Proper Maintenance of Car Fuses

Car fuses prevent electrical components in your car from becoming overheated or damaged. Fuses direct the flow of currents to the correct devices within your vehicle. Without them, automotive wires would become overloaded increasing the likelihood of car fires.

How To Select the Correct Car Fuses for Your Vehicle 

A variety of car fuses are necessary for managing the different electrical components within your car. Each car needs several types of fuses. The specific ones your vehicle requires depends on several factors:

• Vehicle make and model
• Pre-existing
• Types of electrical equipment

The main differences between car fuses are the blade type, size, and amperage limit. To prevent electrical burnout, you must select fuses with suitable current ratings for the electrical components within your vehicle.

When you need to replace a fuse, inspect your current fuses. The amperage rating is noted on the fuse itself. The vehicle’s user manual has a fuse diagram that displays the fuse type for each fuse location. Lastly, car fuses follow a universal color-coding chart that matches the fuse type and amperage rating.

How To Properly Check Car Fuses

Although some car manufacturers claim that car fuses last between 20 to 40 years, consider checking and/or replacing them every 10 years. There are two main ways to carry out the inspection.

Visual Check 

With defective or blown fuses, the wire is disconnected and direct connections may be broken or melted. Check your user manual to pinpoint the car fuse that is connected to a specific component and its location within the fuse box.

Multimeter Method

There are two ways you can use a multimeter to check your car fuses.

1. Continuity mode: In this mode, attach the probes to both ends of the fuse. The multimeter will conduct an electrical test to confirm if there is continuous electrical flow throughout the fuse. If the multimeter detects large resistance or an error, the fuse is most likely blown.
2. Ohmmeter mode: In this mode, the fuse is removed from the fuse box. Attach the probes to both ends of the fuse. A low reading indicates that the circuit is continuous. A high reading indicates that the fuse is blown or faulty.

Having a multimeter can help you detect faulty fuses before they burn out.

How To Prevent Premature Blown Fuses

To increase the life of your car fuses, perform an inspection of the following:

• Correct amperage rating: If your car fuse has the wrong amperage rating per the specific location in your fuse box, electric currents will not flow efficiently and will cause premature blown fuses. 
• Specific wiring: Faulty or worn wiring makes your vehicle more prone to blown fuses. Consider consulting a mechanic to run a diagnostic test.
• Proper parts: Defective electrical components can burn out your fuses faster than normal. Replace damaged electrical parts as needed.

Where To Find Car Fuses

At Rogo, we offer a variety of kits equipped with several types of car fuses. Each kit comes with a Plan-O-Graph for quick identification when it is time to replace your fuse. To select the correct kit for your vehicle, contact us today.