cleaning the fuses- a rainy day project

[mkguitar]

Took the time to pull the cover off the fuseblock and poke around- get familiar with the layout and latching in case I am ever roadside in the rain with a problem and a flashlight.

The chassis is now 10 years old- and dirty/corroded electrical connections build resistance and heat.

as simple an action as removing and reinserting the fuse can renew the connections.

I go a step further and clean the contact on each fuse.

a scotchbrite pad or a file work well, adding a little dielectric grease will help seal out any moisture.

easy to pull all the fuses of the lowest value, clean and reinsert them, then do all of the next highest value...and so on.

also pull and reinsert all the relays

this'll take 30 minutes or so

check that you have spare fuses- make a list if you need more.

before/ after/ grease/ scotchbrite





Mike

[gbopp]

mkguitar wrote:

gbopp wrote:
Excellent advice. One time in Canada we had problems with the lights. If we turned one on, another would go off, etc..

You are supposed to convert to Metric fuses when you cross- that's why you had the problem.

Mike

Okay, that makes sense. I'll convert to metric fuses next time we go to Canada.
Should I also drain the American gallons from my gas tank and fill it with liters to avoid engine/fuel problems? :B

[mkguitar]

contact cleaners can be great -and many of them inhibit further corrosion as above .

some of them are not plastic safe- so look at the can.

I have a stash of old cramolin and blue shower-

I see you live by a large body of water, than could be where your corrosion is coming from- not much you can do there...

right on about the sensors, most run a 5 volt control voltage...the o2 sensor output usually is about .5 of a volt- and very low current so any resistance can cause problems.

Mike

[landyacht318]

My 89 Van uses the glass tube fuses.

A year or so ago, no brake lights. I look at fuse, Appears fine, put DMM on fuse, tests fine, remove fuse and it feels like 220 grit sandpaper, as well as the fuse end 'claspers' in the fuse panel. I give it a quick abrasion and then had brake lights.

Later, Out comes the Caig Deoxit d5, and all the fuses. Usually this stuff is golden, but I had to fold thin strips of 320 grit sandpaper over q tips and soak it in Deoxit D5 before the clampers obvious oxidation was able to be removed.

The 20 amp fuses were the worst. I wonder just how hot they were getting due to this oxidation and increased resistance.

The Caig Deoxit is magic electrical juice. No other electrical contact cleaner can compare. I used it on my engine sensor connectors, and some MPGs I thought I lost due to taller heavier tires, instantly returned, and my most recent smog test came back with better numbers than ever, and the only difference between this test and the last one, is cleaning the sensor connectors with Caig D5 spray and precision Tamiya swabs, and protecting them with Deoxit shield or Gold, then dielectric grease pushed into, after connector was reseated.

The Map, TPS and o2 sensor connectors blackened and shredded many a precision swab before gleaming like oiled chrome, and yes there were previously slathered with Dielectric grease. They oxidized horribly despite its slathering inside the connectors pins and sockets.

These sensors MAp and TPS only get 5 volts from the ECM, so any excessive voltage drop, and the engine computer is not able to properly decide AF ratio or spark timing.

That's my theory and I'm Sticking to it.

The Caig Deoxit products are magical electrical juice. That's my opinion but it should be fact.

[mkguitar]

gbopp wrote:
Excellent advice. One time in Canada we had problems with the lights. If we turned one on, another would go off, etc..

You are supposed to convert to Metric fuses when you cross- that's why you had the problem.

Mike

[gbopp]

Excellent advice. One time in Canada we had problems with the lights. If we turned one on, another would go off, etc..

I finally pulled the fuses one at a time. A tab on one of the fuses was bent. I straightened the tab, reinstalled and had no more problems.
I'm guessing because it was bent, corrosion somehow shorted out something. It was strange.
Everything worked, and still does, so I didn't look any farther.

[drsolo]

This was the source of my electrical failure when my AC went out while I was at a campground. The mobile RV repair guy found the shore power plug in apparatus on the outside had let water leak into the connections. He replaced the inside fuse box and put in a new outside plug case embedded it in silicone so it wont leak anymore.

[zigzagrv]

Excellent idea! I did have one situation where my mirrors and some lights did not work. At that time, I removed the fuses for those units and reinserted them. I vowed to do the entire fuse block at some point in time, but haven't gotten around to it yet, since I've not had a problem since that episode. Thanks for reminding me. It is now on my todo list.