Hi all, Just wondering if anyone else has / if it's worth updating the old school VW fusebox in the cab to a new style one with blade fuses and also thought about changing the input from the main battery to the leisure battery? Pros / cons or just leave that snakes nest well alone to preserve your sanity
Fusebox change.. maybe..could add reliability if yours gives trouble. Leisure battery: why ? All the circuits on the main fusebox are to do with the engine running and driving. Running the stereo off the leisure battery makes sense. You really need a leisure fusebox too. The mistake I made was to use the classic fuses in the first leisure fusebox.. the solar cell feed keeps melting the body of the 8 amp fuse so it loosens. The second fusebox in the engine bay uses blade fuses and this deals with electronics and split charging .. its much more reliable. Fuses only blow there when I short things by accident
Why would you want the side lights, headlights, wipers, heater blower, ignition, horn, brake lights, indicators etc supplied from the leisure battery?
I piggy-backed a blade fuse box over the original as a trial and left it as it’s been trouble free since. It’s not pretty - I used blade connectors on the fuse holder spring tabs and wired to the new box on top - but it works. I just hated those torpedo fuses - especially plastic ones that melt as fast as the filament so they keep burning as they get shorter - but was reluctant to remove the OE one. LED blades are handy to spot any issues but really I’ve not needed them except when I’ve been tinkering with stuff and caused a short. Blades replace 8A torpedo with 7.5A and 16A with 15A so errs on the side of caution. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry, I didn't make myself clear at all in my first post, my brain knew what it wanted to say but my fingers sabotaged the keyboard! If I was to update the old VW fusebox and get blade fuses etc, keeping the essential driving parts on that, (lights, wipers etc), and then hive off the non essential bits, (cig lighter, stereo etc), in to a new fusebox powered by my leisure battery. At the moment it's all snaked into the old fusebox and back to the main battery as VW intended. I hate the torpedo fuses and the wiring is all exposed and makes me wince everything I take a look at it, I can see the benefit in doing it but as it probably hasn't been touched for 40 years I'm a little worried it will kick off more issues than it's worth... Just wondered what others had experienced.
Unless your having problems with it, I'd keep it as it is. Leisure feed to the radio worth it, if you can get a cable run. If you up for adding 2 relays then the headlight mod. worth ago. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=323108
I’ve just installed a secondary blade fuse box that’s powered from the leisure battery. I’m leaving the OE one as it is, but I have just added an ‘expansion’ blade fuse box powered from the main battery too. This will be for headlamp upgrade, washer pump, etc. I can take some pics tonight if I get out to the bus.
My radio, all interior lights, cigarette lighter and USB points are all connected to the leisure battery via a fusebox under the bed. The rest is standard The issue with changing the main fuse box would be getting a neat way of doing the inter connections.
I'm replacing the horrible ceramic fuses. They're unreliable and clumsy. I'm going to put two blade fuse boxes of 10 fuses each, mounted on a new board, in place of the old one. One box will be for ignition live and the other battery live. The leisure battery fuse box will be under the rear seat.
I initially had blade fuses on the leisure circuits but my mindset could not live with both old and new style fuses, so I had to go back to original style ceramic fuses to match those up front. Same as how I’m gradually changing the crimp on terminals back to original non insulated types even though the coloured plastic ones work fine.
I have a 73 Karmann Ghia and was having problems with OE torpedo type fuse box and converted to blade type. I changed all the blade wire connections and wish I'd done it years ago. No voltage loss and lights a lot brighter. OK not the most easy job but do it. Robert
You more OK if they are actually ceramic. Worth replacing the fusible metal bits on ceramic bodies if you have them as the plastic bodies melt as fuses get hot, which they should as they approach rheir rated current.
Mike I can appreciate that's worth doing for those who are more purist than me and want to keep their buses original. I've had loads of beetles and buses over the years and I found the fuses to be a royal pain in the bum. I do far prefer the blade style and they're reliable. I rewired my buggy using the blade style fuse boxes which was a great learning experience, so hopefully the bus will be easier.
