Fuses are available in any car and in many models of electrical engineering, because if a short circuit or overload occurs in electrical network, then the equipment may well fail.
Their main function is to open electrical circuit, in cases where the current strength in it exceeds all permissible values.
This means that fuses are able to provide effective protection for both electrical equipment and wiring.
If they are used, the risk of fire and short circuit is reduced to zero.
And the main advantage of fuses is that they cost a penny, but protect expensive equipment.
If the fuse fails, then its replacement is in no way associated with serious financial investments and installation difficulties.
True, you need to change a blown fuse to its nominal counterpart. For its defining characteristic is the strength of the current.
When the fuse is triggered, it becomes unusable, that is, it turns out that it takes over the entire electric shock that has arisen in the network.
There are more powerful fuses, the action of which does not apply to a separate electrical appliance or a small electrical network.
And for one or more rooms, or even an apartment.
The strength of the current and its effect on the operation of the fuse
In cases where the current strength has an effective value that exceeds the allowable value, the fuse works one hundred percent.
And in the circuit of each individual equipment, a personal fuse is installed, which has the appropriate rating.
When a fusible insert, designed for a lower current strength, is installed in an electrical circuit, it is able to operate even at a reduced current strength.
Of course, such a fuse can provide protection to other devices, but it will only need to be changed more often.
And when a fusible insert is installed, designed for a higher current strength, no one will guarantee that the current passing through the circuit may be higher than allowed for devices.
This means that these devices will simply burn out, and the fuse will not do its job.
Fuse replacement specifics
To replace the insert with a fuse, you must first find out the cause of its burnout.
Usually, such an unpleasant phenomenon is observed when the integrity of the wires is violated or as a result of equipment failure.
In case of malfunctions of the generator and electrical networks, blown fuses are also possible.
It is very easy to determine which fuse has blown, even without special devices: if there is a suspicion that a particular fuse has blown, you just need to remove it from the socket, and put, for example, a screwdriver in its place.
How not to do.
The equipment turned on in advance must be turned off in an arbitrary sequence.
The electrical part of the car includes fuses that are designed to protect the electrical circuit in case of any breakdown. How do they look? Every driver saw the fuse box, and most car owners periodically faced the need to replace these elements. But often there are other situations when not just a fuse has blown, but such a misfortune occurs regularly. It is not good. Let's try to figure out the reasons and find out how you can fix the situation.
The main reasons for the failure of the fuses
There are several underlying reasons. Some of them are very serious, others are quite simple and banal. For example, a typical situation is when a fuse installed in the parking light circuit fails. As soon as the driver turns on these lights, they immediately go out. And the reason in this case is completely simple and ridiculous - it burned out because it had less power. Let's try to highlight the main reasons why these elements fail and spoil the life of car owners.
Bad connection
When the fuse element of the car's electrical circuit is poorly connected to the block, if the contacts of the element are not fixed enough, then there is a high chance that the plastic parts of the fuse will melt. Such an element will definitely fail.
In order to solve this problem, experts recommend purchasing a product from another company that is better known as a manufacturer of components for automotive electrics.
But replacing the element with a better and more expensive one does not always solve the problem. Oxidized burnt contacts can cause sparks. This contributes to the failure of the fuse. And it doesn’t matter what quality the installed element is, what power it has. Sometimes you need to first clean the contacts and improve the connection, and then install a new fuse.
Wear
Many people think that fusible elements burn out instantly and immediately. This is a popular misconception - in fact, everything is a little different. In a critical situation, when there really is a overvoltage, the part will burn out immediately. However, when all parameters in the electrical network are within the normal range or only slightly exceed the norm, the fuse part of the fuse may blow out little by little.
The cross section decreases every time even with slight overloads. At one point, the part will completely collapse. That's why the fuse blows - it's not necessary to completely disassemble the entire machine. The reasons may be quite simple.
Incorrect choice
And this is also a simple reason, but it also leads to unpleasant situations. It is not uncommon for shop assistants to not know well what they are selling. Also, not every car owner knows the laws by which they work. electrical circuits. Often there is a situation when the fuse is incorrectly selected according to the current in the network. As a result, it cannot withstand the load in the circuit in which it was included. It is necessary to apply current, and the fuse is blown.
Power surges
Power surges can occur in the on-board network of vehicles in which safety elements operate.
Due to these surges, fuses can also fail. This can be observed when the electric motor is blocked, on which the elements of the electrical on-board network depend.
Scheme violation
If the fuse is blown, it is worth looking for errors and irregularities in the supply of current to the circuit. When electricity flows through a smaller circuit than the manufacturer intended, the resistance drops. So, a larger current will pass through the element, and not the one for which it is designed. Most automotive electrics are not designed for high loads. Therefore, fuses are used there, which in case of critical situations will save electronic devices.
Short circuits
This is one of the big reasons. If they somehow come into contact with opposite polarities, then a short circuit occurs. For this reason, the stove fuse often blows. And it will burn until the owner replaces or insulates the damaged wires.
Short circuits can occur anywhere in the vehicle's electrical system. Many complain that the fuse that protects the cigarette lighter fails. The first step is not to disassemble the connector, remove it and go for a new one. Everything can be much easier.
If the cigarette lighter, then the matter may be in the high power of the device that is connected to this cigarette lighter. Also, the matter may be in the quality of contacts. Often, the adapters are Chinese, and the quality of the contacts in them is very low. It is recommended that before applying radical measures, first carefully examine the design of the cigarette lighter and find weakness. Usually there are such places - a short circuit can easily happen in them. It is necessary to carefully examine the contacts and, if possible, somehow isolate them. Usually, after the weak point is found and the cause of the short circuit is resolved, the cigarette lighter fuse no longer blows.
Diagnostics
The cost of fuses is very affordable. Most people carry them with them - there is a whole set in the trunk. They can be easily installed in the block if necessary. The situation when the fuse fails is quite normal, since even the most reliable circuit is not protected from voltage and current surges. If these burnouts happen very often, then a thorough diagnosis is needed.
If any of the fuses burns as soon as it is installed in the circuit, then the first step is to find out which device leads to this. To do this, it is worth looking into the technical documentation for the car to find out which devices are in the circuit with this fuse. Then include all consumers that are in interaction with this element.
Next, they take a screwdriver with a well-insulated handle and its metal part touches the terminals in which the element is installed. If there is a spark, then there is a malfunction in the circuit. Turn off one of the electrical appliances and touch the terminal again. When the spark does not jump, it will become clear why the fuse has blown. The last disconnected device is at fault.
on the road?
If the problem happened right in the process of driving, and there is no spare fuse, then the situation can still be solved with the help of improvised means. Instead of a safety element, you can use a piece of foil from a pack of cigarettes.
It's paper foil. It is so thin that in the event of a short circuit it will burn out in the same way as the VAZ fuse blows. This will not only improve the operation of the on-board network, but also protect the circuit from overloads. Some use wire, but it doesn't provide that protection. Coins, paper clips, as well as other metal inserts in case of a critical situation will remain intact. But the device, which is protected by a fuse, will fail. There is a second option, but it will require minimal knowledge of car electrics. So, if any important fuse has burned out, you can take the protective element of the cigarette lighter and install it instead of the burnt one.
How to buy a quality fuse?
These elements for cars are much lower than the electrical equipment they are supposed to protect. Therefore, experts do not recommend saving on their purchase. It is better not to give preference to inexpensive dubious models. You need to purchase only those products where all parameters are perfectly met.
Since there is no way to check each of the elements from unknown brands, when purchasing a similar product, it is better to pay attention to the products of the companies that produce them. Among the most famous manufacturers. Reviews mark Bosch, Hella, Vibe and Sound Quest. When buying products from an unknown company, you should first check them, and only then install them on the machine. You can check it simply - a new element is connected to the battery. If it burned out immediately, then the product is of high quality. If, during a short circuit, the product does not burn out, but melts, then it is better not to put it on the machine - it will not be able to protect electrical appliances in case of increased current.
How to replace?
Replacing a burnt element is quite simple. For this, you do not need to have specialized tools and knowledge. First you need to find a location given element. Where can he be? And the fuses are located in different places. In some cars they are under the hood, in others - in the area of \u200b\u200bthe front torpedo. They are hidden under a cover. After opening it, you can remove the burnt element with two fingers and install a new one in the same way.
Conclusion
These are all the main reasons. The fuse blows - so you need to look for a problem. It can be as simple and banal as it is complex, and it will not be easy to find it. It is best to have new protective elements in stock. Then you do not have to hiccup foil, candy wrappers or paper clips. You can see the fuse and move on.
When a fuse blows in a car, none of the car owners, as a rule, "bothers" about it, well, it's blown, so what? We’ll put a new one ... In principle, the way it is, the fuse already says by its name that it protects something from something. Burning, the fuse saves expensive automotive equipment from failure and damage.
But if you look at the root of the problem and "dig" deeper, then the question of why the fuse is lit will be much more serious than it seems.
Why does a fuse blow? This comes from an overload of voltage in the on-board electrical network of the car, due to a short circuit of the wires, some device, moisture and other sources that can cause an overload.
A fuse that has a belt at the points of contact with the terminals with which it contacts will sometimes overshoot current, or it may not exist at all, since in such cases the contact is very poor, or it does not exist at all. In such cases, a completely “whole”, at first glance, fuse with a whole strip will be inoperative, because no current will flow through the belt.
Actual:
If you immediately get a blown fuse again after replacing the fuse, do the following. Turn off all consumers in turn, for which this fuse is responsible. Then, to check, touch the tips of the fuse mounting terminals with a screwdriver, seeing a spark, continue turning off, after each new shutdown, check the spark. By disconnecting the consumer that has problems, you will return the circuit protection to working condition, after which the fuse will no longer blow. Provided that you repair a faulty device that caused a short circuit and burnout.
Many install the so-called "bugs", a wire that does not burn out, or install a coin instead of a fuse. This solves the problem of a blown fuse, but does not solve the problem of protection from damage. expensive device and the circuit itself from high voltage. In addition, this is fraught with fire and melting of wiring and insulation, as a result, instead of a blown fuse, you will get huge problems and, most likely, a non-working car.
It happens that during a long trip the fuse is on, but there is no spare at hand and there is nowhere to buy it. In this case, cigarette foil or chocolate foil will help you out, or use a thin wire. This will allow you to reach the nearest auto shop or bus station, at the first opportunity, replace the “home-made bug” with a high-quality fuse of the required rating and continue your movement.
The role of fuses in a car is very significant. They perform a protective function, protect expensive electrical appliances from short circuits, from unexpected power surges. By saving any electrical appliance, the fuse sacrifices itself and stops functioning, blowing out. To restore the previous operation of a certain electrical device in a car, you just need to replace the corresponding fuse. But there are times when the fuse blows too often. In this regard, it makes sense to think about whether everything is in order with the automotive wiring? If you are interested in why this or that fuse blows in a car, then you will find the answer in this article.
The main causes of a blown fuse
Among the main reasons why the cigarette lighter fuse or some other consumer of electricity burns out, there may be both very serious and quite banal ones. For example, let's analyze a situation where the fuse of the dimensions blows. One has only to turn on the car light, as it immediately goes out. And the reason can be completely ridiculous - the installed fuse has less power than is necessary for correct operation.
Let's say the passing current is 15 A, and the fuse is rated for 12 A. Of course, it will melt, since it is not designed for such a current. That's why it is necessary to install fuses only with the power that meets the requirements. In no case, as you already understood, do not install fuses with less power, and even more so with more.
In addition, if the fuse in your car blows constantly, then the fault may lie in the electrical circuit itself. Suppose the contacts on which the fuse sits are in poor condition. Soot appears on them, or the fuse has a poor fixation. As a result of poor contact, sparks occur, which contributes to blowing the fuse. And it doesn’t matter how high-quality and powerful the fuse you put in, it will still blow out until you get rid of the problem that has arisen, that is, you don’t clean the contacts.
The most serious problem is, of course, a short circuit. For example, two wires with opposite polarities are in contact, as a result of which such a phenomenon occurs. In this case, do not be surprised if your cabin heater fuse constantly blows, because until you replace the wires or isolate them, the situation will remain unchanged.
And of course, fuses can melt due to their poor quality. These are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Therefore, do not skimp and buy too cheap and unknown fuses.
Here we are with you and sorted out the most common problems of blown fuses. It is worth noting: if replacing a blown fuse with a new one and cleaning the contacts did not work, the best solution would be to contact a qualified car service. With electricity, jokes are bad, because in such cases, your car is at great risk of fire.
Checking the functionality of the fuse
There are two ways by which you can check the performance of automotive fuses. The first is to extract them and visually diagnose, which is not entirely reliable. In this case, the use of a tester is implied. When checking the fuse with a tester, it must be set to check the continuity of the circuit. If the fuse is intact, the tester needle will tend to zero, which means zero resistance.
The second method of determining a blown fuse is a more convenient method than in the first case, and when using it, the fuse does not have to be removed from its socket. You will need a tester to test them. Turn on the idle circuit, and then, in turn, touch the probe to the fuse terminals. If there is voltage on one terminal and no voltage on the other, then the fuse is defective.
You must replace a defective fuse with a similar one that is rated for the same amount of current. Do not use "bugs" - they can damage the electrical equipment of the car. Even factory fuses can be defective and do not burn out when short circuit but simply melt.
To test them, you need to destroy one fuse. Wind it around the wire leads, and then touch the battery. A high-quality one will burn out immediately, and such a fuse can be safely used in a car.
To protect your car's new fuses during a short circuit, you need to find out the reason why it appeared. To do this, check the wiring for damaged insulation. Be especially careful when inspecting the places where the wires come into contact with the body. During the movement of the car, a repeated circuit will occur, so you need to understand, detect and eliminate its cause in a timely manner.
Replacing a blown fuse
Replacing a fuse in a car is actually not a difficult procedure, you just need to strictly adhere to a number of rules:
1. Find the correct fuse. This is perhaps the most difficult, given the lack of information about its location. Moreover, for a certain electrical system There may be multiple fuses.
2. Take it out. Sometimes this is quite problematic to do without special tools, for example, tongs. Due to the increase in the number of electronic modules in the car, the number of fuses is constantly growing, and there is no more space in it. That's why this problem solved by reducing the size of the fuses themselves. This leads to the fact that it becomes almost impossible to easily get them, hook them and take them out with your fingers. But, for example, in Ford cars, there are special tongs in the fuse box covers for removing them.
3. Make sure the fuse is blown. You can find out by looking at it. Often, today fuses are made of transparent plastic, through which a thin wire is visible, which melts in a faulty element, and this is clearly visible through the plastic.
4. Install the correct fuse in the correct location. The main thing is to install a similar fuse in the same socket where the failed “brother” was located. Fuses are available in different colors - blue, red, yellow, on which various numbers are written - 3, 5, 15, 20, 25, 30 and so on. This is the denomination. Never install a fuse of a different rating, this is important! If you removed the blue 30 amp fuse, then don't use 40 or 20 amps. This can result in costly repairs. Set it exactly the same as it was. They took out the blue at 30, which means insert a new blue at 30! There is nothing difficult in this!
The second important task is to place the removed fuse in the same place where you took out the old burnt one. It may sound funny, but in the dark, or with poor eyesight, people sometimes fall into the wrong nests, and the results of this are sometimes strange, but often deplorable. The fact is that in modern cars, fuses are in boxes along with electronic modules. By putting the fuse in a different place, you can make the module work differently, and the car may start to behave strangely, for example, you will not be able to turn off the engine when the headlights are on, or when the ignition is turned on, the headlights, power windows or something else will not work for a couple of minutes. anything.
That's all. Enough simple rules which can be adopted and which can save you time and money. It is best to have complete fuses from those that are used in your car, a flashlight in order to replace the fuse at night, pliers if you cannot remove the fuse with your fingers and perhaps a magnifying glass if you have poor eyesight and You can't see the fuse number and rating on it.
It is difficult to underestimate the role of fuses in the car, which are able to protect the electrical circuit of the car from failure in the event of a malfunction. Every driver saw the fuse box, many were faced with the need to replace these elements of the electrical circuit. But the situation in which the fuses regularly blow out cannot be considered normal, and you should figure out what is the reason for their failure.
Causes of blown car fuses
Each car fuse, located in the block and outside it, is responsible for the stability of a particular electrical circuit. If it burned out, then a malfunction has occurred, which may be single or develop into a trend. There are several main reasons that lead to the failure of fuses:
If one or more electrical appliances in the car stop working, the first thing to do is. Their failure leads to a break in the circuit, due to which the current stops flowing to the equipment, and it does not function.
Since the price of fuses is more than affordable, many motorists carry with them a whole set of such elements that can be installed in an electrical circuit if necessary. A blown fuse is a normal situation, since no electrical circuit is protected from current and voltage surges. However, when the fuse blows regularly, you should not only think about diagnosing the electrical components of the car, but also carry it out as quickly as possible.
If the fuse blows almost immediately after it is installed in the circuit, it is necessary to determine which device is causing such problems. For this:
After the faulty component of the electrical circuit is identified, it must be repaired or replaced.
Automotive fuses are hundreds of times cheaper than the equipment they protect. That is why it is not recommended to save money when buying fuses, giving preference to dubious models. It is necessary to buy only such circuit protection elements, the parameters of which are ideally observed.
Since it is not possible to check each specific fuse from an unknown manufacturer, when buying such elements of an electrical circuit, you should pay attention to the brands that produce them. Among the most well-known companies that produce quality fuses are Bosch, Hella, Vibe, Hollywood, CarPoint and SoundQuest.
When purchasing a lot of fuses from an unknown manufacturer, do not be too lazy to check them before installing them in a car. To do this, short-circuit a new fuse to the battery, and pay attention to its behavior. If it instantly blows, then the fuse is of high quality, and it will be able to break the circuit if a current flows through it that exceeds its parameters. In the event that, during a short circuit to the battery, the fuse does not blow out, but begins to melt, you should be wary of installing it in a car - it will not be able to instantly break the circuit, and destructive increased current will begin to flow to electrical appliances.
