I picked up one of these distribution boxes thinking it was more of a heavier bus bar type box. It is a bus type, but the terminal posts each have a fusible link connecting to the main bus bar. I guess I wasn't expecting any fusing at all on the post terminals. There are (2) 100 amp, (2) 50 amp, and one 40 amp post terminals. and (3) 30 amp fused blade type terminals.
I like the design, the size is good, and it is covered, which I wanted for the engine compartment.
So a few questions....Is this going to be adequate for power distribution to things like the main chassis fuse panel, the engine management panel, A/c, etc....is one of the 100 amp post terminals going to be adequate amps for the feed wire to the main wiring panel. I'm thinking maybe not, and I should just go with the simple 3/8 threaded post type.
Rich that box will carry enough load to power up a good sized machine shop! Simple answer is yes, it will searve well to feed the main panel and then some. The main power connect fuse on an Explorer parts car I have only has a 60 amp fuse for the +12V hot and a 30 amp for the +12V run circuits. You will be OK with that panel.
Awesome...Thanks for the input, Bill. I wasn't wanting to sit down and make a chart with all the amp usages for all-time and intermittent use that was coming off that panel.
Another question...I know grounds aren't (normally)fused, but would there be any potential problems if I got another of these panels to use for the negative distribution? I realize this would essentially be double fusing the circuits. Someplace a long time ago I read you can't have too many grounds, but you can have too many fuses.
That box, btw, was 31.66 with shipping. I did have to disassemble it to remove the supplied lead cable, no biggie. The main problem was making brackets to mount it as it was made to snap into whatever mounting structure is on the VW's it was made for. I made some light weight brackets that'll work, but I'm gonna look into another idea using one leaf from a cabinet hinge. I also figured those fusible links could be exchanged for little short jumpers.
Cancel the question on fusable links for the grounds...why ask for potential problems...but I can still use the neat little panel for grounding. I'm going to remove the posts that are connected with the fusible links and just go straight in to the posts on the bus bar.
See, you do know electricity..... :003:.....Ford put a circuit breaker on the ground side of the power window motors in the 65 T-Bird and others I'm sure. Did a really good job of protecting the motor and wiring ONLY for some idiot holding the switch in the up or down after the window was up or down and if there was a jam of some kind. Any issue before the breaker and the wires fried.....I call that "Ford's Better Idea"! Kinda goes along with GM's "Mark of Excellence"!
That panel is ideal in my opinion. The only problem I have ever had in the wiring of a car is the grounding of a positive lead before a fuse in a 1957 Ford in 1965. The fire wasn't that bad and the burns on my hand healed quickly. Learned quickly "always fuse all power as close as possible to the source". I left all my wiring as stock as possibe but added a 60 amp "main fuse" at the feed from the solenoid.
I'm planning on putting some protection inline after the solenoid also but thinking about using a 70 amp manual reset breaker rather then a fuse http://www.texasindustrialelectric.com/breakers_cb185ld.asp
It was originally designed to snap into the top of the battery box on a VW. I had one never had any problems with that fuse panel the 8 years i owned the car (2001 VW GTI).
Good to get some positive responses to my often off the wall choices! I've removed the fused links and installed the panel for use with the negative/ground lines, and I'll be ordering a second for use with the positive side. Biggest pain with them is coming up with a mounting bracket without a machine shop handy.
update....I've got two of those boxes now. One for pos., one for neg. I had an idea for a bracket a bit stouter than the thin sheetmetal one I made first. I found some cheap residential door hinges at Lowes that had one of the leafs in the correct spacing. Pain in the but trying to make small stuff like this with no fabricating equiptment...but (or butt in this case) all that was needed was a cutoff tool and drill.
OOPS...I see in my pic that I don't have the "hook" in one if the pockets
Power distribution....I mentioned I had bought an Optima battery with both top and side posts. I got to thinking I am going to use both of the Positive posts just to keep the cables neat, but I'm only going to use the side neg. post, and not the top. That way I only have one cable to disconnect as in what would normally be the case. The $95 six foot battery cables I bought from Ron Francis ended up being perfect for this...the positive just had the #1 sized cable for the positive, but the negative had the #1 gage and a smaller (6 gage ?) cable both attached to the terminal.
Computer engine controls run their ground directly to the battery to ensure the reference voltage is a "pure" voltage. The reference voltage goes to the sensors (throttle position, air temp, water temp, absolute air pressure and O2 sensors etc). All the prints I remember ground goes to the battery as well as to the chassis.
Might be RF made it that heavy for use in glass cars?
"Computer engine controls run their ground directly to the battery ...." Yep, I'm finding that out. I was seeing alot of them, that's why I started looking for something to organize them near the battery a bit better. I haven't been spending much time on it lately...but I can get back to it today after the garage warms up. It's suppose to be in the 60's for 4 or 5 days at least, so maybe I won't have to wait half the day this week waiting for garage temps to rise enough.
LOL...keep an eye on me, Bill. If you see anything wrong give a holler.
Just last night it finally dawned on me about the power supply for the main chassis harness. I finally realized the panel actually gets it's power from two sources...one direct battery feed, and the second thru the ignition switch. Same for the engine harness/panel. Not that big a mystery, just never thought about it before.
Got a question for the electronics experts.....I called Ron Francis too late to get the tech line tonight.
I'm running into some duplication of efforts between the Ron Francis chassis harness and the engine management harness.
I've already encountered that with the neutral safety switch, which I discussed wth them and resolved that it was in fact a duplication. I'm not sure if this next one is also a matter of redundancy or a requirement...I'm thinking the later. It concerns the brake light switch/brake light wiring. I already wired those with the chassis harness, but the engine management is calling for a wire to be run from the cold side of the brake light switch to a specified terminal on the panel. I'm thinking it may be for engine or transmission control such as cruise control and needed. I think I'm going to wire it in. What do you guys think?
I'm trying very hard to resolve issues as I get to them rather than moving on.
Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2015-01-15 16:17
Got a question for the electronics experts.....I called Ron Francis too late to get the tech line tonight.
I'm running into some duplication of efforts between the Ron Francis chassis harness and the engine management harness.
I've already encountered that with the neutral safety switch, which I discussed wth them and resolved that it was in fact a duplication. I'm not sure if this next one is also a matter of redundancy or a requirement...I'm thinking the later. It concerns the brake light switch/brake light wiring. I already wired those with the chassis harness, but the engine management is calling for a wire to be run from the cold side of the brake light switch to a specified terminal on the panel. I'm thinking it may be for engine or transmission control such as cruise control and needed. I think I'm going to wire it in. What do you guys think?
I'm trying very hard to resolve issues as I get to them rather than moving on.
it is for the lock up torque converter control
So it's needed....I'll finish it up. Thanks Gary.
Easy to do, anyway. I ended up with two (yes, two) installed brake switches. I had previously installed a GM type mechanical switch on the brake pedal. It is very difficult to adjust, and I am just about at the end of the adjustment to get the switch to open/close when the pedal is first depressed..I want the pedal to stop on the bumper, not the switch. Anyway, plastic switch, hard to get at for adjustment, but I got it working and wired it so I could run the wires back to the taillights. When I did my hydroboost last year, I ordered a Wilwood proportioning valve with a low pressure brake light switch.
I was asking a friend which of the two was more reliable so I could remove the other, and he suggested it would be easier down the road to hook up cruise control if I just left both on...so I did!
I'll leave the brake lights hooked up to the mechanical switch, and use the pressure switch to feed info to the engine harness/panel.
And I should have asked...what is "lock up torque converter control"? Sounds like engine braking??
the torque converter has a clutch in it that comes on in 3rd and 4th gear[to help gas mileage].the computer need to know if the brakes are on to help decide when to apply or release the clutch
Ah....Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
Pretty much finished up with 98% of the electrical. I got the wires tidy'd up under the dash..at least as far as I can go until I finish the cop conversion (it's that extra loop of wires above the Telorvek panel). I took care of some issues with the back lights...I now have tailights, hazards, brake and turn signals and back up lights. The 3rd brake light wiring (not installed yet) has power to it when the brakes are applied, so it's all good now. One issue I had was a bad connection in the trailer-hitch type connectors I used at the tailights. They were the type that force an unstripped wire down into a "V". They normally work fine, but not so well on the premium GXL and Sxl wires I did most of the car with. The double jacket on those are substantially tougher. I disassembled the connectors, stripped the wires and soldered the connections. That solved the contact problem I was having if the tailight wire was moved or jiggled. I also got another power distribution box mounted and wired in the trunk so I'll have a power source for my trunk light, trunk release and whatever else I may need.
Another issue I had to fix was I somehow got the two supply wires for the dual filament bulb reversed on the driver's side, resulting in the tailight being brighter than the brake light.
I decided to install the turn indicators in the dash panel rather than in the hood scoop, so I'm waiting for those to come in. That and installing some courtesy lights under the dash.
Well done sir!
Thanks, Bill...your help was invaluable on this project. That, and picking the right wiring harness supplier made all the difference in the world. It's hard to believe the amount of knowledge that is gained by wiring your own car.....and I'm not talking about automotive electrical theory.