When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey all. First off, this car is a ‘79, all stock wiring.
One thing I had been noticing recently was that most of the time the fuel pump would turn on, but sometimes it wouldn’t. I ended up checking the fuse block, and it turned out that the BW wire powering the 20A, 15A, and 10A fuses (Engine, Regulator, and Hazards, respectively) had been weakened to the point where it began twisting itself to death haha (the 1 wire to 3 fuses clip). I only realize that now because, when I was inspecting the back of it, the crimp neck broke off! So that explains why the fuel pump would occasionally not turn on, and why the hazards would flash rapidly, as it was an unstable connection.
Anyway, what would any of you do in this situation? Could I splice the wire into three smaller ones, simply counting each copper, dividing them evenly by three, and using three separate fuse clips? I feel a little lost lol, so I would greatly appreciate any and all advice!
Here’s the 3x fuse clip (or whatever you’d call it)
I realize it looks mangled, but that’s because I was trying to get the crimp part off of the wire lol.
Last edited by OilyRotor16; Jul 9, 2024 at 09:45 PM.
Is the crimp supposed to be connected to the fuse receptacle? I'd remove all of the corrosion, solder on a pigtail wire and use a suitable crimp connector (butt?) to integrate back into the factory wiring. You would need to sand the fuse receptacle material to get to clean metal and use flux to get a good purchase for the pigtail.
Edit, maybe squeeze those blades to tighten the seating pressure for the fuse.
Is the crimp supposed to be connected to the fuse receptacle? I'd remove all of the corrosion, solder on a pigtail wire and use a suitable crimp connector (butt?) to integrate back into the factory wiring. You would need to sand the fuse receptacle material to get to clean metal and use flux to get a good purchase for the pigtail.
Edit, maybe squeeze those blades to tighten the seating pressure for the fuse.
Yes, that crimp is supposed to be all one piece with the rest of it, but broke off. Ah okay cool, I’ll look into this as well, thanks!
I've got a thought. I'm thinking of combining both your suggestions, and using a WAGO-type junction box (or whatever you call it) to connect the two. I may need to find one with a big enough gauge input for the larger power wire, with three smaller gauge output wires, which would then connect to those slip-on fuse clips you sent me, KansasCityREPU.
This is the terminal/junction box I'm talking about:
Here's a diagram I made of my plan 😅 I personally work best with visuals most of the time, so I figured this wouldn't hurt There's supposed to be three separate fuses there, but this gives you an idea
Also, several reviews said that those connector blocks are pretty cheap and flimsy, failing to create a good connection often, so if any of you have a suggestion for a better-quality brand that has the 1-3 connector like the one above, I'd love to hear it!
Anyway, any and all feedback is much appreciated Thanks!
Last edited by OilyRotor16; Jul 17, 2024 at 10:36 PM.
This is a good idea, but if doing it this way, you'll need to run a main power wire directly from the battery. The connection at the battery would also need a fuse at the battery connection end.
That last thing you want to do is under power a fuse block. This is the solution I did when installing my radio and adding relays for the power windows. Now my power windows have direct power instead of going through the up/down switches. The up/down switches are now used to trigger the relays. On relay for up and one for down on each window. I also add a USB charging port.
Agree, especially since the OP described the original power feed being almost twisted to death. OP make sure to cap off/disconnect/secure that original feed wire, you don't want a stray positive to short under your dash... I assume there's a high amp fusible link somewhere between it and the battery but still.
If a fuse block is not feasible for the space then the WAGO with inline fuse holders might be good alternative. In the example in post #6 I just don't like how the glass fuse adapters are not a positive lock onto the contact and how they are exposed, requiring shrink wrap etc. Hard to change when it does blow.
