Years back a bloke I used to work with wanted some of those motorised yellow flashing/spinning lights on the roof of his tipper truck. I offered to fit them but he didn't trust me to do it, "Better get a professional to do it" he said.. So the first day he had them he parked his truck up in the road with the lights on all proud and that. Next thing we know there's smoke coming out the dash. We put the fire out after a fashion but it was all a bit melty. The -twat- professional at the garage put everything through a tiny 10A switch fed direct of the battery, no relay, no fuses.. "Good thing you got a professional to do it ain't it Kev?". "Fuck off" he said.
I say it all the time, just cause someone does it for a living, doesn't mean they are good at it. We have all had an idiot coworker who doesn't know how to do shit.
I did that once and I learned my lesson when I saw my switch starting to smoke lol since then I never wire anything without a fuse or a relay with it even if they were little tiny lights I put it to a fuse and relay.
I repaired at least a couple dozen Harley harnesses when those killer loud 140db electric air horns were popular. They came with a relay and wiring diagram, but the so called experts knew for sure that the 18 gauge wire for the factory horn was enough for those little blasters (over 10A load!) $10 parts, 2 hrs labor, easy clean work. 14 gauge wire and a $5 relay would have been a lot better up front than as a repair. Funny, I haven’t seen one of those horns in a few years now......
The most important part is it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of link you have. Be it a fusable link that melts. Or a fuse that pops and can be replaced. Or even circuit breakers “like in a house” Those are my favorite but most expensive. But! Great for testing. Just don’t be tempted to hold the switch down to try and get home
Ever seen an ammeter catch on fire ? It's pretty cool. I've heard of it , and then got to see it live in my buddies Cutlass one day while we were sitting at a light. And it was near his left knee. I was able to reach under and bust the wires off and we got it out , tied the wires together and rode home. I hate ammeters , I'll take a volt gauge any day.
Grabbing a wire that is shorting is dangerous. I was using welding wire to test a circuit, and accidentally shorted it and it touched my hand. Yay another blister! You fit right in here!
I had a 73 cuda that had the amp meter in the dash short out and kill the car dead and wouldn't start afterwards. It didnt blow the fusible link. Just a loose wire at the back of the amp meter. Friggin lucky.
@@fastinradfordable Haha I did that once , I had a jumper wire I was testing with on the + for the battery , I slipped and it touched the core support and started smoking. Like hell I'm letting it melt to the plastic grille below it. Burned me right in the index finger at the first joint and almost stuck my tip of my finger in a bend, like it was tight for a few days to straighten that end of my finger out. Saved a 125$ grille though 🤣
@@simplyfred8044 Hell yea ,cause the one in my buddies Cutlass actually had flames brewing inside behind the glass. Haha it was assholes and elbows as I ran around to the other side and pulled him out and started to rip the wires off the back. Didn't get burned but it was an exciting moment. Then the light turned green and we had 50 cars beeping at us as we pushed it to the roadside.
Uncle Tony, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your videos! I have learned a great deal in the last few months randomly watching your videos here and there, you have a knack for explaining things in a way that anyone with basic knowledge can understand and fully comprehend. Thank you!!
Along time ago I spent days hunting down a no start condition on my Jeep comanche to finally find it was fuseible link burned inside the insulation...taught me to start troubleshooting at the battery to the issue from then on out.
For me it was dad's 76 F250.. it kept burning the damn things, and finally I tracked down the problem, but its been 34 years so I can't remember what it was. So when it happened on the 67 Cougar, I knew exactly what it was. Have never had a problem like that with my Pontiacs, but man the Fords sure had gremlins in them.
When I used to drive mopars of that vintage I always found that the starter solenoid and the electronic ign. box had to be regrounded BC Chrysler used the body for the ground and rust would cause all kinds of electrical problems.
That's a good question because I have always wondered about those grounding strips that drag on the ground. In order to actually 'ground' your car otherwise its sitting on 4 insulating rubber tires ? Where does the electricity go once its "inside" the frame if your car ?
@@matthewb7049 It goes through the negative cable to the battery. That's why it's called a circuit. If you follow the negative side of the battery the strap is screwed to the frame. PS. Some older cars were positive ground. The positive cable went to the frame.
twisted dome They “grounders” that drag are for static electricity. When electricity grounds in your cars system that just means it’s on its way back to the battery. You could run a separate ground wiring harness if you wanted and actually make it so the body of your car would not complete the circuit to the battery. And that might actually be the safest option. Won’t save you from a failed alternator though!
Just talked to my mechanic. He said to check my fusible link to my chevy 454. I lost all power. Sure enough... I've never heard tell of these. Always seen em. Never knew what they were for. I was gonna replace with solid wire with no fusible link but THIS video just kept me from doing that. The 454 is in my 32' RV that I live in.
The fusible link is so important. I think that on these older cars it's also a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the car too. One thing I've seen with the few Chrystlers is that the legs on the ammeter gauge will burn and melt off some of the time even with a fusible link. Honestly having the ammeter as part of the charging circuit for the car is really asking for trouble. It can work flawlessly or your car can burn to the ground. I just disconnected the ammeter on my roadrunner. I'd rather manually check the battery voltage every once in a while with a multimeter. Keep one in the on-board toolbox I keep in the trunk anyway.
Smart people that drive and old Chrysler "ALWAYS" carry one in their glove box. Chrysler should have put an extra one in at the glove box at the factory. It is as needed as much as a spare tire! I remember when I was about 13 and I saw a bunch of adults around the hood of a Chrysler that wouldn't start. Nobody could figure it out. I had seen my older brother diagnose his car days earlier as a bad ballast resistor. They were saying they checked points and fuel but it still wouldn't start. I removed the wires from the ballast resistor and held them together. I said OK, start it up! An adult said you mean, try to start it ??? I said NO! Start it up...... The car fired up and everybody looked amazed or dumbfounded. I said just replace this ballast resistor and walked away like it was nothin'. I got to feel like a genius for a day. 😲 😂 😃 😀
yeah the ballast resistors amazing you almost think it's a fuel pump at first. just a simple thing with Chrysler to you just unscrewa couple of hex screws into the firewall switch it out plug the new one in and it fires right up. they truly are weird how they can do that and people that don't know anything about mopars back in the day get towed in the shops and everything.. and It happened One night after seeing movie back in the eighties I'll never forget it. first Chrysler product of the 70s I owned acted like the fuel pump with bad just said they're turned over and turned over just wouldnt start. guy with a big old Monaco walked over here. proceed to take the ballast resistor out pluged the new one in and started right up.gave him five bucks at the time I'll never forget it. Went home ever since that time I said that's unbelievable he said they'll go out when you least expect them to. from that point on I always kept a spare ballast resistor in the glove box on all three of the Mopar cars back then
My father would only buy Chrysler Corp. cars and when I was a child in the late 1970's we had 3 Mopars with the electronic ignition. The oldest was a 1974 Valiant which my Mother drove ( we also had a 1976 Dodge pickup and my Fathers new 1979 Chrysler Le Baron) and it left me and her stranded one day while we were shopping. A good samaritan that happened to also have a Valiant offered to help. He got his spare ballast resistor and crescent wrench out of his trunk and changed it out in less than 1 minute. The car started right up. He told my mother to buy a few extras and keep them in the car along with a wrench. My mother did just that and I quickly learned how to change them out. It turns out that the aftermarket ones didn't last long at all ( about 6 months to 1 year ) but were about 1/4 the price of an OEM unit. My mother finally got wise and spent the extra money on 2 factory ones. These lasted at least 3 to 4 years each. We had one still in the box in the glove compartment when we sold the car in 1985 because my Father bought a '85 New Yorker Turbo for my Mother as an anniversary present. When the new owner called us in 3 weeks complaining that the car wouldn't start, we told him about the spare resistor. He called back 15 minutes later and said that the car ran and everything was good.
Ok, one year later, I now understand the term fusible link. I was confusing it with an inline fuse. Just changed the Alt upgrade to 100 amp, with new starter solenoid. Putting in a fusible link 4 awg sizes smaller. 8 gauge Alt wire to solenoid now protected with a 12 gauge fusible link. Cheap and easy. Thanks Tony.
Discovered the fusible link on my 66 Mustang when I was a kid. Got really familiar that damn wire until I discovered the problem with the starter relay.
On older cars during an electrical upgrade like dual cooling fans or more, I install ANL fuses used mostly in the audio world but found on new cars and trucks. 100 amp to starter, 100 amp to alternator, ground wire like a 4/0 to the block. The fuse links are mostly 3, fuse box, ignition switch and key. Some have four but install a 40 amp in a distribution block one at a time. With an amp clamp, find what circuits it operates and turn everything on with the engine running. Full field the alternator and test current. If 35-38 amps, go 10 amps higher so it is changed to 50. Next maybe 30 amps, another 40 amp. Allowing for in-rush current and heat from under hood. Fuses are heat detectors not amperage detectors. DK, ASE master tech since 78
I had the fusible link go out on my 77 Impala years ago luckily I was at work where I fixed it but wow I totally did forget about the fusible link until you just brought it up Uncle Tony
I had the interior wiring harness burn on my 64 Valiant in Georgetown Colorado. The alternator had failed and overcharged the system. Someone had removed the key fusable link. Fortunately I figured it out fast and emptied the fire extinguisher under the dash as my wife screamed at me. I stopped along the road and pulled the battery cable off bare handed. I saved the car. A friend sent me a under dash harness out a wrecked four door. Your emphasis on the fuseable link is right on point.
Absolutely True, I had a short when using jumper cables and it took out the fusable link on my alternator. I knew it was there and I haven't replaced it yet. Thank you for the reminder Uncle Tony!
That's the exact reason why I did away with the factory amp meter and ran a volt meter in its place when I changed over to an internally regulated alternator.
i swapped out the instrument cluster in my 77 chevy K10...... old one was a volt meter..... "new" one was a drain / charge meter . started up the truck..... and smelled melted plastic.... and the guages were all fucked took it back apart... . and the "printed circuit board" on the back of the cluster was all melted. . thought about it for a second..... and then realized a volt and amp meter are wired COMPLETELY differently
My dad purchased a 1980 D150. Loved it, I learned to drive in it. It wasn't many years before the electrical system went nuts. Easily repairable back then because the correct parts were available but everything took turns on it. A few years ago I purchased a 79 PW. I've never seen a fried up harness like it in my life. The more I dug into it the more I found burned. The previous owner spent thousands trying to repair it. Unless you're going for all original show quality on one rewire it, update the charging and ignition system and even loose the old ammeter.
Its that $5.00 part that can save the day, yet many will replace them with a butt connector. I enjoy you level of common sense Tony. Keep fighting the good fight!!
Its videos like this that i can appreciate on youtube. A simple quick video that touches on a very important topic. My 91 mustang had a rigged up speaker wire hooked to the starter solenoid. Ling story short the wire started smoking. Fusible links are very important for these old cars. Great video Bud 👍🏼🇺🇸
Hell yes. I just re-did the harness on my 76 Dodge van. Soldered all of the bulkhead, bypassed the ammeter, installed a circuit breaker and a new fuse block! Works like a charm
Another great video UT! My brother lost a sweet stock '72 Barracuda to a dashboard fire. We never found out why, but it's completely feasible, as UT explained, that a former owner replaced the fusible link with plain wire. Also related to this topic, is that manufacturers stopped using amp meter gauges as alternator amp output climbed over the years. My understanding has been that amps became too high to safely have beneath the dashboard. Chrysler Corp was known for giving customer's an amp meter and I think due to that they were somewhat of a hold out on switching over to volt meters the other manufacturer's were using. As I recall, the last use of Chrysler Corp amp meters was when they're alternators were still at 35 amps output. Please correct me if I'm off on this.
Good info to know for people learning older cars/trucks. I will stress one point heavily to anybody with a classic car or newer. GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, this can also limit the chances of your car burning to the ground.
Uncle Tony, this is a much needed video! I’m chasing down a dead circuit on my 97 S10 that is keeping the HVAC from getting power. There is nothing at the fuse block at all. I found out about fusible links by chasing down this bad wire. I still haven’t found it and am about to pull the dash to find it. But thanks again for the Video!
You're barking up the wrong tree chasing fusible links for that issue. Anyway The heater/AC fuse in that truck is powered from the ignition switch which is common to fail. So head to the ignition switch and begin your diagnosis there. The only thing a fusible link has to do with the HVAC is the high speed blower position. Incidentally, there are no fusible links placed inside the passenger compartment on any vehicle for what should be obvious reasons. Fire.
BERPSU1 thanks for the tip. I probably didn’t say it correctly. I found out about fusible links researching where to chase wires. I didn’t know about them until recently. I’ll head to the ignition switch and start there. Thanks!
The 90 cummins I had wore a hole in the harness against the firewall over the booster. Had a fuse panel for the headlight relays, added a fuse and bypassed the ignition fusible link. Ran it for 10 years with minimal trouble, new owner pulled the new fss and added a shutoff cable, probably just needed a fuse. Likely drilled the uncracked dash, too.
I was driving my 66 Wildcat today when I found that the radio would cut out intermittently, for about 5 minutes. I pulled up to a light and the car just stalled, nothing. I actually checked the fusible llink right away (techie). It was good,.... hmm... what now. Battery has power, no power to the inside. Posts are tight and have grease to stop corrosion. Now what? On a lark, I pulled on the negative cable and got a click. Another 2 minutes to run a screw into the post where the cable goes in and back in business. Drive to Canadian Tire, buy new cable. Don't mess around with wiring!
Battery cables are the trickyest, I think people just overlook them because of the bulkyness and the usually nice looking colored jacket they have. I have been making my own out of purchased high quality componants for the last bit, too many chinesium premade cables around anymore.
The one on my Dart just got corroded and opened up one day. I bought a larger guage fusible link bulk wire and replaced it. I think the original was 20 amp and I stepped up to 40 amp wire. It is the last line of defense before a electrical fire from a dead short, otherwise it's the wiring that has to burn open to kill the circuit. I also added a 100 amp alternater from a cop diplomat and so far haven't melted anything down but the amp gauge is sure active on first start. In fact many times the gauge will go bad and you'll have all kinds of issues with headlights and the ignition not working right till you replace or bypass it. A shop here actually ran a hot bypass wire on the 71 Scamp my buddy had that issue with because they couldn't figure out the voltage issues it had. That fixed it but I bought the car later and replaced the Guage in the cluster and left the bypass wire because I had put a100 amp alt in it too for safety. The guage always read about half the actual charging current but everything worked well. When I run stereo wiring I always put a 20 amp fuse in line right after the hot hookup too and it has saved my stereo and car a couple of times when wires cut and shorted.
@Lassi Kinnunen like several have said it will take a bit of over amperage compared to what it's rated at so little glitch doesn't blow it up and stop you dead. I would also add from experience that the fuse and holders can get corroded with enough time depending on the weather proof quality of the holder. Of course I think modern blade fuses hold better but it still happens. A fuse equivalent would probably be a slow blow version as they'll take minor spikes without popping.
Uncle Tony, sound advice. It’s a 20 dollar replacement part that can leave your stranded. Trust me. Been there. Also a spare ballast resistor, and wheel bearings will leave your when you need them most. I would like to see you discuss how the Ammeter bulkhead bypass works on Mopars, as well as how to limp your car home when it is stuck on the side of the road. Jumper wires and basic troubleshooting. Valuable stuff for the glovebox.
Was originally going to leave a smartass comment because of the title. Nope not this time, fire was involved. Glad you two made it home safe, and the car too.
Not a bad idea, but if one wants an ammeter, there is a better way. Mount that resistor (called a shunt resistor) under the hood, in the best place, electrically and mechanically, and then run the "voltmeter wires" to the gauge. That way, all that current isn't going into the car to go through the ammeter and then back out again. My boss' old Dodge van had a bad ammeter connection in the dash, and the damn thing would always stop running at the worst times.
@@colemanadamson5943 Same here. I like to know what my charging rate is. My Jeep already had a voltmeter as part of the factory gauge package, then I added a 100-amp ammeter (it has a 100-amp alternator).
That’s why I always run a 10awg wire from the alternator out put to the positive terminal on the starter relay to bypass the under dash wiring on older Mopars.
Great advice! Wish I had heard it about a year ago. Someone did some rewiring on my '56 Chevy and an ignition wire caught fire going down the road. My dash gauges reacted just like you described. I was lucky that I got pulled over and got it put out quickly, but not before giving my hand a serious burn.
Tony, you offer some of the best advice on RUclips and this video was one of the best. The devil is in the details. The little things will getcha. Awesome.
Aka ammeter. I installed a Rally-pac gauge package after taking delivery of my '69 AMX. It was a dealer-installed option back in the day. Included was an ammeter, which is a real ammeter. It's hooked in series with the charging system, and a fusible link is included. And yes, I put it in.
1968 Dodge Coronet 318 alternator went bad. I had a good alternator from a 1974 Challenger... Rewired it from a schematic from the interweb so I could use this alternator... This keeps your main power under the hood... Also had 2 add fusible link purchased fusible link at AutoZone in a roll with the correct value that it called for... This is good for safety on a old car with old wiring
Amazing how many years it took Chrysler to figure out how to put a shunt circuit on the amp gauge so they weren't running all that power though the instrument cluster. My 84 D350 Crew cab has about 6 fuseable links in the harness. They are notoriously problematic with age. I redid that entire section and installed a fuse panel load center to protect the wiring like what is used on more modern cars. If there is an issue just pop a new fuse in and back on the road. Much easier than patching up a harness with new fuse wire.
Old fusible links are often the problem when all of a sudden the starter won't work, headlights just stop, and so on. There used to be a book called 'how to wire your hot rod' available at most swap meets that gave alot of information on fusible links and proper use.
When I worked at the parts store and people would come in without power or no starts but claimed everything else was good we sometimes would mention a fuesable link , and ask if they checked it. Almost Everytime the response was "what's that".
By all means install fuse able links in your car. I know that on a vintage car the fuel tanks also are vented just out of the fuel tank and will spill fuel out with stop and go driving, if over filled, and if your exhaust are turned down in front of the rear axle, your could catch the car on fire. Don't ask me how I know, I just know that it can. If you have a vintage car you should always have a fire extinguisher immediately available to you.
Yeah that sounds about normal.... The minute you put a fresh coat of paint on a car that's when everything starts breaking down or somebody runs into you or you have an accident or the car Burns to the ground. This is why I never paint any of my cars anymore
Thanks for the explanation uncle Tony. I've been working on a 72 dodge w100 and been trying to figure out why someone rewired the charging system poorly. They removed the voltage regulator, disconnected the amp gauge, and went with a "1 wire set up" and installed new wires without the fusible link. I know what to lookout for now and what to do to do it right. Thank you Uncle Tony!
Thanks for this Tony. I have never checked my 1970 Z28's fuse links. Not a Mopar I know... but nearly irreplaceable and wouid hate to lose it like that!
UT, not sure I would not completely rule out another theory as to why it burned. Granted it is a 35+ year old harness. Is that still running the Ammeter? May want to check it, as well as the main line in the steering column. It may be damaged as well.
I've seen the link burn up and get replaced with standard wire a guy had a big one ton dodge van and it burned up and he was telling me and I asked him if he replaced it with a fusible link he said he just used regular wire so I let him know it's a fusible link wire
The fusible links that are mounted at the bulkhead connector always seem to do significant damage, melting the connector when the wire burns up, a bigger problem now that those connectors are about 50 years old and not so easy to find in good condition. The aftermarket replacement links, do they need to be installed full length, usually around 6” or so, will cutting it shorter have an affect on it’s performance.
I have a 54 chevy 5700 coe with a 12 valve cummins. I rewired it with a Painless kit. On a long drive,the alternator started overcharging. At one point I got worried about the battery and, while the truck was running pulled off the cable from aternator to batt. About 4 miles down the road, cab fills with smoke! Since it was still spinning and creating its own exite-er signal,(i guess) it sent full juice through a little aluminum resistance wire that ran through the harness (trying to remember what that went to, but i replaced it with a diode and real wire)
We had a 89 Dodge daytona that the fusable link that burnt out. Took us forever to figure it out as it was the first time I got familiar with them. I hate those things.
I just subscribe a few days ago and been watching your videos, great channel by the way. 👍 I just watched this video and literally stop everything to make sure that fuselink was present. Thank you UTG.
Great video, as always. How about a follow up (‘cause you have all this free time!) on where to install a link and proper sizing of the link vs stock wire gauge?
I’ve been going through the exact same things on my 72 duster. Stock amp meter gauge melted so I bypassed it. I installed a new engine harness awhile back, and a few weeks ago the alt wire burnt up the fusible link and started burning the bulkhead connector. Luckily I caught it before it could get bad. I plan on re wiring the alternator to by pass the bulk head connector and the factory amp gauge and just run a aftermarket volt gauge. And I’ll be adding fusible link of course
Awesome Uncle Tony《☆》That's one problem I never had on either my 68 Barracuda or my 73 Dart sport🤓👍🏾Hoping it never happens but Thanks for sharing :*: Greetings from⛾Florida🤳my friend🤓🗣🔊☮✌👍🏾
The back half of the ignition switch in my ‘71 C/10 came apart a few years ago, exposing circuits that weren’t supposed to be exposed to each other, and it shorted across and fried the fusible link. Had it not done it’s job I probably would have been dealing with a fire in the cab.
The connections to these fusible links often become a problem when they get exposed to the elements and corrode over time. For that reason, many presume the problem is the fusible link itself, and go through the entire electrical system deleting every fusible link they can find, and replacing them with regular blade fuses or Maxi fuses. I am not in any way, shape or form an expert on electricity, but it seems to me there is a reason why electrical engineers designed these things with fusible links in the first place. Can someone explain this? I'd love to know why regular fuses wouldn't work. I've got two dead fusible link circuits I'm dealing with right now on my '93 Dodge D250. I was tempted to replace them with blade fuses, but decided to just get new fusible links instead. In one of these circuits, the fusible link had been cut out and replaced with regular wire by a previous owner, and although I've owned this truck for 14 years, I never knew it until now. I am so thankful I never had a short on that unprotected circuit.
Hi Gary. My '93 D250 smoked one of the orange 40 amp fusible links on the duckfoot as I pulled out of a parking space. For the short run I installed 10ga wire with a 40 amp auto resetable breaker since I cannot find where the short occurred. The short was drawing 100-300 amps when I jumpered the smoked fusible link with a remote starter switch and a current clamp. Found a great video on how to do this as a troubleshooting step. Almost found the short, but as I reached up to apply the current clamp to the next part of the wiring harness, I must have bumped it just right, and the short disappeared. I can't believe it. Not a sign of melted wire anywhere. I'm a big fan of factory engineering. I'll be putting in a new fusible link once I find where the short occurred.
Hey Uncle Tony's Garage!!, back then when they built those cars!, they ACTUALLY took pride in building and putting in REAL safety!!, for car and driver!!!👍👍😬😬😬
Having owned several old Dodge vans, first thing I did was eliminate that #10 alternator wire from the bulkhead connector. I would drill a hole in the firewall, add a grommet, and run a new wire up to the ammeter. Sometimes I would take it a step further and eliminate the ammeter altogether and install a voltmeter.
I had the same thing happen on my '69 Charger R/T. Nobody was able to figure why there wasn't any power. I knew right away it was the fusible link. I had a bad alternator.
There is also an auto resetable circuit breaker inside the headlight switch. This mostly only applies to the old pull to turn on headlight switches not the modern twist ones.
My car has a M&H factory replacement wiring harness on it so would it have them already on it? (1969 Roadrunner 383) Also I’m glad you made this video cause I’d say some of us younger guys working on a old car might’ve not thought about them.
Ok thank you I wasn’t sure I hadn’t heard of that company til I got this car and I should run across it cause I gotta pull the motor and trans out and rebuild the 383 and put a different 727 in it and I gotta sand all under the hood off and repaint it cause the previous owner didn’t sand hardly anything before he painted Thank y’all for tellin me
I hit a metallic candy wrapper on the hiway . The Mopar alternator , has a cooling impeller inside of it ,which shredded the wrapper and shorted out the magnetic field . Instrument panel harness melted and caught fire . I was able to pull over the disconnect the battery ground wire . My 64 pushbutton Fargo survived . I ate enough smoke , to have a sore throat that day
Amen - Amen - Amen!!!!! Woulda' lost my '72 Monte Carlo recently if I had not put one inline... Had/have a 50 amp fuse in fuse holder on the big Red Wire under hood... the one going from... or atleast inline from Alternator to Starter... and that rascal blew as I was driving down freeway. With the 50 amp fuse, it actually popped real loud, and melted the fuse link to the fuse.. I had to totally unsolder the fuse link from big red wire and resolder a new one in... Hell... No crimping for me... do not need oxidation to occur, etc.
My 1980 Chrysler has a ammeter in the dash, it crapped itself. The auto sparky bypassed it and also installed a new fusible link as the old fusible link was starting to look dodgy. Also my alternator has a built in regulator,Bosch unit I believe.
While back o was installing a new wiper motor on my 84 ram. Hooked uo the factory harness (havemt had wipers sine i bought the thing) and flicked the switch. Motor worked and i was about to put it back together, i saw tufts of snoke coming from my harness both at the wiped motor and at the fusable link. Of course i pull the switch, harness at the wiped motor, and battery to make sure i kill whats causing this. Ended up being a bad ground at the motor. I fix that, but now truck wont start. Fusable link went out. I jump a wire to make sure i was right (i was), and i fix it. But that day inlearned just how valuable that fusable link is. Also, idk if the wiring fod that motor is right. I kinda doubt. It. Truck has been fiddle fucked to death. Im hoping that when i do my engine rebuild i can take the time to redo the entire wirong harness to make sure its right
Look up Daniel Stern Electric, he shows you how to run all the heavy amperage within the engine compartment, none goes under the dash. Switch from alt gauge to a volt meter, no more wiring harness fires....also Daniel has a great headlight wiring to alternator setup with 50 amp fuses for protection to make your headlights brighter and safer (also see his CBIE headlight kits).
Is it possible to use an automotive fuse instead of a fusable link? From what I read, no. Not sure if it has to do with amperage, but once either one blows, connection is lost, and there's no threat of fire. Just looking for an opinion. 👍
You need to be a electrical engineer to figure out how long and what gauge to use. There’s no chart online that I know off that “breaks it down” for us. Glad you saved it dude! Larry
Has this happen on my bronco about two weeks ago alternator shorted out melted the plug and burnt the fuse able link luckily I had an extra alternator and found the wiring harness at the parts store replaced the link and everything is good now crazy how you just made this video lol
In my best Johnny Carson voice, "I did not know that."; mucho thankos for the tip!! My elderly chevy must have something? '63 BelAir?? Anything? Anything? BUELLER!!!
That hood latch gets more action than a public restroom.
999thenewman - My neighbor across the street has an old diesel Jetta. He opens the hood more than he does the drivers door. 😂
@@blipco5 😂😂 I feel attacked by these comments
Sounds like my 65 Valiant
I popped my hood latch til the rivets holding the latch on failed.
Then I bolted that mother f*cker down.
That b!tch is popped right. Now.
I got so tired of it I took the hood off lol
Years back a bloke I used to work with wanted some of those motorised yellow flashing/spinning lights on the roof of his tipper truck. I offered to fit them but he didn't trust me to do it, "Better get a professional to do it" he said.. So the first day he had them he parked his truck up in the road with the lights on all proud and that. Next thing we know there's smoke coming out the dash. We put the fire out after a fashion but it was all a bit melty. The -twat- professional at the garage put everything through a tiny 10A switch fed direct of the battery, no relay, no fuses.. "Good thing you got a professional to do it ain't it Kev?". "Fuck off" he said.
Laughing my ass off !
Kev ate a scissor kick to the back of the head on that one
I say it all the time, just cause someone does it for a living, doesn't mean they are good at it. We have all had an idiot coworker who doesn't know how to do shit.
I did that once and I learned my lesson when I saw my switch starting to smoke lol since then I never wire anything without a fuse or a relay with it even if they were little tiny lights I put it to a fuse and relay.
I repaired at least a couple dozen Harley harnesses when those killer loud 140db electric air horns were popular. They came with a relay and wiring diagram, but the so called experts knew for sure that the 18 gauge wire for the factory horn was enough for those little blasters (over 10A load!) $10 parts, 2 hrs labor, easy clean work. 14 gauge wire and a $5 relay would have been a lot better up front than as a repair. Funny, I haven’t seen one of those horns in a few years now......
Thank you uncle Tony. I did rewire my old car and didnt know i needed this. You probably just saved my baby.
The most important part is it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of link you have.
Be it a fusable link that melts.
Or a fuse that pops and can be replaced.
Or even circuit breakers “like in a house”
Those are my favorite but most expensive.
But! Great for testing. Just don’t be tempted to hold the switch down to try and get home
I had the same problem on my 70 Cuda. Overcharging. NEVER BY_PASS THE FUSIBLE LINK. EVER!
Ever seen an ammeter catch on fire ?
It's pretty cool.
I've heard of it , and then got to see it live in my buddies Cutlass one day while we were sitting at a light.
And it was near his left knee.
I was able to reach under and bust the wires off and we got it out , tied the wires together and rode home.
I hate ammeters , I'll take a volt gauge any day.
Grabbing a wire that is shorting is dangerous.
I was using welding wire to test a circuit, and accidentally shorted it and it touched my hand.
Yay another blister! You fit right in here!
I had a 73 cuda that had the amp meter in the dash short out and kill the car dead and wouldn't start afterwards. It didnt blow the fusible link. Just a loose wire at the back of the amp meter. Friggin lucky.
@@fastinradfordable
Haha I did that once , I had a jumper wire I was testing with on the + for the battery , I slipped and it touched the core support and started smoking.
Like hell I'm letting it melt to the plastic grille below it.
Burned me right in the index finger at the first joint and almost stuck my tip of my finger in a bend, like it was tight for a few days to straighten that end of my finger out.
Saved a 125$ grille though 🤣
@@simplyfred8044
Hell yea ,cause the one in my buddies Cutlass actually had flames brewing inside behind the glass.
Haha it was assholes and elbows as I ran around to the other side and pulled him out and started to rip the wires off the back.
Didn't get burned but it was an exciting moment.
Then the light turned green and we had 50 cars beeping at us as we pushed it to the roadside.
Uncle Tony, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your videos! I have learned a great deal in the last few months randomly watching your videos here and there, you have a knack for explaining things in a way that anyone with basic knowledge can understand and fully comprehend. Thank you!!
Glad everything is okay, Tony. I added a few fusible links to my former'63 imperial.
....or tap in circuit breaker...
Along time ago I spent days hunting down a no start condition on my Jeep comanche to finally find it was fuseible link burned inside the insulation...taught me to start troubleshooting at the battery to the issue from then on out.
For me it was dad's 76 F250.. it kept burning the damn things, and finally I tracked down the problem, but its been 34 years so I can't remember what it was. So when it happened on the 67 Cougar, I knew exactly what it was. Have never had a problem like that with my Pontiacs, but man the Fords sure had gremlins in them.
Always check the ground first, then the positive side.
When I used to drive mopars of that vintage I always found that the starter solenoid and the electronic ign. box had to be regrounded BC Chrysler used the body for the ground and rust would cause all kinds of electrical problems.
Electronic voltage regulator will need to be grounded due to rust also!
That's a good question because I have always wondered about those grounding strips that drag on the ground. In order to actually 'ground' your car otherwise its sitting on 4 insulating rubber tires ? Where does the electricity go once its "inside" the frame if your car ?
@@matthewb7049 It goes through the negative cable to the battery. That's why it's called a circuit. If you follow the negative side of the battery the strap is screwed to the frame. PS. Some older cars were positive ground. The positive cable went to the frame.
twisted dome
They “grounders” that drag are for static electricity.
When electricity grounds in your cars system that just means it’s on its way back to the battery.
You could run a separate ground wiring harness if you wanted and actually make it so the body of your car would not complete the circuit to the battery.
And that might actually be the safest option.
Won’t save you from a failed alternator though!
Thanks guys 👍
Time for many people to find this now before it's 2 AM and you 80 miles from home.
Just talked to my mechanic. He said to check my fusible link to my chevy 454. I lost all power. Sure enough... I've never heard tell of these. Always seen em. Never knew what they were for.
I was gonna replace with solid wire with no fusible link but THIS video just kept me from doing that.
The 454 is in my 32' RV that I live in.
The fusible link is so important. I think that on these older cars it's also a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in the car too. One thing I've seen with the few Chrystlers is that the legs on the ammeter gauge will burn and melt off some of the time even with a fusible link. Honestly having the ammeter as part of the charging circuit for the car is really asking for trouble. It can work flawlessly or your car can burn to the ground. I just disconnected the ammeter on my roadrunner. I'd rather manually check the battery voltage every once in a while with a multimeter. Keep one in the on-board toolbox I keep in the trunk anyway.
I asked about a video on wiring gremlins....this is pretty close! Thanks uncle T!
I always carry an extra ballast resistor in the glove box of my Cuda & my Challenger...
What year cuda and what year challenger?
Smart people that drive and old Chrysler "ALWAYS" carry one in their glove box. Chrysler should have put an extra one in at the glove box at the factory. It is as needed as much as a spare tire!
I remember when I was about 13 and I saw a bunch of adults around the hood of a Chrysler that wouldn't start. Nobody could figure it out. I had seen my older brother diagnose his car days earlier as a bad ballast resistor. They were saying they checked points and fuel but it still wouldn't start. I removed the wires from the ballast resistor and held them together. I said OK, start it up! An adult said you mean, try to start it ??? I said NO! Start it up...... The car fired up and everybody looked amazed or dumbfounded. I said just replace this ballast resistor and walked away like it was nothin'. I got to feel like a genius for a day. 😲 😂 😃 😀
yeah the ballast resistors amazing you almost think it's a fuel pump at first.
just a simple thing with Chrysler to you just unscrewa couple of hex screws into the firewall switch it out plug the new one in and it fires right up.
they truly are weird how they can do that and people that don't know anything about mopars back in the day get towed in the shops and everything..
and It happened One night after seeing movie back in the eighties I'll never forget it.
first Chrysler product of the 70s I owned
acted like the fuel pump with bad just said they're turned over and turned over just wouldnt start. guy with a big old Monaco walked over here.
proceed to take the ballast resistor out pluged the new one in and started right up.gave him five bucks at the time I'll never forget it. Went home ever since that time I said that's unbelievable he said they'll go out when you least expect them to. from that point on I always kept a spare ballast resistor in the glove box on all three of the Mopar cars back then
LeeDuKe 951 - both are 1970.
My father would only buy Chrysler Corp. cars and when I was a child in the late 1970's we had 3 Mopars with the electronic ignition. The oldest was a 1974 Valiant which my Mother drove ( we also had a 1976 Dodge pickup and my Fathers new 1979 Chrysler Le Baron) and it left me and her stranded one day while we were shopping. A good samaritan that happened to also have a Valiant offered to help. He got his spare ballast resistor and crescent wrench out of his trunk and changed it out in less than 1 minute. The car started right up. He told my mother to buy a few extras and keep them in the car along with a wrench. My mother did just that and I quickly learned how to change them out. It turns out that the aftermarket ones didn't last long at all ( about 6 months to 1 year ) but were about 1/4 the price of an OEM unit. My mother finally got wise and spent the extra money on 2 factory ones. These lasted at least 3 to 4 years each. We had one still in the box in the glove compartment when we sold the car in 1985 because my Father bought a '85 New Yorker Turbo for my Mother as an anniversary present. When the new owner called us in 3 weeks complaining that the car wouldn't start, we told him about the spare resistor. He called back 15 minutes later and said that the car ran and everything was good.
Ok, one year later, I now understand the term fusible link. I was confusing it with an inline fuse. Just changed the Alt upgrade to 100 amp, with new starter solenoid. Putting in a fusible link 4 awg sizes smaller. 8 gauge Alt wire to solenoid now protected with a 12 gauge fusible link. Cheap and easy. Thanks Tony.
Discovered the fusible link on my 66 Mustang when I was a kid. Got really familiar that damn wire until I discovered the problem with the starter relay.
i've been there more than i'd like to admit, glad you found your problem. Thanks for the laugh too!
Glad you didn't lose the car I forgot about this till you mentioned it. I see your neighbors have some toys.
Thanks for the tip uncle Tony l wasn't even aware of the fusible link regards Anthony from down under
On older cars during an electrical upgrade like dual cooling fans or more, I install ANL fuses used mostly in the audio world but found on new cars and trucks. 100 amp to starter, 100 amp to alternator, ground wire like a 4/0 to the block. The fuse links are mostly 3, fuse box, ignition switch and key. Some have four but install a 40 amp in a distribution block one at a time. With an amp clamp, find what circuits it operates and turn everything on with the engine running. Full field the alternator and test current. If 35-38 amps, go 10 amps higher so it is changed to 50. Next maybe 30 amps, another 40 amp. Allowing for in-rush current and heat from under hood. Fuses are heat detectors not amperage detectors.
DK, ASE master tech since 78
I had the fusible link go out on my 77 Impala years ago luckily I was at work where I fixed it but wow I totally did forget about the fusible link until you just brought it up Uncle Tony
I had the interior wiring harness burn on my 64 Valiant in Georgetown Colorado. The alternator had failed and overcharged the system. Someone had removed the key fusable link. Fortunately I figured it out fast and emptied the fire extinguisher under the dash as my wife screamed at me. I stopped along the road and pulled the battery cable off bare handed. I saved the car. A friend sent me a under dash harness out a wrecked four door. Your emphasis on the fuseable link is right on point.
Absolutely True, I had a short when using jumper cables and it took out the fusable link on my alternator. I knew it was there and I haven't replaced it yet. Thank you for the reminder Uncle Tony!
Not embarrassed to admit,didn't know of the fusible link! Thank you Tony!!!!! Got an old 63 GMC flatbed(305 v6) I'm having one installed
That's the exact reason why I did away with the factory amp meter and ran a volt meter in its place when I changed over to an internally regulated alternator.
i swapped out the instrument cluster in my 77 chevy K10...... old one was a volt meter..... "new" one was a drain / charge meter
.
started up the truck..... and smelled melted plastic.... and the guages were all fucked
took it back apart...
.
and the "printed circuit board" on the back of the cluster was all melted.
.
thought about it for a second..... and then realized a volt and amp meter are wired COMPLETELY differently
My dad purchased a 1980 D150. Loved it, I learned to drive in it. It wasn't many years before the electrical system went nuts. Easily repairable back then because the correct parts were available but everything took turns on it. A few years ago I purchased a 79 PW. I've never seen a fried up harness like it in my life. The more I dug into it the more I found burned. The previous owner spent thousands trying to repair it. Unless you're going for all original show quality on one rewire it, update the charging and ignition system and even loose the old ammeter.
Its that $5.00 part that can save the day, yet many will replace them with a butt connector. I enjoy you level of common sense Tony. Keep fighting the good fight!!
Its videos like this that i can appreciate on youtube. A simple quick video that touches on a very important topic. My 91 mustang had a rigged up speaker wire hooked to the starter solenoid. Ling story short the wire started smoking. Fusible links are very important for these old cars. Great video Bud 👍🏼🇺🇸
Hell yes. I just re-did the harness on my 76 Dodge van. Soldered all of the bulkhead, bypassed the ammeter, installed a circuit breaker and a new fuse block! Works like a charm
Late this show...
I am 58yrs young, learned something new today.
Now, I know everything... not...
Thank you sir.
Another great video UT! My brother lost a sweet stock '72 Barracuda to a dashboard fire. We never found out why, but it's completely feasible, as UT explained, that a former owner replaced the fusible link with plain wire. Also related to this topic, is that manufacturers stopped using amp meter gauges as alternator amp output climbed over the years. My understanding has been that amps became too high to safely have beneath the dashboard. Chrysler Corp was known for giving customer's an amp meter and I think due to that they were somewhat of a hold out on switching over to volt meters the other manufacturer's were using. As I recall, the last use of Chrysler Corp amp meters was when they're alternators were still at 35 amps output.
Please correct me if I'm off on this.
Good info to know for people learning older cars/trucks. I will stress one point heavily to anybody with a classic car or newer. GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, this can also limit the chances of your car burning to the ground.
Uncle Tony, this is a much needed video! I’m chasing down a dead circuit on my 97 S10 that is keeping the HVAC from getting power. There is nothing at the fuse block at all. I found out about fusible links by chasing down this bad wire. I still haven’t found it and am about to pull the dash to find it. But thanks again for the Video!
You're barking up the wrong tree chasing fusible links for that issue. Anyway The heater/AC fuse in that truck is powered from the ignition switch which is common to fail. So head to the ignition switch and begin your diagnosis there. The only thing a fusible link has to do with the HVAC is the high speed blower position.
Incidentally, there are no fusible links placed inside the passenger compartment on any vehicle for what should be obvious reasons. Fire.
BERPSU1 thanks for the tip. I probably didn’t say it correctly. I found out about fusible links researching where to chase wires. I didn’t know about them until recently. I’ll head to the ignition switch and start there. Thanks!
Great tip for those who don't have a clue. Glad you saved your car Tony!
Uncle tony u always seem to post the right video when I need most. I appreciate all the help ✌
Car looks great! Nice daily driver! I love seeing old cars being driven daily...very cool
Nice to see old skool tips! It's been years since I worked on anything like your beautiful car! I love the good old rides!
The 90 cummins I had wore a hole in the harness against the firewall over the booster.
Had a fuse panel for the headlight relays, added a fuse and bypassed the ignition fusible link. Ran it for 10 years with minimal trouble, new owner pulled the new fss and added a shutoff cable, probably just needed a fuse. Likely drilled the uncracked dash, too.
The often forgotten fusible link saved an '88 Jeep Wrangler I owned from burning one time. Thanks for the reminder!
I’m glad you and Uncle Cathy are safe . Cheers
Uncle Tony's VCA
Vintage Car Alert
What are you referring to when you say " regular " and " fusible link " wire. ? Thanks in advance. Jack
I was driving my 66 Wildcat today when I found that the radio would cut out intermittently, for about 5 minutes. I pulled up to a light and the car just stalled, nothing. I actually checked the fusible llink right away (techie). It was good,.... hmm... what now. Battery has power, no power to the inside. Posts are tight and have grease to stop corrosion. Now what? On a lark, I pulled on the negative cable and got a click. Another 2 minutes to run a screw into the post where the cable goes in and back in business. Drive to Canadian Tire, buy new cable. Don't mess around with wiring!
Battery cables are the trickyest, I think people just overlook them because of the bulkyness and the usually nice looking colored jacket they have. I have been making my own out of purchased high quality componants for the last bit, too many chinesium premade cables around anymore.
wow. 66 wildcat are pretty rare. my dad had a beauty. glad to see some still rolling.
Sonny in life you always must be well grounded!!! There's a meaning to that saying!!! Always clean your grounds! Have a good day 😘
The one on my Dart just got corroded and opened up one day. I bought a larger guage fusible link bulk wire and replaced it. I think the original was 20 amp and I stepped up to 40 amp wire. It is the last line of defense before a electrical fire from a dead short, otherwise it's the wiring that has to burn open to kill the circuit. I also added a 100 amp alternater from a cop diplomat and so far haven't melted anything down but the amp gauge is sure active on first start.
In fact many times the gauge will go bad and you'll have all kinds of issues with headlights and the ignition not working right till you replace or bypass it. A shop here actually ran a hot bypass wire on the 71 Scamp my buddy had that issue with because they couldn't figure out the voltage issues it had. That fixed it but I bought the car later and replaced the Guage in the cluster and left the bypass wire because I had put a100 amp alt in it too for safety. The guage always read about half the actual charging current but everything worked well. When I run stereo wiring I always put a 20 amp fuse in line right after the hot hookup too and it has saved my stereo and car a couple of times when wires cut and shorted.
@Lassi Kinnunen like several have said it will take a bit of over amperage compared to what it's rated at so little glitch doesn't blow it up and stop you dead. I would also add from experience that the fuse and holders can get corroded with enough time depending on the weather proof quality of the holder. Of course I think modern blade fuses hold better but it still happens. A fuse equivalent would probably be a slow blow version as they'll take minor spikes without popping.
Uncle Tony, sound advice. It’s a 20 dollar replacement part that can leave your stranded. Trust me. Been there. Also a spare ballast resistor, and wheel bearings will leave your when you need them most. I would like to see you discuss how the Ammeter bulkhead bypass works on Mopars, as well as how to limp your car home when it is stuck on the side of the road. Jumper wires and basic troubleshooting. Valuable stuff for the glovebox.
Was originally going to leave a smartass comment because of the title. Nope not this time, fire was involved. Glad you two made it home safe, and the car too.
That's why I always bypassed the AMP meter on the engine side and ran a volt meter.
I actually prefer an amp gauge to a volt gauge. Better information.
That's what I did. If you upgrade your alternator, you have higher current going thru the firewall bulkhead and a better chance of smoking stuff
Not a bad idea, but if one wants an ammeter, there is a better way. Mount that resistor (called a shunt resistor) under the hood, in the best place, electrically and mechanically, and then run the "voltmeter wires" to the gauge. That way, all that current isn't going into the car to go through the ammeter and then back out again.
My boss' old Dodge van had a bad ammeter connection in the dash, and the damn thing would always stop running at the worst times.
@@excavatoree That's a good idea and there is a thread about that on forabodiesonly.com.
@@colemanadamson5943 Same here. I like to know what my charging rate is. My Jeep already had a voltmeter as part of the factory gauge package, then I added a 100-amp ammeter (it has a 100-amp alternator).
That’s why I always run a 10awg wire from the alternator out put to the positive terminal on the starter relay to bypass the under dash wiring on older Mopars.
With a fusable link I hope
Nathan Brame absolutely not.
Ditch the fusible link and just put a maxi fuse buss on anything this old.
Thanks for the PSA Uncle Tony!
Great advice! Wish I had heard it about a year ago. Someone did some rewiring on my '56 Chevy and an ignition wire caught fire going down the road. My dash gauges reacted just like you described. I was lucky that I got pulled over and got it put out quickly, but not before giving my hand a serious burn.
Tony, you offer some of the best advice on RUclips and this video was one of the best. The devil is in the details. The little things will getcha. Awesome.
Aka ammeter. I installed a Rally-pac gauge package after taking delivery of my '69 AMX. It was a dealer-installed option back in the day. Included was an ammeter, which is a real ammeter. It's hooked in series with the charging system, and a fusible link is included. And yes, I put it in.
This is great important piece of video that has not been covered by many u tuber 's . And also proves Tony cares about your car not just his .
1968 Dodge Coronet 318 alternator went bad. I had a good alternator from a 1974 Challenger... Rewired it from a schematic from the interweb so I could use this alternator... This keeps your main power under the hood... Also had 2 add fusible link purchased fusible link at AutoZone in a roll with the correct value that it called for... This is good for safety on a old car with old wiring
Amazing how many years it took Chrysler to figure out how to put a shunt circuit on the amp gauge so they weren't running all that power though the instrument cluster. My 84 D350 Crew cab has about 6 fuseable links in the harness. They are notoriously problematic with age. I redid that entire section and installed a fuse panel load center to protect the wiring like what is used on more modern cars. If there is an issue just pop a new fuse in and back on the road. Much easier than patching up a harness with new fuse wire.
Old fusible links are often the problem when all of a sudden the starter won't work, headlights just stop, and so on. There used to be a book called 'how to wire your hot rod' available at most swap meets that gave alot of information on fusible links and proper use.
Sage advice. I think ya did a great job on that paint Tony.
When I worked at the parts store and people would come in without power or no starts but claimed everything else was good we sometimes would mention a fuesable link , and ask if they checked it. Almost Everytime the response was "what's that".
Thanks for the great info Uncle Tony, of all the things that you have taught us so far this is one of the most important!
By all means install fuse able links in your car.
I know that on a vintage car the fuel tanks also are vented just out of the fuel tank and will spill fuel out with stop and go driving, if over filled, and if your exhaust are turned down in front of the rear axle, your could catch the car on fire. Don't ask me how I know, I just know that it can.
If you have a vintage car you should always have a fire extinguisher immediately available to you.
Been there, done that.. Thanks Uncle Tony!!!!!
Yeah that sounds about normal.... The minute you put a fresh coat of paint on a car that's when everything starts breaking down or somebody runs into you or you have an accident or the car Burns to the ground. This is why I never paint any of my cars anymore
Ahh the old confusable link..more fun than an old Honda silly putty rectumfinder
Thanks for the explanation uncle Tony. I've been working on a 72 dodge w100 and been trying to figure out why someone rewired the charging system poorly. They removed the voltage regulator, disconnected the amp gauge, and went with a "1 wire set up" and installed new wires without the fusible link. I know what to lookout for now and what to do to do it right.
Thank you Uncle Tony!
Damn good info. Just looked at my Camaro's alternator wire going to the battery and it does not have one. Will be ordering one now. Thank you Uncle T.
On your Camaro it goes from the battery cable post on the starter up to the main harness.
Thanks for this Tony. I have never checked my 1970 Z28's fuse links. Not a Mopar I know... but nearly irreplaceable and wouid hate to lose it like that!
UT, not sure I would not completely rule out another theory as to why it burned. Granted it is a 35+ year old harness. Is that still running the Ammeter? May want to check it, as well as the main line in the steering column. It may be damaged as well.
Makes me wonder how many "just finished" cars we've seen on the web burning that were missing one. Thanks for sharing
you're a gem.
Indeed I've never heard of a fusable link
Pretty ironic after the announcement of the latest video series “ driving classic cars “. Thanks UTG, off to a great start LOL
I rewired my 65 ford truck. I did not use fusible links, I instead used blade type fuses inline where links would normally be used.
I've seen the link burn up and get replaced with standard wire a guy had a big one ton dodge van and it burned up and he was telling me and I asked him if he replaced it with a fusible link he said he just used regular wire so I let him know it's a fusible link wire
God dang
The fusible links that are mounted at the bulkhead connector always seem to do significant damage, melting the connector when the wire burns up, a bigger problem now that those connectors are about 50 years old and not so easy to find in good condition. The aftermarket replacement links, do they need to be installed full length, usually around 6” or so, will cutting it shorter have an affect on it’s performance.
I have a 54 chevy 5700 coe with a 12 valve cummins. I rewired it with a Painless kit. On a long drive,the alternator started overcharging. At one point I got worried about the battery and, while the truck was running pulled off the cable from aternator to batt. About 4 miles down the road, cab fills with smoke! Since it was still spinning and creating its own exite-er signal,(i guess) it sent full juice through a little aluminum resistance wire that ran through the harness (trying to remember what that went to, but i replaced it with a diode and real wire)
We had a 89 Dodge daytona that the fusable link that burnt out. Took us forever to figure it out as it was the first time I got familiar with them. I hate those things.
I just subscribe a few days ago and been watching your videos, great channel by the way. 👍 I just watched this video and literally stop everything to make sure that fuselink was present. Thank you UTG.
Great video, as always. How about a follow up (‘cause you have all this free time!) on where to install a link and proper sizing of the link vs stock wire gauge?
I’ve been going through the exact same things on my 72 duster. Stock amp meter gauge melted so I bypassed it. I installed a new engine harness awhile back, and a few weeks ago the alt wire burnt up the fusible link and started burning the bulkhead connector. Luckily I caught it before it could get bad. I plan on re wiring the alternator to by pass the bulk head connector and the factory amp gauge and just run a aftermarket volt gauge. And I’ll be adding fusible link of course
Awesome Uncle Tony《☆》That's one problem I never had on either my 68 Barracuda or my 73 Dart sport🤓👍🏾Hoping it never happens but Thanks for sharing :*: Greetings from⛾Florida🤳my friend🤓🗣🔊☮✌👍🏾
🚔💥😵👉😢😢🥉😖🥶💖😂👮♂️👮♂️🥵🏍🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆
The back half of the ignition switch in my ‘71 C/10 came apart a few years ago, exposing circuits that weren’t supposed to be exposed to each other, and it shorted across and fried the fusible link. Had it not done it’s job I probably would have been dealing with a fire in the cab.
Wiring a car is like taking out the girl you don't bring home to mom, you NEVER forego the protection!
The connections to these fusible links often become a problem when they get exposed to the elements and corrode over time. For that reason, many presume the problem is the fusible link itself, and go through the entire electrical system deleting every fusible link they can find, and replacing them with regular blade fuses or Maxi fuses. I am not in any way, shape or form an expert on electricity, but it seems to me there is a reason why electrical engineers designed these things with fusible links in the first place. Can someone explain this? I'd love to know why regular fuses wouldn't work. I've got two dead fusible link circuits I'm dealing with right now on my '93 Dodge D250. I was tempted to replace them with blade fuses, but decided to just get new fusible links instead. In one of these circuits, the fusible link had been cut out and replaced with regular wire by a previous owner, and although I've owned this truck for 14 years, I never knew it until now. I am so thankful I never had a short on that unprotected circuit.
Hi Gary. My '93 D250 smoked one of the orange 40 amp fusible links on the duckfoot as I pulled out of a parking space. For the short run I installed 10ga wire with a 40 amp auto resetable breaker since I cannot find where the short occurred. The short was drawing 100-300 amps when I jumpered the smoked fusible link with a remote starter switch and a current clamp. Found a great video on how to do this as a troubleshooting step. Almost found the short, but as I reached up to apply the current clamp to the next part of the wiring harness, I must have bumped it just right, and the short disappeared. I can't believe it. Not a sign of melted wire anywhere. I'm a big fan of factory engineering. I'll be putting in a new fusible link once I find where the short occurred.
Hey Uncle Tony's Garage!!, back then when they built those cars!, they ACTUALLY took pride in building and putting in REAL safety!!, for car and driver!!!👍👍😬😬😬
Having owned several old Dodge vans, first thing I did was eliminate that #10 alternator wire from the bulkhead connector. I would drill a hole in the firewall, add a grommet, and run a new wire up to the ammeter. Sometimes I would take it a step further and eliminate the ammeter altogether and install a voltmeter.
Paint Ur daily like a Fire Truck you should expect to be going to a fire. Seriously.. great vid Tony. Best to you and yours.
I had the same thing happen on my '69 Charger R/T. Nobody was able to figure why there wasn't any power. I knew right away it was the fusible link. I had a bad alternator.
my first car was a 69 charger r/t big block 4 speed. I owned it for 2 years and have regretted selling it for 30+ years lol
There is also an auto resetable circuit breaker inside the headlight switch. This mostly only applies to the old pull to turn on headlight switches not the modern twist ones.
My car has a M&H factory replacement wiring harness on it so would it have them already on it? (1969 Roadrunner 383)
Also I’m glad you made this video cause I’d say some of us younger guys working on a old car might’ve not thought about them.
Yes, M&H includes the fusible link. Look for a blue wire with a blue label on it that says "Fusible Link."
M&H harnesses are pretty accurate reproductions so it should have a fusible link unless it's been modified. You should be able to see it if you look.
Ok thank you I wasn’t sure I hadn’t heard of that company til I got this car and I should run across it cause I gotta pull the motor and trans out and rebuild the 383 and put a different 727 in it and I gotta sand all under the hood off and repaint it cause the previous owner didn’t sand hardly anything before he painted
Thank y’all for tellin me
@@leeduke9518 If I'm not mistaken M&H is the company who makes all the harnesses for YearOne. They're also the brand I have in my 1968 Dart GTS.
I hit a metallic candy wrapper on the hiway . The Mopar alternator , has a cooling impeller inside of it ,which shredded the wrapper and shorted out the magnetic field .
Instrument panel harness melted and caught fire .
I was able to pull over the disconnect the battery ground wire . My 64 pushbutton Fargo survived . I ate enough smoke , to have a sore throat that day
Amen - Amen - Amen!!!!!
Woulda' lost my '72 Monte Carlo recently if I had not put one inline... Had/have a 50 amp fuse in fuse holder on the big Red Wire under hood... the one going from... or atleast inline from Alternator to Starter... and that rascal blew as I was driving down freeway. With the 50 amp fuse, it actually popped real loud, and melted the fuse link to the fuse.. I had to totally unsolder the fuse link from big red wire and resolder a new one in... Hell... No crimping for me... do not need oxidation to occur, etc.
Tony dropped another cigarette... Blamed it on the link
THANK YOU Uncle Tony!
My 1980 Chrysler has a ammeter in the dash, it crapped itself. The auto sparky bypassed it and also installed a new fusible link as the old fusible link was starting to look dodgy.
Also my alternator has a built in regulator,Bosch unit I believe.
While back o was installing a new wiper motor on my 84 ram. Hooked uo the factory harness (havemt had wipers sine i bought the thing) and flicked the switch. Motor worked and i was about to put it back together, i saw tufts of snoke coming from my harness both at the wiped motor and at the fusable link.
Of course i pull the switch, harness at the wiped motor, and battery to make sure i kill whats causing this. Ended up being a bad ground at the motor. I fix that, but now truck wont start.
Fusable link went out. I jump a wire to make sure i was right (i was), and i fix it. But that day inlearned just how valuable that fusable link is.
Also, idk if the wiring fod that motor is right. I kinda doubt. It. Truck has been fiddle fucked to death. Im hoping that when i do my engine rebuild i can take the time to redo the entire wirong harness to make sure its right
Look up Daniel Stern Electric, he shows you how to run all the heavy amperage within the engine compartment, none goes under the dash. Switch from alt gauge to a volt meter, no more wiring harness fires....also Daniel has a great headlight wiring to alternator setup with 50 amp fuses for protection to make your headlights brighter and safer (also see his CBIE headlight kits).
My Rad-D-adoor over flow hose fell off, and just poured onto the Alternator.. fried the flood Wire.. Man oh Man.. hahaha
GREAT reminder, Uncle Tony!
Is it possible to use an automotive fuse instead of a fusable link? From what I read, no. Not sure if it has to do with amperage, but once either one blows, connection is lost, and there's no threat of fire. Just looking for an opinion. 👍
You need to be a electrical engineer to figure out how long and what gauge to use.
There’s no chart online that I know off that “breaks it down” for us.
Glad you saved it dude!
Larry
Good information UTG. Keep up the hard work!
Has this happen on my bronco about two weeks ago alternator shorted out melted the plug and burnt the fuse able link luckily I had an extra alternator and found the wiring harness at the parts store replaced the link and everything is good now crazy how you just made this video lol
In my best Johnny Carson voice, "I did not know that."; mucho thankos for the tip!! My elderly chevy must have something? '63 BelAir?? Anything? Anything? BUELLER!!!