fuse holder melting

[jeff-d]

i have installed a cigarette type lighter the one with the 3 plug connections but it keeps melting the fuse holder with a 10AMP fuse, the fuse was not blown, its connected to the fuse box tried both sides but the same outcome would be greatfull for any advice cheers

[bmcecosse]

What are you connecting? Must be close to the 10 amp limit - enough to get hot -but not enough to blow the fuse - assuming of course it IS a 10 amp fuse in there.......

[Neil MG]

A 12v 10A fuse?

[jeff-d]

theres a 10 amp fuse in whats left of the( in line fuse holder,) the first time it melted was when i was using a sat nav,then a small air pump, it seems to take about half an hour be fore it melts i bought the fuses off ebay it says ten amps on them, i have bought the new type of inline fuse today which takes the pronged tyne fuse and see if that works better. cheers

[Neil MG]

OK let's try looking from another angle. It really shouldn't be getting hot enough to melt the fuse holder, but have you got a bad reproduction fuse holder? I assume the originals were bakelite and I cannot see that melting too easily...

But if there are some parts going around that are easily melted then this is something to highlight!

[jeff-d]

hi neil, the fuse holder i am talking about is an inline fuse holder made of plastic in between the cigarette lighter and the main fuse box. cheers

[bmcecosse]

A Sat Nav would never take anything like 10 amps - the pump possibly would take maybe 5amps. Can only be crap connections in the holder.......

[mike.perry]

Are you sure that it was not a 240V 10A fuse? Run a heavy duty cable straight from the output side of the fusebox.

[jeff-d]

no the fuses i bought were advertized as car fuses, the fuses have the plain glass with a thin wirer running through, it might be the wire either side of the fuse holder which is very thin and the wire from the fuse box is a lot thicker and older, im going to renew that wire with a new one and a different in line fuse holder. cheers

[katy]

Heating is usually caused by a poor connection or undersized wire.

[bmcecosse]

10 amps is 10 amps - within reason, the volts matter not!

[xpress]

what rating is your cable? if it's 2amp cable and you're trying to draw more than this through it, you're going to get into trouble. also, i think 10 amps is too high a fuse, try 2 amps or 4. you're going going to use a hairdryer in there are you?

[PAULJ]

I had this happen to me. if its the type that take the glass fuse, it has a little spring that holds the fuse. I think its the spring which is the problem as it is in line between the power and fuse end. Its acting like a resister and gets hot. I now only use the spade type which I have had no problem with. Just a theory

[bmcecosse]

The 'spring' is there to make the fuse 'quick blow' - not really appropriate for a car where there could be highish inrush currents. The quick blow is to protect fragile electronics - not something the Minor is overburdened with.

[daveyl]

Got to ask. Is your car negative earth? I don't know if that makes a difference.

[bmcecosse]

It doesn't make the slightest difference - why would it?

[PAULJ]

The 'spring' is there to make the fuse 'quick blow' - not really appropriate for a car where there could be highish inrush currents. The quick blow is to protect fragile electronics - not something the Minor is overburdened with.

No not a spring IN the fuse. This is a small spring which will fall out of the fuse holder if you take the fuse out. It holds the fuse in place.

[bmcecosse]

Ehh? Not on a standard Minor fusebox...........

[PAULJ]

Ehh, no

[katy]

Methinks you have the fuseholder assembled wrong.
The spring should be over the wire BEHIND the the little button end that contacts the fuse.
NOT between the button end and the fuse.