Electrical Engineers - Fusible Link - How & why?
 

On a Merkur Scorpio (Ford mfg in Germany) 8ga and 14ga wires are connected to two 16ga fusibe link wires. The two 16ga wires go to the battery and the 8ga and 14ga wires feed the cars electrical system.

Note: Educated guess on the 8ga and 14ga wires.

How did the electrical engineers determine that two 16 fusible link wires were correct?
Why did they use fusible links instead of standard fuse?

Is best procedure just to mash & twist all wires togther, then solder and wrap with electrical tape? Or is there a better way?

Thanks
Bob

Bob, you may want to post this in tech help for a quicker response.

PS: with all the money you made with the Dead, why don't you just have someone do it for you, or buy a Maybach to replace the Scorpio?;)

Hi John,

<post this in tech help for a quicker response.>
I didn't want to impose on all who have Benz specific problems.

<PS: with all the money you made with the Dead, why don't you just have someone do it for you, or buy a Maybach to replace the Scorpio>
Tinkering with the Scorpio gives me nimble fingers, scratched knuckles and humility.

A fuse is meant to protect a circuit with a replaceable element, when it is expected that the fuse's protection will be needed.

A fusible link is the Oh My God! device that is put in the main line of a circuit to keep the car itself from melting, when all else has gone wrong and the fuse block is about to burst into flames - but not much before... :D

Fuses blow quickly when overloaded, as is generally needed in places where fuses are used. Fusible links blow slowly or not at all when overloaded a little, and quickly when seriously overloaded.

This function has partly been taken over by circuit breakers, which are tripped by two different methods. A slight overload gradually heats a conductor made from two different metals. The metals expand at different rates when heated, and when the conductor gets hot enough, it warps to the point that it breaks the circuit. A high-current overload induces magnetism in a coil which pulls a lever, breaking the circuit.

In other news, on my Lincoln Town Car, some genius at FoMoCo decided to make a six wire hookup on an internally regulated (should take exactly ONE wire) alternator, and topped it off by running the field wire across the front of the radiator with minimal support. This wire was protected by a fusible link. When it rubbed through on the radiator support, it burned the fusible link. Since I didn't have one handy, I spliced in a fuse holder with a 40A fuse. (Ghetto engineering is one of my specialties.) About a year later, when the fuse holder corroded, and I didn't have anything else handy, I replaced it and some of the original wire with some old speaker wire I had in my trunk. After several months, that wore through on on the radiator support, sending LARGE amperage through the old speaker wire. Results were smoky to say the least. I then replaced the burnt speaker wire with some actual automotive-grade 12ga wire. I sold the car before I found out what that would do when it failed.

MB's also have fusible links. They are inside nice holders and look really cool.