I am replacing my starter and read up on the wiring for my -70 Electra. Terrified I concluded that the wires from the starter motor do not have the over current protection they are supposed to have Apparently they are supposed to have fusible links. I have only worked with electronics outside vehicles and this was new to me. I cannot find much information on these online but the Buick Chassis Service Manual states these are just a piece of wire with a thinner gauge than the one you are protecting. Basically these cables should break before the larger ones if there is a short. In other words there is conscious design decision made to allow parts of your cables to melt and burn. Which sounds completely mental from my perspective on electrical safety And from a maintenance perspective, you actually have to replace a part of the wire at failures. This design is still in active practice it seems. Some newer cars seem to have them still and on spare parts pictures they seem to be nothing but short lengths of good ol' multi stranded copper cables. I guess acceptance for melting and burning things is higher when you already allowed have a plain exhaust header at several 100 degrees. But still. Why add even more aspects that can burn down your house and car if you do not have to. So I am thinking about what do to instead. A fuse box close to the battery could be an idea. In my world a much more expected place where to have an electrical connection node. Piggybacking on the rather inaccessible starter as a fused connection node is a little funky. It is not really the driest and friendliest climate for cables either. But then I am thinking, there is some value to use the original connection topology so the next guy can look this up in the service manual. Fuses close to the starter seems awkward, feels like a too hostile environment for fuse solutions in general. Also it is already a right area and it will be awkward to fit fuses of the size required. Then I found these: https://www.lntebg.in/products-services/products/low-voltage-products/hrc-fuse-link/ . They look very sturdy and promising? A lot of thinking out loud here from me. How do you go about this?
There are two main power wires attached with the + battery cable to the big lug on the starter solenoid. The 2 power wires are 10 and 12 gauge. The smaller power wire is for the headlight circuit, and the larger wire supplies power to the rest of the car. The fusible links are 4 sizes smaller, so 14 and 16 gauge respectively. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BEL784692 https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BEL784691?r-src=SSE:PDP&ppid=BEL_784692&ir=2&tps=10 It doesn't need to be any more complicated then splicing the fusible link wire in. The fusible links are there to protect the car wiring in the case of a MAJOR short somewhere.
For what it's worth, modern fusible links are a bit cleaner, and plug into the underhood fuse block on late model vehcles...if you're looking for some kind of modern alternative, might be worth researching. https://www.autozone.com/electrical...-30-amp-female-fuse-link/32385_152113_0_45954 Devon
Did the stock solution stand the test of time though? Did not know about that product, thanks. Looks a bit like regular fuse though.
Yes, there have been plenty of owners who have had them burn out. That saved the car from going up in flames. We have had plenty of threads about fusible links. Simple works really well.
Hmmm I see! On the other hand we would not hear too often about failing fusing links though as the explanation for any fire is a bit tricky to find. I just found this type of vehicle fuse which I think should to the trick: https://se.rs-online.com/web/p/car-fuses/7874407 I see auto part stores around here have similar ones. I think I might go with those ones. Looking more at the wiring diagrams, they did not precisely over dimension the cables like they did with engine. Running the 40amp generator on 10AWG in a rather hot environment Seems to have worked though...
The fusible link wire is aluminum. And it basically just melts, breaking the connection. In order to replace them properly, you will need what's known as a step down crimp connector. One side is for 14-16ga and the other for 10-12ga. It provides for a much cleaner install.
I've never heard of nor seen an aluminum fusable link... if you crimping aluminum to copper wire, you better slather it with dielectric grease. Seems like an invitation to corrosion city....
Any Napa store has the fusible links and step down crimp connector Jason mentioned. I had to repair a beat up starter wire on my Wildcat the summer. EZ fix.
Thanks guys! No NAPA stores around here, so far only found overpriced fusible links at classic American car part stores. But should be possible to get these online. Still seriously considering a proper fuse box by the battery though. I probably should to rebuild the rotten engine wire harness anyway so now would be a good time to do it. Then I could also get rid of the hang fuses on the positive battery connector for the subwoofer etc. With the stock fusible wire solution you actually need to jack up the car to check and replace what basically is a fuse, which is a design weakness, least to say. I also consider running the wire harness under the engine instead of close to the right valve cover. The exhaust ports in the intake makes the surfaces there very hot and I think that is what might have aged and ruined the insulation on parts of the current wires. I can also tell the harness has already been rebuilt at least once before. Would probably look cleaner concealing parts of the wire harness underneath the engine. The other part of me is an obsessive "stocker" though and would not want to change anything that is original...
I'm going in this direction when I build out the wagon. I'm not in it for originality. Most of the OEMs are going in this direction. Makes a nice place to pull circuits from too.
OK -- next time I have to look at who is posting I see that @john.schaefer77 has set you up. You can also use Rock Auto https://www.rockauto.com/en/tools/electrical,fuse,fusible+link,1000927 Check Lectric LTD to see if they carry the whole harness. In later year 455s they added a little wire tray that attaches to the valve cover bolts. I added that to my 1968 430 to keep it away from the intake manifold. I found an example up on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/2249427132...BwLk8awD3aLUPUNOe9QzisGw==|tkp:Bk9SR8Dj9oO3YQ
Super happy for all tips and tricks, this is an amazing forum Then it is even acknowledged by GM that the engine wire harness placement caused issues. They rather went through the trouble of keeping and manufacturing another part, rather then putting the harness under the engine. Maybe oil, water etc that can drip there is even worse than the heat on top? Or maybe mass manufacturing was easier with the bracket solution. Hmm... I considered putting small individual brackets or hooks on each valve cover screw just to lift up the harness a little bit. Did something similar to get some control over the PCV hose. Might look good if the wire harness is stiff enough. Maybe should revisit the bracket approach.
So FIY I finally settled on a solution. The original engine wire harness has some real design flaws. For one, the way the alternator is hooked up originally, the wiring gauge cannot support the more powerful standard replacement alternators of today. You basically have to change the wiring topology to account for this. I installed a fusebox at the wall besides the battery, next to the radiator, as a main distribution box. This replaces the connectors at the starter and is now the place where the generator connects. Distribution box placement I contemplated every place in the engine bay from fenders to the firewall, but very happy with the placement on the wall besides the battery. The fact that the wall by the battery is flat makes installation easy The wall already had rounded edges to protect the battery cables that were already there As the fuse box is bolted, it minimizes wire flex and possible loose connection. I considered for a second to just let it hang on the side of the battery I cannot have a battery as large anymore as the distribution box takes up space, but the battery I had still fits with no issues It is a bit awkward to service the box and change fuses, as you have to loosen the battery and push it aside. But it is way easier than having fusible links on the starter. And the box is discrete, you need a trained eye to see the wiring is not stock. Fuse box selection I spent hours and hours on this. Criterions were basically Quality and robustness, this is the main connection hub of the whole vehicle Only bolt on or possibly spring loaded wire connectors Support 100+A alternator incoming from the alternator, ~50A outgoing for the original wiring (the 10AWG and 12AWG) that were originally on the starter, ~50A outgoing for current and future sound system. There are several boxes you can get for other cars that are supposed to go directly on the battery. However each and every I found seemed to have non replaceable fuses that had too large of an amperage. You can get several spaced out modern looking boxes for car audio, but I don't want any of that visible in my 53 year old car. In the end I used this one: https://www.elfa.se/en/fuse-holder-megaoto-fuse-midioto-fuse-imaxx-hmd4-mg1/p/30010981 It is very sturdy and comes from a well renowned supplier. Bolt on fuses have the robustness I like to see in this application, however it is a bit hard to find them for the 20A headlight supply. Thermal insulation I found silicon wires rated to 200 degrees celsius. They have a thick insulation and seem perfect for the application. Might put a little bracket to keep them at a further distance from the intake. Cable routing Basically stock, except for the supply wires that went by the start before. These now go by the firewall and fenders instead. I could have pulled the harness underneath the engine to make it more discrete, but not worth the hassle in the end I thought.
