100amp fuse info!!
100amp fuse info!!
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Discussion

mikethebike1127

Original Poster:

170 posts

200 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
Some info for anyone who may have had/is having the same symptoms.

Ever since I bought my '96 4.2, the rev counter has been a bit of a hit or a miss. Some times worked, sometimes didn't,somethimes it was all over the place however, when it did work, the car ran alot smoother. Also noticed that on occasions, after a good run, the engine wouldn't turn over as quickly on the starter motor making me think the charging system wasn't 100%.

When rev counters & charging systems are discussed on this forum, the 100amp fuse is always the first port of call......I had checked this fuse several times & it was always in one piece & tested OK on the meter.

Last time I was home I thought fcensoredk it & removed the fuse holder & ran the cable directly from the alternator to the battery and would you adam & Eve it........car runs like a dream, rev counter works perfectly & the battery is always fully charged.

One very happy bunnythumbup

TR1PL3D

35 posts

195 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
It seems that this 100amp fuse is more trouble than its worth.

Conian

8,030 posts

230 months

Sunday 5th September 2010
quotequote all
some chap on here has found a substitute for the fuse
that's all i know, sorry i dont have a link

fatjon

2,299 posts

242 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
The fuse has 2 jobs to do.

1. It prevents the alternator getting overloaded, if you pull more than 100 or so amps from it the fuse blows.
2. If the alternator goes spectacularly faulty it prevents the battery being completely shorted out by it.

If number 1 happens you may not have much to worry about. If it's number 2 then wave goodbye to your car.

Even if you remove the fuse get some other kind of cable with a fusible link in in to connect the battery to the alternator.


jammy_basturd

29,778 posts

241 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
For such a cheap and relatively easy part to replace, it makes sense to keep it, even if you have to replace it once or twice a year.

Far Eastender

1,362 posts

247 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
FYI - just had my car services at STR8SIX and they replaced the 100 amp fuse with a 125 amp one.

FarmyardPants

4,372 posts

247 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Another option is to fit two fuses one on top of the other. If the battery is shorted you'll be pulling the CCA value of the battery (500+ amps) so anything rated significantly less than that should protect you from disaster scenario #2.

Dave_M

5,486 posts

253 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Interesting. Mine dies a couple of weeks ago due to the fuse. Luckily I had a spare.

Since then, the speedo doesn't read anything sensible until about 25mph. Is that possible to be linked (I hasten to add I don't know much about mechanicssmile).

Also, it makes sense to carry spares, anyone know a good source (i.e. are they 'specialised'?).

Tasmile

gruffalo

8,150 posts

255 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Far Eastender said:
FYI - just had my car services at STR8SIX and they replaced the 100 amp fuse with a 125 amp one.
+1

shpub

8,507 posts

301 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Dave_M said:
Interesting. Mine dies a couple of weeks ago due to the fuse. Luckily I had a spare.

Since then, the speedo doesn't read anything sensible until about 25mph. Is that possible to be linked (I hasten to add I don't know much about mechanicssmile).

Also, it makes sense to carry spares, anyone know a good source (i.e. are they 'specialised'?).

Tasmile
I stock both the standard and the better midi fuse which is encapsulated and less likely to corrode and give problems.

See here

Dave_M

5,486 posts

253 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Thank you Stevesmile

Ireland

3,517 posts

243 months

Monday 6th September 2010
quotequote all
Conian said:
some chap on here has found a substitute for the fuse
that's all i know, sorry i dont have a link
I'm fairly sure the chap you're after is alinton.

Send him a PM / e-mail (tell him I told you if you like smile ).

vroom

665 posts

313 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
Ideally you want the fuse positioned as close to the battery as possible.

You want to protect as much of the cable as it is the cable that suffers extreme temperature rise on a short circuit.

Having unprotected cable runs is not good.

You also need to bear in mind that the alternator will contribute current to the faulty circuit, so having a fuse near the alternator is good too

I am in the process of completely re-arranging the power circuit on my Cerb for reasons given above.

Just look through all of the salvage TVRs in the classifieds here the amount that have been written off due to electrical fires is staggering.

If it aint electrical, it will be fuel related...



Edited by vroom on Tuesday 7th September 10:20

ridds

8,372 posts

273 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
vroom said:
Ideally you want the fuse positioned as close to the battery as possible.

You want to protect as much of the cable as it is the cable that suffers extreme temperature rise on a short circuit.

Having unprotected cable runs is not good.

You also need to bear in mind that the alternator will contribute current to the faulty circuit, so having a fuse near the alternator is good too

I am in the process of completely re-arranging the power circuit on my Cerb for reasons given above.

Just look through all of the salvage TVRs in the classifieds here the amount that have been written off due to electrical fires is staggering.

If it aint electrical, it will be fuel related...



Edited by vroom on Tuesday 7th September 10:20
I thought the fuse was there to protect the cabling and battery in the case of an alternator failure and thus producing an overcurrent, hence it being located close to the Alternator.

vroom

665 posts

313 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
ridds said:
vroom said:
Ideally you want the fuse positioned as close to the battery as possible.

You want to protect as much of the cable as it is the cable that suffers extreme temperature rise on a short circuit.

Having unprotected cable runs is not good.

You also need to bear in mind that the alternator will contribute current to the faulty circuit, so having a fuse near the alternator is good too

I am in the process of completely re-arranging the power circuit on my Cerb for reasons given above.

Just look through all of the salvage TVRs in the classifieds here the amount that have been written off due to electrical fires is staggering.

If it aint electrical, it will be fuel related...



Edited by vroom on Tuesday 7th September 10:20
I thought the fuse was there to protect the cabling and battery in the case of an alternator failure and thus producing an overcurrent, hence it being located close to the Alternator.
The fuse in the valley to me is a good compromise. But what worries me is the unprotected cable run from the battery terminal.

Mine appears to run side by side the cooling pipes which are at ground (-ve).

I'm looking at a fuse / MCCB that will sit on or under the scuttle right next to the battery.

Alternative would be to put it in the -ve side of the battery to ground

I'll post up when I've done it and tested (short circuited) it!

Podie

46,649 posts

304 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
gruffalo said:
Far Eastender said:
FYI - just had my car services at STR8SIX and they replaced the 100 amp fuse with a 125 amp one.
+1
Excuse the numptyism - but is that safe?

The system can now draw a pretty significant amount more amperes... are there any risks associated with doing this?

mikethebike1127

Original Poster:

170 posts

200 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
OK....back to the point.......

A few years ago, I helped a mate of mine remove & replace the 3.9l V8 in his Range Rover. IIRC, there was no fuse between the alternator & the battery.
Same alternator on a Cerb.....why is there an in line fuse on the TVR & not on the RR??

ridds

8,372 posts

273 months

Tuesday 7th September 2010
quotequote all
The Cerbs electrics are very finikey. I've had all sorts of back feed issues since fitting LED rear bulbs on my car without the correct load resistors. When I had the hazards flashing the other day the Ignition would not de-latch!

I suspect that they found something odd back in the day when developing the car and hence whacked a fuse in there.