red forever.

 

 

Last summer when I went to the Nissan dealer to get some fusible links, the guy said they are NLA.  He says that for just about everything related to the S30, because they just want you to buy the new one.