Bjbpe

I've had occasional contact problems in my fuse box. Of course, it is relatively easy to remove each fuse and improve the "male" contacts with a little sandpaper. The "female" contacts inside the fuse block are another story. Anybody with a good idea out there. I also use the good spray stuff (forgot the name).

SeanR

What's that electrical contact that Stan always says we should use?

Deoxit does wonders on it.

928 at last

I've used cut-down versions of my wife's emory boards, and tiny diamond-coated micro files I found at the local "Princess Auto". Both worked to varying degrees, but the DeOxit is the key...i.e. hit it (flush) with some DeOxit, lightly "sand", DeOxit again, wipe...(Q-Tip)....let dry and carry on. Worst case - add some solder to the "Male" connectors on loose fits to increase tension. (After the DeOxit Treatment).

Bjbpe

That's the name I was having trouble with. I do use it.

OTR18WHEELER

Good question, and excellent remedy Rob. but how do I explain to wifey why her nail files are in my tool box?

curtisr

Easy! You admit your moment of need/weakness and surprise her with one of these to say your sorry...

MainePorsche

+1 to Rob's methodology.
I use(d) a file for mechanical cleaning and Deoxit 100 for the chemical cleaning. Never did the solder thing though.
As to the file I use(d) a metal one as seen below - it is thin and works well - the boards of emory don't hold up well - I cut off the end of the file at the top (the smooth rounded triangular tip for cleaning under your fingernail tips) so my filing surface could file when reaching into a crevice - got mine in the nail polish aisle at some big supermarket or pharmacy chain - I use for many a small contact cleaning.

Bjbpe

Some good ideas guys. My wife has already threatened bad things if I mess with her pretty nails.

Bilal928S4

Actually for lose fitting fuses, Wally had recommended slightly twisting the male portions of the fuse do that they fit snugly into the CE panel.
HTH

Alan

We are talking ATO/ATC fuses here - the torpedo fuses & holders are easy:

1) Use only good quality fuses (cheap Chinese fuses never are... they promote BAD connections).

2) Ensure the CE panel is staying dry - if it isn't fix that first.

3) Chemically clean the fuse socket & blades - as needed or routinely every few years (stabilant is best - cleans and promotes electrical contact) Deoxit is also OK.

The whole idea of aggressive mechanical cleaning using files, dremels etc means either you are about to damage something that is ~OK and make it worse long term - OR your fuse holders are already beyond easy rescue. I say - don't do it - ever.

Don't leave it that late and stick to relatively gentle cleaning. If you keep them clean and dry and promote good contact you should never have any issues

If you do need mechanical cleaning use a good quality fuse already chemically cleaned and apply more chemical to the blade - plug & replug this a few times to clean the socket. Only do this on a need basis - in general limit the amount of times you pull & plug fuses to just the minimum you need - this also promotes better connections long term.

It is possible to remove the individual 5 fuse blocks, disassemble & clean the individual fuse contacts gently & thoroughly and even re-tension the socket tines - however 3 notes:

- You have to take the panel out to do this
- Most people break some of the fuse block retention tabs on disassembly
- The fuse blocks - EVEN OF THE SAME NUMBERS are NOT all compatible between years*

* You must disassemble both old & new & verify full compatibility (internally fuse inputs are shorted together by busbars). You can easily destroy your car if you don't do this....

Alan

LexVan

I use "bulb grease" on light bulbs with success. Is there such a thing for fuses??

John Speake

Alan is quite right to advise against harsh abrasive devices. The basic springy base metal has a thin surface plating for a good low resistance contact - abraid that away and you are inviting longer term problems.

The most abrasive thing I use is these type of strips:-
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/contact-cleaners/1015564/

Then apply a spray contact cleaner/ lubricant:-
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/contact-cleaners/1014937/

Bjbpe

Lots of ideas here. Alan, being an electrical engineer, probably has the best experience. Given that, I am aware that there are folks out there who have had contact problems in the fuse panel (especially including me). About four or five months ago I replaced the fuse and relay for the fuel pump and that seemed to correct my "no-start" problem. About three weeks ago the car went into another "no-start" crisis. Since the car was already in town (Laramie) the guy I depend on for a lot of automotive things replaced the fuse and the car started. Got it home and it, once again, is no-start. It seems obvious that the problem is related to contacts with the fuel pump. The car is, of course, quite old and has quite a few miles on it. Given Alan's warnings I am reluctant to abrade the female contacts. I was considering Rob's thoughts but now I feel stuck. Wally's thoughts about twisting the fuse??? Plating the prongs with a light coat of solder?? Damned cars can drive one nuts.

karl ruiter

One thing I have thought to try, but not yet resorted to (for the fuse contacts) is the Caswell plug and plate gold plate kit. What you would really like is a gold plate on the fuse contact and on the fuse. That is what we do on mating contacts for higher quality circuit boards. Awesome conductivity and no corrosion.

I also have sometimes see problems with the female spade connectors used internal to the panel. Not sure what can be done there. Solder? I don't see a problem with using solder for this, because if you ever have to take those connections apart you are probably going to replace the spade connectors anyhow. Just not sure you can get them clean enough for the solder to really flow or that you can get the iron in there very easily. I think yes, on the 2nd part so if you were starting with a good panel that had no internal problems is probably relatively easy, but might not be a solution once you start having problems. Might be an issue of melting the plastic frame before you get the parts hot enough in a few areas, but that can probably be managed with some care.

Alan

To do this on the female fuse contact you'd have to take the individual 5-fuse blocks out and open them up - if you do this you can clean them quite easily (or even replace them). So it doesn't really make sense. Almost all fuse damage is caused by corrosion due to moisture OR very poor quality fuses. Personally I use only Littelfuse fuses but for ATO/ATC style Bussman is OK too. I would not use anything else. I have seen and tested many cheap Chinese fuses, most have dimensional issues with the blades as well as poor quality plating materials. Their ratings are usually horribly inaccurate too - pull them all out and throw them all away before they bite you. Note: if your fuses look like they might have gold plating - they don't - and you should throw them away.

This is a silly idea - if something is bad on the back - take it apart and clean it, if you can't clean it well enough replace it... Everything on the CE panel is replaceable.

Alan