WHY FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS ARE IMPORTANT

[@VinSpacker]

Another helpful tip to the masses: keep a tool for the car battery easily accessible in the vehicle. If you ever get sudden smoke that smells like burning plastic, unplug the negative side of your battery as fast as possible. Great video brotha 👍

[@coolrides]

Great safety tip. I found that the wiring from the alternator to the gauge in the dash on my '64 Dart didn't have protection...no fusible link or fuse. Lost a couple wires...I quickly disconnected the battery. Never moved so fast in my life. Another tip I learned...when working on the car, especially if there are wires present, disconnect the battery to be safe! :) Jack

[@motoforlyfe]

+Jack R Very good practice to always disconnect power before doing any work. Thank for the comment!

[@kalvinpatterson3516]

Why were you even touching the car if you didn't know the number one rule when working on electrical components?!?? Always disconnect the battery before any work is done and let the system discharge before doing any repairs as some compents like your air bag hold a charge for a short time even after the battery is disconnected.

[@kalvinpatterson3516]

I don't recommend using the black rubberized plastic housing fuse holders like he shows, 9 times out of 10 when the fuse blows in one of them the housing ends up melting and you have to replace it. You want to use the solid plastic housing that have the aluminum/steel block inserts for the fuses so if the fuse blows the housing doesn't get damaged or melted.

[@buddylight2191]

The circuit breaker you show at 1:46 are not safe. They automatically reset themselves and cause a lot of fires in buses, Rv's, boats and campers etc. I recommend a circuit breaker that must be manually reset of a fuse that must be replaced. For example see====> www.cabelas.com/product/Manual-Reset-Circuit-Breaker/738260.uts?productVariantId=1191209&srccode=cii_328768002&cpncode=39-90764702-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=BingPLA&WT.z_mc_id1=00006830&rid=20

[@blakstorm12]

thank you very much for this!! I had no idea this could happen.

[@MalcOfLincoln]

Years ago I did a silly thing. Had an 8 track, one of the first in a Morris 1100. Swapped polarity on the car (didn't know it was reversible inside the machine) Next car was a Morris 1000. Instead of changing polarity, wired it directly to the battery. It shorted and suddenly burst into flames. Shot out and pulled the wire off the battery with pliers, but was a close thing......lesson learned.

[@motoforlyfe]

+MalcOfLincoln Thanks Malc! That doesn't sound good!

[@MalcOfLincoln]

Was a bit scary at the time but quickly under control. Only thing was I was in a town high street. The soundproofing under the dash etc was smouldering.....took ages to make sure it was safe.

[@riversidecountryclub2211]

Very worth while video, so how do you connect that CB to your battery?

[@AOE5578]

Thanks Why the circuit breaker bolts different colors ??

[@AeroSport103]

Good video Boy Wonder... Take care, be safe!

[@motoforlyfe]

+Ironheart Fabrication Thanks Mate!

[@not2fast4u2c]

I have seen a few cars that had the wiring fry ....Like on a Ford they have fuseable links those rectangle rubber looking things...And people chop them out and wire something direct

[@motoforlyfe]

+not2fast4u2c I have used the rubber fuse holders in the past, bypassing them is a terrible idea!

[@not2fast4u2c]

What I meant was a fusible link on a Ford is a small rectangle rubber/plastic piece that has a small wire in it that will burn out if overloaded They can be bought new... people will cut them off and bypass them they are use on the headlight circuit etc.

[@motoforlyfe]

+not2fast4u2c Oh yeah, I've seen those usable links before as well. Equally dangerous to bypass

[@userunavailable3095]

I worked for a guy years ago who fancied himself an electrician. He didn't much believe in fuses, and he didn't much believe in doing things right. He caught a 1978 Cadillac Coupe DeVille on fire that way. He had modified the wiring to the Hartman plug for his trailers that he towed with the car. The car was not lost, but all the wiring was. Have you any idea how much it costs to totally rewire a Cadillac, even back then?

[@motoforlyfe]

+userunavailable3095 Probably more than it was worth...thanks for the comment!

[@kalvinpatterson3516]

Probably atleast a thousand dollars. Possibly more since you'd most likely be replacing some of the interior as well from being burned along with the wiring insulation.

[@kalvinpatterson3516]

@@motoforlyfe do you even realize how much one of those are worth especially today? Those things are rare and not exactly cheap it would be well worth the time and money to replace the wiring harnesses, properly.

[@knight3131]

I have a question. I want to connect a fuse, circuit breaker and relay (since I only want to provide power to the device when vehicle is on). So should I Connect the battery to circuit breaker then to the fuse and last to the relay ?

[@VinSpacker]

Hi Francisco. Using both a fuse and circuit breaker in the same circuit is not particularly necessary. Fuses and circuit breakers functionally accomplish the same thing. You can use either one, whichever you prefer. As for which order to place the components, here you go: Battery > fuse (or breaker) > relay > component. Then connect your car's accessory power to the remote terminal of the relay. Reply if you have any questions and I'll shoot you a response.

[@tectalabyss]

Great tip. thank you Dirtbike.

[@motoforlyfe]

+Bobby Tectalabyss Thanks Bobby!

[@TheWreckingYard]

Good stuff, that sounds like what happened to the ventura that vwdarrin bought. BTW I checked and you can also buy fusible link wire on ebay that's meant to protect loads that aren't practical to fuse.

[@motoforlyfe]

+TheWreckingYard Thanks for the comment!

[@kalvinpatterson3516]

Yea you can buy them from eBay but you better test it first before using because it may not be safe. Alot of stuff sold on eBay is cheaply made and the manufacturer skips out on safety protocol. If it doesn't have DOT or comply with local safety regulations don't buy it.

[@BAGOTCORNER]

Excellent points buddy !

[@motoforlyfe]

+Bagot Corner Thanks buddy!

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

Wiring can be serious business. When I was a stupid kid, like 16 or so I tried to wire up aux wires with stereo wire and managed to ground it inside the car, let's just say it burned the entire cable in a second and there was lots of smoke. live and learn.

[@motoforlyfe]

+paradoxdesigns Definitely have to know what you are doing before attempting any kind of wiring. Thanks for stoppin' by!

[@86chevymane82]

A when u use an circuit breaker the accessory side goes to wat ever like I’m using this for electric seats so accessory will go to the power feed and the battery side can that go to the batt capacity on my fuse box

[@larrylehman751]

Great advice

[@krazy45cat]

A huge amount of heat to melt that 8ga wire . Looks like he had to cut some of the strands off to even use the 10ga ring connector . I'd have to ask him or her what else they have done to the truck to make sure the car or truck will not burn to the ground ,Gerry

[@motoforlyfe]

+krazy45cat It wasn't a recipe for success, that's for sure!

[@EdmundWChan]

You call us TUBES !!?!?! Nice !

[@motoforlyfe]

Yep, that's what we do!

[@buddylight2191]

The circuit breaker you showed resets its-self and does not correct the short.

[@godsinbox]

circuit breakers are there to protect the cables, not the accessory. place CB as close as possible to the power source

[@VinSpacker]

😂 If you wanna be technical, the breakers are there to protect the driver, and their vehicle. It also protects the cables and the accessory, of course 😁 I'm just trolling though lol, placing the CB close to power is definitely what should be done!

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

Nothing like the acrid smell of burnt wire, and puff of white smoke to make the day interesting........

[@motoforlyfe]

+JimsEquipmentShed Acrid, white, and interesting indeed!

[@JimsEquipmentShed]

+dirtbike5100 when my FJ40 decided to practice the fine art of burning I got the chance to experience those sensations first hand. I managed to catch it before it became an open flame, but it made me miss lunch.......

[@JoshKilen]

wow

[@motoforlyfe]

+Josh Kilen You bet Josh!

[@JoshKilen]

dirtbike5100 have you checked out my channel?