There is much electrical equipment in the car circuit that is connected by wires of different colors, and the most not to be ignored is the fuse. The fuse is the customary name, and it is called the fuse in the national standard. The function of the fuse is to protect the circuit (line) and electrical equipment.


What is a car fuse?

   Fuse is what we are used to, and its official name is "fuse". The purpose of automobile fuses is similar to that of home fuses. When the circuit current is abnormal and exceeds its rated current, the fuse will fuse and act as a circuit protection barrier. Automotive fuses are roughly divided into two types of fast-acting fuses and slow-acting fuses.

　Fuses commonly used in automobiles include high current fuses and medium and low current fuses. Generally, the easy-to-reach fuse is the low-to-medium current fuse. Low and medium current insurance can be roughly divided into chip fuses (including automatic fuse box mini fuses), plug-in fuses, screw-in fuses, tube fuse box flat fuses. Among them, the medium-sized ATO or small-sized fast-acting chip fuses are available to us. Chip fuse can carry small current, short-time pulse current, such as headlight circuit, rear glass defrosting, etc.

　International standards for automotive chip fuse colors: 2A gray, 3A purple, 4A pink, 5A orange, 7.5A brown, 10A red, 15A blue, 20A yellow, 25A transparent, and colorless, 30A green, and 40A dark orange. According to the different colors, the size of different amperages can be clearly distinguished.

   The conductor in the chip fuse is made of a metal similar to solder, which has a lower melting point than the ordinary wire itself. The size of the conductor must be calibrated very accurately so that when the rated current is reached, enough heat can be generated to fuse the conductor and break the circuit. The fuse has two important operating parameters, one is the operating voltage, the other is the rated current, the owner should choose according to the voltage and current in the circuit when buying or replacing it.


 Location of car fuse box

  Generally, there are two fuse boxes in a car. One is responsible for the safety of the external electrical appliances of the car, such as the safety protection of ECU, glass water, car lights, horn, ABS, and other circuits, located in the engine compartment; and the other is responsible for the electrical appliances in the car. Normal work, such as cigarette lighter, window lifter, electric seat, and airbag, etc., are generally located on the left side of the steering wheel. For example, before I connected the ACC power cord, I needed to disassemble and install the fuse box in the car.


Tips for replacing car fuses and precautions for use

   If there is no spare fuse, use other idle fuses to top it. For example, the fuse of the car window is broken, and there is no spare fuse. At this time, you can use idle insurance such as audio and air conditioning, provided that the amperage of the two is the same or smaller than the original fuse.

Install high-power car lights. After changing the headlight, if the power is too large, it is very easy to blow the fuse. The high-current fuse and power cord should be replaced in time. To prevent overheating due to excessive current.

Modified high-power audio. High-power speakers will also blow the fuse. When installing high-power electrical appliances, you must pay attention to the current of the electrical appliances and replace the corresponding fuses in time. Generally better modification shops will pay attention to this problem.

Flush the engine compartment with water. When cleaning the engine compartment, because the fuse box is not properly sealed, remember not to directly wash the fuse box with water, which will cause the fuse to short circuit and cause the electrical components of the vehicle to fail. And most fuse boxes have obvious icons prohibiting water washing. If the fuse box is dirty, wipe it gently with a damp towel.

The cigarette lighter uses high-power electrical appliances. The cigarette lighter fuse is extremely easy to blow. Generally, the cigarette lighter uses a 15-25A fuse. Since the vehicle voltage is 12V, it is recommended that the electrical appliances connected to the cigarette lighter should not exceed 300W, and some small cars should not exceed 200W. As for high-power electrical appliances such as car refrigerators and car air pumps, it is better to use fewer cigarette lighters to get electricity.


Under what circumstances is it determined that the car fuse is blown?

    When the cigarette lighter, car windows, air conditioner, car lights, and other electrical appliances strike alone when the switch is turned on, you hear the sound of electric current or the operation of the relay, and it can be roughly concluded that the fuse is broken.

If the vehicle cannot catch fire, remember not to fire continuously. It is easy to cause the battery to continue to discharge and lose power. The light of the current vehicle is normal. At this time, it is very likely that the fuse responsible for the starter motor is broken. The fuse continues to cause an excessive current. If the electric appliance of the blown vehicle does not work, the first consideration is whether the fuse is blown, and the next step is to deal with it. It is especially important to be familiar with the location of the fuse in the vehicle.


to sum up

　In the past, the driver's master not only had good driving skills but also had first-class car repair skills, because the old vehicles were prone to problems (see now North Korea). At present, the degree of electrification of automobiles is high, and the oil circuit of the entire vehicle can be controlled through small fuses and computer chips. Many problems can be solved by replacing the fuse, and replacing the fuse is not a very difficult task, even simpler than replacing the spare tire. Understanding the fuse can greatly reduce unnecessary trouble and waste of money. Therefore, all car owners should understand the fuse of their vehicle and will replace it.


In summary, this article has explained automobile fuses for everyone, and I believe that everyone’s understanding of automobile fuses will become deeper and deeper. I hope this article can be of greater reference value for readers. If you want to learn more about connectors, you can browse other articles on our blog, or continue to follow our updates.