gearhead1218

Traced my wiring and realized the link off the horn relay is cooked.
That line feeds a number of cicuits.
Anyone know what size fuse I should use to eliminate the link?????
I just found a nice 30 amp holder with a fuse in my parts, and was wondering if that's big enough or too big.

gearhead1218

Anyone ???????

Lady72nRob71

The fusible link powers everything that comes right off the fuse box.
The 72 Cutlass uses a short section of 16 gauge wire as a fusible link.
How long is yours? I do not recommend a 30A fuse, even a slow-blow. Current through there is probably more like 40A with all accy's on. Check with some of the local parts stores to see if they carry fusible links. It will need to be spliced in and securely soldered in place.

Hope this helps some...

svnt442

I agree. Using a fuse is a bad idea. THe rate at which a fuse blows is much different from a fusable link.

Another thought is what is the condition of the rest of the wiring? What caused the link to blow in the first place?

My 39 year old harness was (how should I put this) SHOT!! I had no clue just how bad until I pulled it off to install the new one.

Lady72nRob71

Good point above - what cuased the meltdown?
You could use the fuse and holder you have to help isolate and eliminate the short that caused the FL to blow. Fuses are easy to replace, After the short is opened, install the correct FL.

gearhead1218

Good points made.
I don't know what caused the meltdown. I'm thinking something done by the PO. The heating circuit is now eliminated from the car, and it appears to be properly disconnected.
The only real HOKEY thing that I haven't checked is the Auto-meter Tach that is set into the dash next to the speedo. Maybe something shorted in the dash cluster when he mounted the tach.
I think I'll use the 30 amp set-up for now, then trace the rest of the circuits that is fed off that line for the fault.