Fuses
 

Can upgrading from 8amps to 16amps do anything harmful? Just thought I'd upgrade all the amps from 8 to 16amps since it is so cheap and will give extra protection.

Any other opinions on this? Have you guys done something similar?

Mike McKinney

Putting in a fuse with a larger amp rating will decrease the protection of the circuit, not increase it. In a 12 volt circuit, a 16 amp fuse would not open until the circuit was consuming about 180 watts. Think about how much heat a 180 watt light bulb would put out. Probably enough to start a fire. You know the MB's you see for sale cheap on E-Bay after a fire in the dashboard? I bet that's from putting a 25 amp fuse in place of a lower rated fuse for the blower motor. Putting in higher rated fuses can be very risky. Another question to ask yourself would be whether or not your insurance company would pay a claim if a protection device is defeated. They might be within their rights to decline to pay such a claim. I would urge you to use only the recommended fuse values.

Wow! I'm glad I made this post to get more information!

I will go back and get 8amp fuses to replace the older 8amp fuses that looked like they were ready to bit the bullet.

Thank you for your help Palangi,

Regards,
Mike McKinney