Fusebox Upgrade

[Steve]

what other things do you guys like to add to these fuse boxes? 12 Volt outlet?

I have a 12 volt outlet, XM radio, CB radio/intercom, GPS and a couple extra lights.

Yeah, that's on my 850.

The Wing includes the cappucino machine, microwave, heated and massaging La-Z-Boy recliner and all the other typical 'Wing stuff'.

.

[Normk]

A KLR is nothing without at least 50 farkles & mods. Mine had 95+ and thought of cooking up a few more to break the 100 but got lazy (lazier?)

Have you done Bill Watson's thermostat by-pass?

Norm

I have a KLR... with plenty of Farkles thanks

[Normk]

Separate thought:

Dig out your voltmeter and use it to check the voltage drop at each fuse in the fuse box. With key on and circuit active (i.e. headlight switch on), place one meter lead onto the fuse clip and the other lead onto the fuse end cap at that end. Voltage should be zero which I mean to be less than 1/10 volt. Check the other fuse end in the same manner and move to the next fuse. Any voltage drop at a fuse is the sign of a poor connection which means impending heat and failure. Catch them early before there's a melted fuse box or fried fuse.

You can do the same thing by checking for a voltage drop between the two parts of a bullet connector, etc.

HIH

Norm

[cowboyup3371]

Separate thought:

Dig out your voltmeter and use it to check the voltage drop at each fuse in the fuse box. With key on and circuit active (i.e. headlight switch on), place one meter lead onto the fuse clip and the other lead onto the fuse end cap at that end. Voltage should be zero which I mean to be less than 1/10 volt. Check the other fuse end in the same manner and move to the next fuse. Any voltage drop at a fuse is the sign of a poor connection which means impending heat and failure. Catch them early before there's a melted fuse box or fried fuse.

You can do the same thing by checking for a voltage drop between the two parts of a bullet connector, etc.

HIH

Norm

Do you have a picture to help me know where the leads go? Sometimes I need visual assistance.

[Normk]

The leads just need to touch, one lead to the clip and the other to the metal end cap of the fuse on the same end.

The meter is "looking" for a voltage between the to leads. In this case it will be the connection between the fuse clip and its end cap. There should be zero volts shown or milli/micro-volts.

Here is a photo which I hope is useful:


I'm hoping that you can see that the meter leads touch the brass connector with one and the fuse end cap with the other.

Norm

[Normk]

Just a reminder, when you are doing any voltage drop test, the normal current needs to be flowing in the circuit. You are measuring the voltage required to cause the current to flow through the connection between the fuse and fuse clip. Since we don't want any work to be done in forcing current through that "circuit" there should be no voltage drop (no voltage lost).

For example, if checking the headlight fuse, have the key on and the headlight on high beam because that creates the largest load (most current/amps.)

If voltage is measured it means that we are doing work to cause current flow so heat will be produced there, both of which are not good. Any voltage lost there is subtracted from the total voltage available to cause current flow in that circuit. Ideally, we want to see all the voltage applied to the headlight but we can work to more specific tests.

Testing your fuses for voltage drop is both a good precaution against failures due to heating and good practice.

HIH

Norm

[JStones]

Done

I got the fusebox switched over and added a 12 Volt outlet. I have 2 fuses available for additional mods in the future. Very happy with the switch. Thank you for all of your help Steve.