What would cause the plastic of the push in type fuse and some of the holder to melt? My electric fan was not working and when I checked the fuse not only was the plastic part of the fues gone, but the holder had started to melt as well. Any ideas?
a short circuit/ a bad ground cause excess amp draw// or the holder wasnt designed to use the high amp fuse required for a fan circuit those three causes i can think of
You need to install a relay in the system because of the amount of voltage that the cooling fan pulls. Without a relay you'll continue to have the same problem and melt fuses, wires, etc. I found this out the hard way many years ago working on a Pontiac Fiero as the whole car melted down! Others may tell you something different but believe me if you contact any of the companies that sell electric cooling fans they will tell you that you need to run a relay, it's as simple as that. And that's no B.S.! Billet ****s!!!!
The reason the plastic melted, was because too high of amperage fuse was installed. So instead of the fuse blowing, it just got hotter n hotter. thus she melts. You need a relay, and a smaller fuse.
Inorder for the plastic fuse itself to completely melt, that would have had to have been some draw. More amps equals more heat. First, before we go any farther, how big was the fuse in the holder? What gauge is the wire around the holder? Did any of it melt? Can you see where it may have shorted to ground? Describe the circuit that the fan is run on. Knowing more details will help us help you with diagnosising your problem.
http://www.derale.com/installation-instructions/tornado_e_fan_instruction.pdf This is what I have, however I am using the manual switch instead of the thermostat, and the relay may have been byp***ed, I'll have to check it out. Can't tell what fuse, cause the plastic part was all gone, but the fuse part was still intact inclduing the small piece between the two pins... Maybe it moved against the exhaust manifold or something...
When you first installed it, did the fan blades turn when you hit the switch? Your description makes it sound like the fuse itself did not blow, but high current melted the surrounding plastic. Could be the fuse was oversized, and there was a short somewhere. What is the correct fuse size? And the recommendations to use a relay are good. Use a relay anytime you are driving a motor.
Another thing that can cause this is high resistance(bad connection) between the fuse and the fuse holder. If the spring contacts that the fuse pushed into are corroded or bent open so the fuse doesn't make good contact it will build up heat at that point and melt the fuseholder.
The reason it melted is becaused you used a electric fan!!! You need to throw that **** out and get a real metal fan BLADE like the car is suppose to have not sum 80's plastic **** that will fail on you the same as the real deal...sorry
even if you use a switch I would use a relay they are designed to handle the load o the fan. Don't wimp out with some cheep radioshack stuff either get some good ones Painless Ron Francis ect. I used some Radio shack pieces of junk once and never again a little bump and my lights would come on not worth the h***le also make sure your wire is large enough to handle the load it will also affect how well your fan will run if you use to light of wire it won't get the full 12-14 volts like it is suppose to smaller wire has more restiance the larger wire. number 10 is what I would use. for Fan Lights anything with a high amp draw 10 is good for 30 amps 12 is for 20 amps and 14 is for 10 amps or less is a good guidline to go by.
1. I have about 1/8 between the waterpump pulley and the radiator, so no mech fan, sorry wolfie... 2. The wiring I used came with the fan and inlcuded a relay. It had the provision for sticking the rod through the radiator(temp sensor) and an ac/overide that could be used a a maual switched on and off. I did not use the temp probe.
I agree with pretty much all here. But, in addition to the fuse HOLDER, the plastic fuse BODY melted too?? Junk fuse. The metal "fuse link" inside should NOT outlast the plastic that holds it. The "link" should've failed before enough heat built up to melt it's housing. Made in China?
Could be, I just can't remember what fuse I used. The inside of the holder was the part that got melted, alittle. The metal part where the pins go in. I am going to replace the fuse holder with a new one and use the correct fuse. I also plan on finding the temp probe and using that, and keep the switch as a backup. Thanks.
I'm wondering if it is an electrical problem after reading the above statement. Is the fuse block near a high temperature source, like the exhaust?
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