Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

how easy is it to change from the old bullet fuse set up to the blade fuse set up on an A reg 1.9 (now running 2.1)

Em
xx

Not easy at all. I'm about to do this myself but been held up with other jobs. You can't actually swap a later board for your early one (well, I don't see an easy way to do it) but its possible to fit an aftermarket one - with some fettling.

I always think its in a ridiculous place anyway - should be under a lift-up flap on the dash. I find myself praying to the God of wheelarches to view mine.

As Cov said not easy and to do it properly is cost prohibitive. The later boxes have their own problems as well.
Nothing really much wrong with the early boxes as long as the fuses make good contact, and are a lot easier to trouble shoot.

What I've got is a 12-way blade fusebox (new). I just need a couple of days off work to tackle it and alter the existing bracket to take the new box as its a fraction longer. However, what with a blown waterpump recently and today, the cost of a new starter, and off out the weekend, its a job I have to keep putting back....

Its definately dooable but hang in there so I can make all the mistakes so you don't have to.

Thanks muchly. will leave well alone then xx

The T3 wiring is pretty simple as it goes, and well-documented. I don't see it would be too difficult to transplant a later full harness set and relay plate into an early vehicle, just grunt work. You'd need the complete wiring from the same model. Dash out obviously, and a lift would help..

Unless I'd done it, I don't think I'd be able to judge whether it was difficult but I'd say it'd be very time consuming to swap looms, plus the fusebox would basically be in the same place. It takes almost a day just to get the dash in and out. Be simpler (short term) to just fit a new aftermarket spade box where the torpedo one is as it would only require minor cutting and drilling.

Now (and these are my own thought processes on this so follow at your peril), most commercial vehicles, particularly trucks, have them at dash level which makes a hell of a lot of sense. The existing T25 fusebox location is very much a hang-on from bugs and badly sited, if not an afterthought. To get to it, you have to squat outside the vehicle and crane your head up - not great when its peeing it down. Also, part of the glovebox had to be cut away just to accommodate it. Ingenious as VW's design team used to be, some aspects defy belief at times.

The dash (which lets remember is/was just one metal expanse) has almost nothing immediately below the passenger side. Theres a big load of nothing underneath. VW clearly had no visions of anything being put on the dash either, much less a pen. You can't even stand a cup on it.

Dashtrays aside, it would make more sense to locate the fusebox up top beneath a neat access hatch and perhaps incorporating a more modern fusebox with LED indicators. It would be hinged so you could get to connectors on the back. The ashtray hole and gril behind seem a convenient place but anywhere on that expanse would do I suppose.

This all hinges on having the time and the will to do it all, and whether existing cables would reach - have yet to try. Thats where I'd go with it if I could, but in the short term I'm just going to remove the present torpedo array and swap it for an afternarket blade one as its relatively easy to do. The measurements check out OK anyway - the one I bought will fit with only a little fettling.

I did consider fitting the box along the edge where the ciggy socket is, but that then could make it very difficult to access cables to the rear of the box. Replacing the existing box for the new one I have is a compromise and certainly the easiest way to do a fuse-type swap. However, it doesn't stop you getting wet if you have to view the fuses when its raining though. Up top still seems the most satisfactory answer.

Any other thoughts?

CovKid wrote: Also, part of the glovebox had to be cut away just to accommodate it. Ingenious as VW's design team used to be, some aspects defy belief at times.
?

That's only for RHD models it was cheaper to leave it where it was designed for LHD models and make a RHD dash loom. Access is not really a problem on LHD vehicles.

I'm not a fan of the old style fuses either - it seems like only a matter of time before the tension in the fuse holders relaxes and the fuses drop out. If you tighten them up again it's then too easy to push the end of a fuse off when inserting it. So I'm following this with interest.

Just a thought on the location though. I can't imagine that the wiring would easily stretch to a location in the centre, near the ashtray. And besides, the radio would probably make it a bit crowded there. I wonder if it would be feasible to make an angled bracket that locates to the bulkhead in the current fusebox location, but which makes the new fusebox easily accessible just by opening the glovebox. The bracket would just change the angle of the fusebox (so you're looking at it from above) and bring it out from the bulkhead a bit (so that it's towards the front edge of the glovebox). At least in this location the wiring would probably all be long enough.

And a quick question about those LED fuseboxes. I've used a couple for auxiliary fuses, and I really like the idea. Am I right though that the LED circuit allows an extremely low current to pass down the fused side of the circuit, even when the fuse has blown? I'm pretty sure I've seen 12V on my multimeter, even on a circuit where the fuse was removed*. I need to check this again to be sure.

*E D I T: and obviously that makes troubleshooting a little confusing at first.

CJH wrote:And a quick question about those LED fuseboxes. I've used a couple for auxiliary fuses, and I really like the idea. Am I right though that the LED circuit allows an extremely low current to pass down the fused side of the circuit, even when the fuse has blown? I'm pretty sure I've seen 12V on my multimeter, even on a circuit where the fuse was removed*. I need to check this again to be sure.

*E D I T: and obviously that makes troubleshooting a little confusing at first.

I just checked. If I put my multimeter on the output of an unused (empty) fuse location in one of my LED auxiliary fuseboxes, it shows full battery voltage, even though the LED doesn't light up. If I switch my multimeter over to the ammeter setting, the LED lights up and I measure 5.8mA. So yes, this type of fusebox is useful for showing which fuse has blown, but potentially can confuse things if you're the other end of the wire checking whether the circuit is live.

CJH wrote: If you tighten them up again it's then too easy to push the end of a fuse off when inserting it.

Not if you fit with the fuse link facing inward then spin them round.

CJH wrote: And a quick question about those LED fuseboxes. I've used a couple for auxiliary fuses, and I really like the idea. Am I right though that the LED circuit allows an extremely low current to pass down the fused side of the circuit, even when the fuse has blown? I'm pretty sure I've seen 12V on my multimeter, even on a circuit where the fuse was removed*. I need to check this again to be sure.

*E D I T: and obviously that makes troubleshooting a little confusing at first.

Yes you can get a 12v back feed especially if the circuit controls a bulb, which will give you a false reading with a multimeter or LED test lamp but not the old bulb type 12v test lamp, which is still the best tool for fault finding (but not anywhere near an ECU).

CovKid wrote: Dashtrays aside, it would make more sense to locate the fusebox up top beneath a neat access hatch and perhaps incorporating a more modern fusebox with LED indicators. It would be hinged so you could get to connectors on the back. The ashtray hole and gril behind seem a convenient place but anywhere on that expanse would do I suppose.

This all hinges on having the time and the will to do it all, and whether existing cables would reach - have yet to try. Thats where I'd go with it if I could, but in the short term I'm just going to remove the present torpedo array and swap it for an afternarket blade one as its relatively easy to do. The measurements check out OK anyway - the one I bought will fit with only a little fettling.


Any other thoughts?

Covkid - thanks for this...all interesting stuff! While I am still giggling at the thought of your rearranging your rusticles, I have had to read this a couple of times. Like the thinking!

Please could you send a link or image or something to the fuseboxes you talk about...didn't know you could just replace the bullet things (I really hate them...I hate inserting them, I hate trying to buy them - can only find plastic pooh..and much prefer blades (from a decent manufacturer!). The only good thing about them is that its easy to see when they have given up the ghost...

Thanks for taking the time out to type all that info.

Em
xx

No prob, and will do. I think theres also a generic, european ceramic fuse to blade fuse converter/adapter somewhere out there. Not managed to take a look yet.

CovKid wrote:No prob, and will do. I think theres also a generic, european ceramic fuse to blade fuse converter/adapter somewhere out there. Not managed to take a look yet.

cheers xx