| Re: [GMCnet] Is the main fuseible link wire made up of standard wire? ( It protects from overload fires ) [message #339986 is a reply to message #339982] |
Mon, 07 January 2019 11:55   |
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Tom Newell
Messages: 25
Registered: August 2017
Location: Los Angeles, California
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So my IH Scout recently had a failed fusible link due to ham fisted ammeter removal by "someone". Anyway, it did not fail at the time of the ham fistedness, but rather later in a Home Depot parking lot (a rather decent place for this sort of problem on a 45 year old vehicle.) To the ideas raised earlier about corrosion (and or degradation due to time), it did not fail in the length of the wire, but rather at the connection point for the bullet connector, with this particular bullet connector appearing to be designed specifically to have a "fuse" effect of its own (speculation).
International used a Delco starter with the same poorly thought out wiring scheme as GM, with a bunch of fiddly wires (and a fusible link) way down at the bottom of a notoriously leaky engine and bewilderingly close to the exhaust manifold (my Ford pickup is so much better with all this stuff safely up on the inner fender at the solenoid). Additionally, Scouts have a poorly designed and dangerous wire setup in general, and time has not improved this circumstance. And guess how easy it is to figure out the specifications of an old International fusible link.
The convergence of circumstances forced me to complete rather a lot of research on fusible links and the construction of same. There are very forceful and official sources stating that the fusible links should be:
1. absolutely not soldered
2. absolutely soldered
3. about 8.5 inches long
4. exactly the same length as the old one
5. etc., etc...
So to avoid continuing to beat myself about the head and shoulders, it was time to find an actual modern solution. Initially much more gibberish, until I finally found this:
https://www.littelfuse.com/products/fuses/automotive-passenger-car/high-current-fuses/298.aspx
These are specifically specified as a "slow blow" fuse for battery and alternator protection, and snazzy mounts are available for retrofit applications. Also, this page has links to pages and pages of information that seem to teach everything that needs to be known about automotive fuses. So I was on the right track.
Then over Christmas, I installed an AMP Research Power Step (highly recommended, though many $) on my Dad's brand spanking new 2019 GMC 2500. During the course of this installation, I became aware of how modern (or current, if you prefer) GM engineers handle fusible linkage. What they do is have very short positive battery cable (4 or 6 inches maybe) that goes a bus that clips to the top of the battery. This bus cleverly and conveniently includes a snazzy jump-start point, and also (apropos to this discussion) a series of fused connections branded as "Littelfuse" and identical in construction appearance to the "Mega fuse" items covered in the above link. There are two 60 amp connections of the connection plug variety, and several stud connections ranging from (I think) 100 amp up to 400 amp (!). The starter is on the 250 amp stud (I think); the 400 amp is open (winch or plow, maybe; this truck does have the snow plow package). Conveniently, I was able to use an open 125 amp stud to feed to power step items (there is an inline 30 amp fuse in that harness; I certainly do not want 125 amps blasting through that equipment.)
So my take-away is that, if I possibly can, I am going to track down one of the battery top bus thingys to retrofit to all my old stuff (if it is at all possible/practical). If the thingy is not a reasonable retrofit, I am going to get the Mega fuses and make my own setup.
And having said all that, I currently have an old fusible link of somewhat questionable providence down on the starter of my Scout. So it goes...
Tom Newell
San Pedro, California
Proud Citizen of
Los Angeles, California
Founded 1781 as
El Pueblo de la Reyna de los Angeles,
Alta California
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