Urgent - Burnt Out Fuse Box Advice Needed

[Guest lablover]

HELP! :unsure: My Gal has broken down again tonight, less than 2 weeks since last time. New alternator was fitted last week, but tonight exact same thing happened again. RAC diagnosed faulty alternator again! I asked DH (he was driving this time!) if they had checked the fuses as I remembered reading a post on here that they didn't need a new alternator, just a fuse box. Well would you believe it, the 100 amp fuse in the small rectangular fuse box near battery has burnt out completely and melted the fuse box casing etc. RAC had done a temporary repair by using another 100 amp fuse and adapting it slightly to fit, just to get DH home.

 

Firstly, does anyone know what could have caused this?

Secondly, is it going to cost me an arm and a leg to repair? (DH wants to do it - he says it's easy)

and Thirdly, is there anything else that could have gone wrong we need to check?

 

And RAC guy said this fuse could be affecting the a/c, and the guy came )finally!) yesterday to look at it, and it's working fine.... The Gas has not leaked out... So why did it not work the other week....? Could that be this big 100 amp fuse?

 

Just one other thing, excuse my ignorance, but what rating of alternator should my gal have - could they have put the wrong one in?

 

Any advice greatfully received.

 

:blink:

[Guest lablover]

Excuse the typo - GRATEFULLY received! Bit stressed...

[Masked Marauder]

That little fuse box melting is on the common problem list. Other users on here have changed it them self.

[tim-spam]

Was the original alternator actually faulty - this could be yet another case of a minor problem becoming major (and expensive) due to crap dealer servicing.

[Andrew T]

Well would you believe it, the 100 amp fuse in the small rectangular fuse box near battery has burnt out completely and melted the fuse box casing etc.  RAC had done a temporary repair by using another 100 amp fuse and adapting it slightly to fit, just to get DH home.

 

 

 

:unsure:

Snap ! (literally) same as I had, but at least it's only

[Guest lablover]

Was the original alternator actually faulty - this could be yet another case of a minor problem becoming major (and expensive) due to crap dealer servicing.

Don't know, and don't think I ever will! The car was repaired at a garage recommenede by the warranty company, and the warranty company paid for it.

 

My local garage reckon they may have not disconnected the battery when they changed the alternator, and possibly caused a short circuit leading to the fuse blowing. The fuse that burnt out, and caused the box to melt was only 100 amp, and in my Gal handbook it specifies that this fuse is at least 150 amp. So I wonder if they noticed the fuse had blown, didn't have a 150, so stuck a 100 amp fuse in. The fuse that blew also is different to the others in the box - it's much shinier and writing in a diff place to others, so I therefore think that this fuse is not original.

 

Can anyone do me a huge favour, look under the bonnet of your gal, and check the fuse for the alternator is def 150? Please? The Ford garage weren't sure at first...

[Masked Marauder]

It is 150 amp if you do not have independant heating, 60 amp if you do.

[Guest lablover]

It is 150 amp if you do not have independant heating, 60 amp if you do.

How do I know if it has independant heating? Sorry if that is a dumbass question... It's an '02 plate 1.9 TDi

[Masked Marauder]

Independant heating is when the booster heater can be set to come on at a pre-defined time or whilst the vehicle is standing without the engine running. Most likely you will not have it. I have never found anyone who has!

[Guest lablover]

Nope, def don't have that. So we must need a 150 amp fuse then. So who put a 100 amp in then? and caused the little fuse box to burn out? Will never know...

[Masked Marauder]

If you could put in a lower amperage fuse then it would not cause the box to melt, the reverse would be true.

 

It sounds like the box melted and the fuse blew and someone bodged in a lower amperage fuse rather than buy the part, or perhaps the part was not available and it was a "get-you-home" fix that worked so was left.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

The fuses in question are available in 30, 50, 80, 110 and 150A the heat needed to take out a 110/150 A fuse is quite considerable! if its not a dead short and a quick blow but a slow build up and a long time to melt the fuse through! if the nuts holding it place are loose and you get a high restance joint? then that will cause a build up heat not in the fuse but in the connection! and hence the melting of the plastic fuse box! check all the connections to the fuse and alternator are ok? as suggested by AndrewT

[Masked Marauder]

The fuses in question are available in 30, 50, 80, 110 and 150A the heat needed to take out a 110/150

When I looked on the wiring diagram for <2000.75 it showed only two for TDi engines.

 

And I went to have a look at the one on my car, but I don't even know where it is!

[Guest vr6galaxy]

I didnt look at the wireing diags I went straight to the VW part listings for that year all vehicles, it shows five sizes of fuses available (battery fuse box) :( the other fuse box (fan control) shows only four fuses sizes 40, 60, 110 and 150A

cant find my TIS :huh: it's been moved while I was away :(

[mumof4]

hi all.

our 150amp fuse blew and then our ecu went straight after it!!!.nice.

[Guest lablover]

Well, DH has replaced the fuse box, and so far so good touch wood... fingers crossed... All the fuses were present in the fuse box, but Ford sent us a spare 150 amp in case it blows again, so I therefore think you can just change one fuse, as long as the box doesn't melt as it did in our case. They're bolted in either end with small bolts. DH says he's going to check this box weekly, so we're going to leave the large plastic cover off that covers the battery and fuse box, to give easier access. One thing AndrewT that DH was concerned about was the cable going from alternator to fuse box (ours is wrapped in some kind of black fabric) does get quite warm. I think you mentioned in your posting that you had to replace this cable too. DH going to keep an eye, and probably replace this cable too. Is this a big job? or difficult?

 

So AndrewT, what happens when the windscreen wipers sieze, and what do you do about it?! DH wants to be prepared!

 

I'm not even thinking about what happened to you mum of 4 - we had a Vauxhall Astra, low mileage, 3 years old, always serviced by dealer, and 6 weeks after we bought it, the speedo failed - diagnosis, ECU failure. The garage (had to use a main dealer as no-one else could touch it!) said they had fixed it, but I drove car away with a dodgy relay in the fusebox, which caused the internal lights to fail and the wipers not to work etc. Total bill

[Andrew T]

Yes you're quite right, having looked at the fuse box again I can see the fuses are replacable. After the box was changed I found the new lid was starting to melt over the bolt for the alternator terminal. This was when the alt' cable was changed. He made up the replacement himself and charged

[Masked Marauder]

Where is this fuse box? I don't even know where it is!

 

Edit: I don't think my Alhambra has one. TIS says back LH side of the engine compartment.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

Where is this fuse box? I don't even know where it is!

 

Edit: I don't think my Alhambra has one. TIS says back LH side of the engine compartment.

TDI's dont have one, if they did it would be to the right of the expansion bottle behind the battery

[Andrew T]

[

TDI's dont have one, if they did it would be to the right of the expansion bottle behind the battery

But LABLOVERhas a TDI ! On mine it's under the battery cover to the left of the wash bottle neck.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

But MM has a mk1 so its to the left of the expansion bottle, MK2's its to the right

[mumof4]

Spoke to the garage this afternoon.am getting really dejected now as they are telling me it could cost up to

[Guest lablover]

got told that we were very lucky that the engine did not catch on fire. :unsure:

This is what has scared me... And guess ehat? New fuse box is now starting to melt.... It's melting around the alternator lead - remember we had a new alternator 2 weeks ago. DH is going to repair the lead as it's looking quite dodgy. I think we need a new lead. How much is that going to be? Nightmare...

 

I want to get rid of mine mumof4 too. It's just not releiable :(

 

Wish I'd stuck with Volvo... It was just such a gas guzzler...

[Andrew T]

If the connection has been playing up for some time then the Alternator cable will have been overheating as well and will now have a high resistance and be perpetuating the problem. To repeat my post above......since I've spent

[mikej]

Hi all just had my fuse box melt on me today 250 miles from bloody home , managed to get some bits from halfrauds and patch it up . Looks like its a common problem looking at the posts same as a few others 150amp alternator fuse and cable melted , does anyone have the dealer part number to hand so i can order it it looks like a VW part on my galaxy , any help would be great

thanks in advance

mike..........