MR 1200 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I was looking at a Toledo manual today and noticed that the headlights etc are not fused!Is it ok to place an in-line fuse in the circuit to protect the headlights, and/or a relay, and if yes, where would be the best place to position the fuse or relay or both?Failing that, can the existing fuse box be modified in any way so that the head lights are fused, if the above is not recommended?The car runs off standard lights.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Hello John, many of the older cars are not fused. A relay is a good idea if done correctly and may increase the effectiveness of your lights. You can use the existing headlight feed to switch the relay(s) but do run heavy gauge wire to the relay and from the relay to the headlamps. If you can get a two pole change over relay that is ideal. I suggest that you fuse each filament rather than using one fuse to feed both dip beams and main beams as you will lose all lights should the fuse blow. With individual fuses you will only lose part of your lights so should be much safer.Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 While a fuse is good I would go with a circit braker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hello Goody, yes circuit breakers are good but can get expensive when you need a few?Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 So can fuse's when they keep blowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hello Goody, ?? approximately 15p for a fuse and £14 for a circuit breaker (Vehicle Wiring Products). I wouldn't argue that circuit breakers are better but they are expensive. There is something wrong if a fuse blows frequently, sort the problem don't just replace the fuse.Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR 1200 Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 Thanks for the repliesWhere would be the best place to wire in a fuse to each filament - close to the light as possible?Would I need a relay because the headlights are just standard units?John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Hello John, no, you don't need to fit a relay, but done properly it helps the output of the lights. If you don't want to go to that trouble and expense you would need to split the loom at each headlight where the individual cables go to the lamps. It may be that they will be a bit inaccessible, but I'm not that familiar with the Toledo's wiring route. If you do go the relay route you can fit a small four fuse block adjacent to the relay probably somewhere on the radiator panel area? This keeps the cable run short which is also a good thing.Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I would mount the fuse as close to the power soruce as possible. If fuse blows the wire is still "Hot" to the fuse. I will check the price of ckt brakers but don't remembe they costing anywhere nere that here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollyboy Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 standard lights being sealed beams or bulbs? could be either depending on age of car. if it has bulbs, are they halogen? standard tungsten ones are ball shaped, and you tend to find paraffin lamps are better ;) ...but they have worked for over 30 yrs without cct breakers or fuses so why would you want to add one? obviously there are safety merits of protecting cables, especially old cables, so if you want to, use a fuse, blade type, in a carrier, under the dash near the switch so the terminals are less exposed to corrosion. cct breakers a waste of money in this application.modify wiring/fuse box? best solution is do away with the 'fuse box', all 2 of em, separate circuits out, put the headlights through it if you like, you can buy 6 way blade fuse blocks cheaply enough.fuse for headlights, remember you have to cover headlight and main beam, so with halogen bulbs thats potentially 55W x 4, so 20A, or 2 x 10A depending on where you want the fuses to go in the circuit.relay - good idea, commonly used on dolo's to help prevent switch contacts burning out. if you're going to fit a relay, get one thats plenty over-rated (in current terms), maybe 30A. dont get many problems with tolo headlight switches though, good sturdy things, better than the column mounted ones.however if it all works fine with no issues based on how you use the car, i'd be inclined to leave it alone. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Hello John, "fuse for headlights, remember you have to cover headlight and main beam, so with halogen bulbs thats potentially 55W x 4, so 20A, or 2 x 10A depending on where you want the fuses to go in the circuit."I don't know how you are progressing with this but I'd like to repeat my earlier comment about fusing each filament separately. Doing as above is more hazardous for the reason I said before. You don't want all the lights to go out if a fuse blows, it's better to have no fuse than have that happen.Alec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpeg.b15b81ef10abeea1c3039ae03c4a9f3a.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.