1 Topic by Limonaid (edited by Limonaid 2024-01-27 04:16 PM)

  • Registered: 2011-06-17
  • Posts: 109

Topic: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

Over the years, we've tapped into various places parts of the car harness to power our various accessories and had all the expected trouble from doing so. We finally had enough of that and installed a dedicated AUX fuse box, pictures below.

We are powering the fuse box directly off of the car side of the kill switch, and the ground is connected to a factory ground point.

This fuse box is split into two separate halves, left and right, with separate power inputs. I wired up ours so that the right side powers up off of the kill switch, so that when you close the kill switch, the right side is powered. I used a relay connected to a car accessory line so that the left side powers up only when the ignition key is on.

I put a volt meter gauge connected to the kill switch power on side of the box so that 1) drivers can easily see the battery voltage and I can tell if the battery is dead and 2) if the volt meter is on, you know the kill switch is closed. I connected an LED, mounted next to the volt meter, to the ignition key power side of the fuse box to indicate that the key is on.

This solved all of our electrical power issues, and we are no longer tapping any part of the car harness for power.

This fuse box has LEDs that light up when a fuse is blown.

Here is the fuse box we used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099ZKFLB1

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRe0B6-A0eXUbAiEjydeFzQfo4W6Em0rfRW3C64NmlK5nndw8ZZcnC3zBtc7KJKw1Fvr93MFiPCd3K72MUdmQBRoC1iRA=s1600

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSMLKyL0bGjMBDuHDp78SQwXEdUrn0putX-44Ptgc8t0KHPweO78wAkIA-0UXI6JeNbn4eNT-0373yrc4PGR7XVGCf05Q=s1600

EPA Racing - #40 Supercharged Dodge Caliber

2 Reply by VKZ24 (edited by VKZ24 2024-01-30 08:47 AM)

  • VKZ24
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Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

I did something similar in our car.  I also used the LED fuses that illuminate when blown.

Here's ours.  The fuse panel is in the lower LH corner In this pic:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV844DYLDrIwS1EFDPryyiBMnnAmx16WxcdfniN8o2MnSW4tn1LDaWZg6xVra_cJDt6Jx0rZM3UyqgG_95x-irRKJN67uHU5A4Q4mtDYqhf4eZn28r_rQqcjieKYvBTIaEqfNNHFzngbYQa_QLnFg6i9HUbbvX4L5db48asWrSsvylS21SX2zF1QLdHRyUvljSj9Y7fS7IcQdXkCJlAlUYC6NaoZLBkkFfoufQCEPUstVVbQi_2CKyREyPu_TaFr5l_QSf75GxpZDf90kOg2-PJuPiqwqEqqLEPICLtz9yQ7FR7JBPFIFfDPNrRZ7CfYkkokdRSre_SjwJchdNaCSieukkruxid5qjx0uCgUO6jUW-hnU1HLH6eLGIgquOo5y9l9rRA7r7yMAF49KdypRJrfnXUWCaiHinIUqfB1PfZ1-BizmnmV-iRiZWdMeeu-YQKWn-AR5FUKQOvrnQ4zyKXuyUNXk1mGbl3k-OLwrdSqqRs_8XbOEm7rApNyWTJlBBu6AXHd4tGUT2ScbQ_YCemLet7jab1B2N3qgKnH9NLO3wkSsvt0XdeYA8G9Uqf64sys4uOi2YwxQuuCepuKZ9gTZn2g6m5c1ec9vXXFHfGTZXaYvxcwyrRf3v-StfLJCHUgz8G4bnKjkMeo5zqE4wLEl6K3zNo71RB-OW9Z9Wo-J3TBxSs7o-qlrVa3YLX4bRfiSojA00uYM9bONej5d-DlzJ46gD7QIjaIHl9xE7hRGfIONqk7R237sNIHgpvkAf50ehR2rJexNvnKYkxDth40Vf8CGkTWjZOXuOQgQ2SvBecYegIksx66369z8gi8Gi7pUPcXGVqa8Oaz_87ESTHM15Deh13-T2WvBMaNKZykXY4omhQxdEV6g-7PEo0GcsRz_GCFJMggBqWkLJoJps9_Q=w1174-h662-s-no-gm?authuser=0


Fuse panel in the lower RH corner as seen here:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV857XFBJJ_90zwSb3UMOl2HgyzOgBOaWkiOTLhoUrVCnFLsqu9agjViIzjH5BLGr7kBchiYthNKZd1Q4QxYdGtuwZRWpD1NTnLIPsgmvaNyltQXBk06TDq1Xnn6yl9j6r7qkQKA6TEEP9O6_1z8WzKPU1HKYUaJcROlxaPDsfPqysB0tPAn0YhX3Ya7izrRv6jj4w6eGssT8K0GgHwZysYpbUdA64ZxMlbgG8NN4qCVWVrv1HD9QBLDvvxpnALt1c64BUX-3mdprBrg9mA7ZQ7lSdkel1PEiKy9xRpbeeBDMxzUio7rd0eCB85gdd8OcHDHIauGWgNgKs1pFZlY4ogmlJcVOyeE21pJsTC6fQZufoeTakNQtngMVZkrUNl5xWLkLKCYpG7DqrYXVgOuWj6qhDvaCcCcgqkXrpbqwRYPch8cH0TRX574s3KZv-ERo18pzyR3JQc8YY4aO_BnOOlHt4ML6LgOPqHMFHi4EiGRq8PRioSMZbMDqeOjxs0VcfzSs12jhMNZV_G0Pz1d_SRQyqjLibW-vHA_6MFEXqrlnGEI2e_oFguQ5byVXXikEf-TOxzxuxoc3zC-cQ9_-D46NqAQH0Y6pI0-f_y2cAe-BqxDaXgcDenf42XNC1uKWDzNdSRk4OmFQcg7xjvw7PF1lh9Q7hNOlZp2hKQ2-4GbC20zLeLvSFmjHEQF3Z44ZAVsgoB7TV8yVcDcyNfRqawxVOauJ6cKXQblVXMmF7WAZc3085urKVCw6UxhYO8A3fn2DAjih55lbGMImTAm3ZS3SJBhjSXIUdHMRGPlqa_iY9zN2MAjGe7CNrg7mm5whE8gfWWkldfr9o3c_iG5QwIlGboneiT0-UZDwQyAQvnc4vF2gk4DzPTsCtRh71YTKknY-h0W2YwZYucHLNDlgnB-weyXmM-eq7vHpXmegB0R8-j7GynXPypjQi48g9Y3OO-sS3app5nSVJZPf=w1174-h660-s-no-gm?authuser=0

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

VKZ24's Website

3 Reply by Zacks (edited by Zacks 2024-01-29 05:32 PM)

  • Zacks
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Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

I repurpased all the unused fuses in our car.  Things like airbag, auto trans, power windows (we have cranks) ect.  In some cases i had to add a pin to the fuse box harness connector to use a previously unused circuit.

Super annoying but I didn't wanna tap another wire to the kill switch.

Probably Ill advised as now there are random mysterious fuses that power things nothing the wiring diagram lol

But I'm happy cause I fit it all in the factory box!

Your fuse box looks nice. But I have a hatred of those colored ring terminals. The aluminum they are made of is weak and they scream hey this is DIY I bought some steel ring terminals and I heat shrink over the crimp.  In a pinch I'll pull the colored plastic off the cheapo ones and use heat shrink that way at least there is some support on the insulation instead of a weak point where the wiring flexes with vibrations until it fails.

  • Registered: 2023-09-19
  • Posts: 20

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

that is sexy. I like it. Im still figuring out how Im want to do my wiring. Luckily the vehicle Im using is old and carbureted so there's not a lot of electronics to worry about.

  • Jimmy
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Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

flb_78 wrote:

old and carbureted .

Speaking my language......  I installed an auxiliary fuse box under the hood in addition to the factory fuse block.  Its nowhere near as nice as what is pictured ( that is really well done) ... but it is convenient to have access to some clean,  fused , accessible, 12 volt power when adding stuff to the car.

Cordoba
  • Registered: 2011-06-17
  • Posts: 109

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

Zacks wrote:

...I have a hatred of those colored ring terminals. The aluminum they are made of is weak...

I did not like them either, but at the insistence of one of my team members, we used Amphenol ring terminals and a nice Klein ratcheting crimper.

The connections are very strong and we have no failures so far.

EPA Racing - #40 Supercharged Dodge Caliber
  • Registered: 2013-11-15
  • Posts: 673

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

I replaced the Volvo fuse box in my car years ago with one like in the first post. No regrets.  When a wiper fuse blew at Sonoma last year, having the red light on the fuse box helped me immediately diagnose the problem and get us back on track.  My car is pretty simple electronics wise even though it is fuel injected.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon
  • VKZ24
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Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

Limonaid wrote:
Zacks wrote:

...I have a hatred of those colored ring terminals. The aluminum they are made of is weak...

I did not like them either, but at the insistence of one of my team members, we used Amphenol ring terminals and a nice Klein ratcheting crimper.

The connections are very strong and we have no failures so far.

I used the el-cheapo ring terminals for 30 years.  Never had a single failure of one.  Now those Scotch-lock, splice over the wire things...they are garbage.

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

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  • From: Columbus, Oh
  • Registered: 2020-05-19
  • Posts: 326

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

Wago connectors > scotch locks

1989 Merkur XR4Ti: Project Merkur Space Program - Wins: Class C - Colonel and the Sinkhole 2023 | "Heroic Fix" The Pitt Maneuver 2023 | "Halloween Meets Gasoline" The Pitt Maneuver 2022
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10 Reply by Zacks (edited by Zacks 2024-01-31 07:28 AM)

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Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

I have seen failures.
But to be fair it's always on daily street cars.
In my head I'm like race car= harsh/vibrations/maximum breakage, but I guess they don't usually get the mileage of a regular car. 

Also most of the failures I see are in the engine bay so lack of weather proofing is probably a factor.  I just expect a repair or any electrical work I do to be good for 200k or more basically like what I expect from the factory harness, I've had to re-do poorly done repairs from others.  These experiences probably color my opinions.

Sorry to cause a thread drift.

  • Registered: 2011-06-17
  • Posts: 109

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

Zacks wrote:

I have seen failures...

I have too, on other crimps.

For us, so far, using Ampehnol crimps and a very nice ratcheting crimper (to ensure proper crimping every time) we have not had a single failure.

EPA Racing - #40 Supercharged Dodge Caliber
  • From: Newport News, VA
  • Registered: 2015-12-23
  • Posts: 621

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

KeiCarMike wrote:

Wago connectors > scotch locks

Bubble gum and a half twist > scotch locks

I hate scotch locks.

That guy
  • Registered: 2013-11-15
  • Posts: 673

Re: AUX fuse box to power all of our accessories,

I like the terminals and butt connectors with the heat shrink.  They hold the wires in addition to your crimps.  I also switched to Deutsch connectors, those are the bestest.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon