Fuse

[97XJSP]

I had a little ignition adventure this weekend, and I think "meltdown" would be a good way to describe it. The after market (Chinese) ignition installed somewhere along the line, cooked itself and the starter was just cranking. I had to rip off the battery cover and yank on the cables until one finally came loose. Meanwhile, smoke is just rolling out of the dash. Talk about a panic. So my question is, has anybody ever put an inline fuse in the circuitry? I was thinking the jumper wire between the two batteries would be a good spot. With two batteries and some 2 gauge starter wiring that has also been added, it seems like there is plenty of potential for a fire

[brute4c]

Not exactly a fuse...but I put in a key switch on the side of the battery box that cut the positive wire coming out of the 2nd battery and going to the starter...I had a battery box in the bed...so one had to not only turn on the on/off switch on the dash but also the key switch for the batteries ...theft protection and a cut off switch.

I know they make some hefty circuit breakers that one could also put in the line...

[97XJSP]

I was thinking of a switch also... It seems those generic ones with the red keys aren't too expensive and it would be easy enough to hook up. I've never really looked for a fuse/ circuit breaker above 40 amps or so. How many do you think I'd need for the starter to run without blowing it? A couple hundred?
Probably the switch alone would be sufficient, I was just curious to see if anyone else has had concerns of a fire ball with the old wiring etc.

[brute4c]

There have been issues several of us have somehow lived through with the old wiring...I remember one member repeatedly telling anyone who asked what to do with the old wiring that they should "tear out every wire within 50 feet of the truck and start over." Might be a touch of overkill there...

With the way the wire tends to crack when it gets old and the cotton weave inside combined with 24 volts, a short can get things HOT in a hurry...

If you put in a circuit breaker...250 amps or so to be safe I would think...it is pretty big...

[97XJSP]

I'm thinking of getting one of these:


along with one of these:



seems like pretty cheap insurance, considering the worst case scenario...

http://www.donrowe.com/accessories/fuse_anl.html

[brute4c]

That will work like a champ...and yes, it is cheap insurance!

[kwai]

The switch is great. I use them all the time. It also saves batteries if your truck is parked for extended periods, since with the switch there is no draw on the batteries at all.

[militarypotts]

Hey kwai, can you explain exactly how the above inline fuse and switch are hooked up. Also, where would be the best location. I would think somewhere on the battery box between the seats. After installation does this switch act as a kind of on off ignition when using the key? I know you'd still have to turn on the ignition switch on the dash, but the red key would be used to get power to the stock ignition, correct?

[brute4c]

The upper piece in that post has a battery cable coming in one side and going out the other...kind of like you cut a cable in two in the middle and hooked each cut end to these locations.
In between the 2 ends, under the plastic cover is a fuse. The fuse will blow before battery damage occurs...hopefully right?
Here is a link that shows the device and what it is made of:
http://www.donrowe.com/accessories/fuse_anl.html



The key switch can be put in any wire you want to switch on and off...like an ignition or headlights or whatever...only instead of a simple flip of a switch which anyone can do, this requires that one has to have a specific key so it becomes a secure switch.

You just take the power feed wire to whatever you want to operate with the key, cut that wire and put ends on the 2 ends of the wire to mount to the key switch. Hook one to each side of the key switch and good to go.

[militarypotts]

Thanks Jon. Let me see if I have this correct. You would disconnect the positive on the battery, connect it to the fuse holder, then use the 6" cable they sell to go from the other side of the fuse back to the positive side of the battery. The switch is optional at this point? Where would you mount the switch if you were to use one? Does this have to be spliced in at the stock ignition switch on the dash? Also, am I correct in saying the fuse protects the batteries, and the switch is just a safety precaution against someone else starting the truck. Is the rear battery the one you remove the positive cable from? Sorry for all the questions, electrical was always my nemesis. Thanks.