Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Electrical and electronic topics for small boats
PATXBill
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 11:33 am

Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Postby PATXBill » Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:00 pm

I have a 1987 Evinrude 225, E225TXCUB on my 1984 Outrage 22. I've been trying to track down a very intermittent starting problem--intermittently the engine won't crank. In the process I damaged the 20-Ampere fuse holder on the port side of my engine. The connection was brittle--ironically, the fuse was intact--and when I opened the fuse holder, I inadvertently tore out the wire that connects to the top ring of the fuse holder. Is there any way to correct this? [A way to] splice a new fuse holder?

The fuse seems extraordinarily seated in the fuse holder, and it may in fact be corroded together. Advice welcome!

[This thread has been moved to SMALL BOAT ELECTRICAL.--jimh]

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Postby jimh » Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:06 pm

Replace the 30-year-old fuse holder and fuse. Use a modern in-line fuse holder. Look to BLUE SEA SYSTEMS for an appropriate fuse holder. Install the new fuse holder by making in-line splices into the circuit.

http://www.bluesea.com/products/5065/Wa ... use_holder

The best forum to discuss electrical problems encountered on small boat is the SMALL BOAT ELECTRICAL forum.

Also, most Evinrude outboard engines have a 10-Ampere fuse for the ignition key and accessory circuits. Double check the engine service manual or operating manual to verify the proper rating for the fuse.

PATXBill
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 11:33 am

Re: Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Postby PATXBill » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:18 am

Thank you, Jim. Your response confirms what I thought, but wanted to ensure I didn't damage anything further. I very much appreciate the link to the Blue Seas fuse holder.

I have the service manual and have been performing all of the tests indicated. I have examined the fuses and will check again and replace. The intermittent nature of the problem leads me to believe it is a bad ground somewhere, but I have checked and cleaned all of the ground contacts I can find. I will continue to investigate.

Any updates will be posted to the Small Boat Electrical forum. I was unsure which forum to post, I now realize that the Small Boat Electrical is not limited to accessories, distribution, etc.

PATXBill
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 11:33 am

Re: Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Postby PATXBill » Fri Aug 04, 2017 8:35 am

Just wanted to thank JimH again. I replaced the corroded stock fuse holder with the Blue Seas product Jim recommended. I also rechecked, cleaned, and tightened all grounds. Engine fires up reliably now, and noticeably quicker. I believe the deteriorated fuse connection was the cause of the intermittent failures. I am now turning attention to an overheat problem that occurred on my test run. That will be in another thread if warranted.

--Bill

jimh
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Broken 20-Ampere Fuse Holder

Postby jimh » Fri Aug 04, 2017 8:38 am

Hi Bill--glad to hear you got the new fuse installed and the effect was positive (to make an electrical pun).