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Fuseable links suck


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So....everything was DEAD on my RX last night.

 

Why? Fuseable link.

 

Took me 4 hrs to find that out...

 

why?

 

The FL's were the first thing I checked...

 

0.0 ohms of resistance....CHECK

 

12.7 volts on BOTH sides of the FLs....CHECK

 

Felt like new FLs......CHECK

 

Looks like new FLs....CHECK

 

 

HOWEVER...still nothing.

 

Replace them with NEW FLs....everything works.

 

 

ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

I'm going to retrofit some slow blow fuses there instead.

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Dude NO... Fusable links kick butt!!! They are a dime a dozen in the junkyard. Make the fusable link the first thing you check when you are having any electrical issues and then go from there.

 

My buddy has an old ford that has fusable links that are non-replacable and you cannot check to see if they are blown, so be glad that they are extreamly servicable. The first time I had to deal with them they sucked but once you know to look at them first then they turn out to be your best friend!

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Fuseable links are NOT as cheap as normal fuses...either Fast blow or slow blow.

 

That and you gotta rememeber that me and JWX have like...50% of the old school subies in the south east...the rest...either long gone, owned and running...or missing fuseable links.

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thats right, read MY subject header.. you got it wrong, they don't suck, they BLOW!

 

You can retrofit a MaxiFuse block on instead of the fusible links.. that looks alot cooler, too :grin:

 

In your other thread I mentioned my occasional DOA problem.. All i ever do is wiggle the terminal connections on the hindmost fusible link to get it to work. Something tells me you may have been in a similar situation, so it may well come back to haunt you even with your new links.

 

Be glad you don't have the Issue that *I* am stuck with.... My Zcar caught FIRE because i (idiotically) put an oversized link in to replace one that had blown.. the circuit got shorted again, the link heated up, melted the plastic cover i had JUST found in the junkyard and put on there, and set the plastic on fire. The ENTIRE link block, and the wiring going ALL the way down to (but thank goodness, not IN to) the main engine wiring harness, got TOTALLY fried, and thats why Shawn no drivey his Zcar anymore. the silver lining was, thats when I got my Subaru.

 

Well, it WAS silver at one point, now its more like a "rusty lining" :lol:

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I leave one of the Battery´s Terminals not too Tight, to Remove it in a Emergency case... Never had any Problem.

 

This won't save your car. If you get a good short circuit, you can have fire instantly all along the harness from the link box to the point of failure. Been there done that. Even if you don't set the car on fire, the harness will be trashed before you can get to the battery cable.

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This won't save your car. Even if you don't set the car on fire, the harness will be trashed before you can get to the battery cable.

.......

2nd that,

"ARC" then SMOKE, :Flame:

about that quick, work in fuse's of some kind... $1. to protect hundreds... cheap insurance.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The fusible links showing 0 ohms are not blown (open), and they do perform better than a fuse in a hi current(amp) short.

In my experience with EA82's, It's the spade lug connectors that comes up through the bottom of the plastic case, They corrode, Sometime the corrosion causes a resistance which creates heat, softening the plastic so the little spurs on the male connector shoves down out of the hole making it hard to push the female half (the part on the fus.link) on the male without pushing the male down and out, failing to connect (plug in).That is what sucks! As you found out they work fine until they fail 100% and the car don't go! It is a hassle to reach from under the plastic case feel for the one your plugging in and pushing it up while pushing the top connector down, Of course its even harder to connect because the corroded lugs don't want to fit as well as intended.

All you can do is remove as much corrosion as possible. Then make sure they are plugged in good then a shot of WD or something to help slow the corrosion. Or replace the spade connectors. The bright side is it will never take long to figure out the problem. If it happens again after your hip to it, It should take all of a minute to get out and push the top and bottom together while wiggling a little to make a connection through the corroded plugs. When you replaced them you mananged to scrape through the corrosion enough to make connections, Could have done same thing with the old ones. A note for the fella from Honduras, Pulling the battery cable won't help unless you can get out and do it in under about five thousandths of a second! And you'll need to know ahead of time that your about to have a short! An awesome skill if you can!!

fusible links are designed to blow around 5 to 9 millionths(microseconds) of a second, a fast acting fuse only has to work under 250 thousandths(milliseconds) of a second. Dealing with the speed of light, After the fact is always too late to save any parts from damage.

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  • 4 months later...
Fuseable links are NOT as cheap as normal fuses...either Fast blow or slow blow.

 

That and you gotta rememeber that me and JWX have like...50% of the old school subies in the south east...the rest...either long gone, owned and running...or missing fuseable links.

 

If have 50% will I have the other half

 

2 rx 3doors

1 rx 4door

8 wagons

2 hatches one ejed

and brat with a nuff parts laying around to build 10 more

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