Broken Blade Fuse

[fez]

Hi Guys,

One of the blade fuses in my panel has broken off, with part of each blade "stuck" in the fuse holder. I have tried to use a pair of pointy nose pliers to pull the remaining parts of the blades out however they are very brittle.

Any solutions to removing the broken parts?

fez

[netmaker]

have you tried to tenderise with wd40?

[Noelm]

is it possible that it has been over heated/sparked and 'welded" in place? it would normaly be no big deal to remove the blades from the holder.

[Grand_Marlin]

Spray (as mentioned) and you could also try prying them out with two small flat jewellers screw drivers.

Also, with a small jewellers screw driver you can open up the "claws" of the holder to release pressure on the fuse.
Then gently use pliers to crimp it shut again.

Cheers

Pete

[fez]

Thanks guys,

Noelm agree normally they should not be hard to remove, all of the others are ok and easy to remove and replace. This one almost fell apart, so there is a bigger issue I think.

Net maker I will try some spray and then use Petes method of gently prying the claws apart.

Will let you know how I go.

Cheers,
fez

[finga]

Is it the fuse to the extreme right??
If it's just the plastic on the fuse breaking up then break the rest of the plastic off and you'll get to a couple of metal tags which go into the fuse holder. Just grab these metal tags and see if you can pull it out by some toing and froing of the fuse blade while you have some pulling weight on the broken fuse blade
.
I have seen this before on very cheap fuses ie fuses from super duper cheep and crappy. The plastic breaks down badly under a bit of heat.

After it's out make sure the contacts are all clean and there are no signs of burning on the holder, on the panel and on the wire.

I also see you have a spare spot for a fuse to the left. Is it possible to utilise that spot instead of the "bugger of a spot'??

Perseverance will see it out. Force will see it broke.

As a bit of a hint....spray fuse panel with Lanox to prevent moisture and corrosion and I always give the fuse a wipe of lanolin grease over the contacts whether they be blade fuses or the glass ones. Just make sure the contacts in the fuse holder give a bit of tension to the fuse.

[fez]

Finga,

The one on the right is only that colour due to the flash of the camera, it is the one on the left (which is actually the bottom, the photo is on it's side). This is the one that broke, the fuse itself had not been tripped and was in working order, I was removing them to check them and this one broken off. The plastic came away from the blades, which remained in the claws, I then tried to grab these with a pair of long nose pliers however the remaining blade was very brittle and continually broke off in tinny pieces. I think it is an issues with cheap fuses and heat transfer through them. I will give Petes method a go with trying to open the claws slightly.

The wiring and fuse panel is well hidden behind a sealed panel and is a lot better than my previous boat where any moisture would end up being sucked into the back of the switches and into the wiring. Was forever fighting a losing battle there.

Thanks for your help.

fez

[Swanie1975]

hi fez, you could try using a pair of nail clippers to gently grab the leftover blades and wiggle them out (after a quick spray of WD40) or if the missus dont mind (or find out) try her tweezers as they have a finer point than most pliers will have.

good luck,

cheers ryan

[fez]

Thanks guys managed to remove the offending tags today, pinched a pair of the wife's craft pliers (tiny pointy nose), opened up the claw slightly, still took a bit of convincing but problem solved.

Thanks for your ideas.

fez

[cormorant]

Dental tools are a wonderful thing for these types of problems. Fluked a set years ago at a auction at a mental hospital. Tough , well made and already lasted a lifetime of being abused. .

You got lucky I have destroyed a couple of holders with the blades welded in. Those cheap blades are a disaster and you have to look in the stores as even the reputable store sell cheap ones unless you specifically ask for better ones. Wrecks at the wreckers are a good source from euro cars next time you are past one although teh later models have gone all fancy and it'll take you ages to find where they hide em!!. Most cars have a little tool for inserting and removing the fuses as well. We have it clipped to the fuse panel as I have fat fingers.

I'm not sure it is only heat that sends em brittle as some cheap ones in the top of my spare parts kit which is in the sun went cloudy and brittle. maybe they aren't uv protected and reflected light on a boat kills em.

[Noelm]

Dental tools are a wonderful thing for these types of problems. Fluked a set years ago at a auction at a mental hospital. Tough , well made and already lasted a lifetime of being abused. . .

well there you go, I thought I was the only one who had a dental kit in my garage! I have a mate who is a Dentist and he got me an array of small surgical quality stainless "diggers and pokers" but the best bit of all is a pair of artery tweezers, they are as strong as buggery and have a spring closed action, so you can "tweeze" stuff and they will stay closed on the offending item with great force, perfect for extracting stuck "things". When i am starting to do some work on "delicate" things around the place, I start out with all my instuments all laid out on a cloth like an operation is about to take place.

[finga]

Only tools my dentist uses is a 4" angle grinder and a crow bar it seems.

[Noelm]

sounds like you go to the same dentist as me, does he look like an undertaker too?

[finga]

Dunno. I'm always crying too much to take much notice of anything.

[driveon]

Hi Fez and we have this problem on a regular basis where customers have broken off the head of a blade fuse and then sent the panel back to us to remove the blades.

We use a similar blade fuse holder to the one you have and as posted above, the simplest way to remove the blades is to push a small flat bladed screwdriver down between the broken blade and the contact of the fuse holder.

It doesn't matter how much the holders contacts open, you simply squeeze the contacts closed before you fit a new fuse.

While the contacts are open, we also clean the contact area with some fine sandpaper.