Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

[Ju@n]

 


 


 

Hello!!
Hey, Galahad, did you ever come across something like this?
I replaced the 25A fuse with a 30A one because it blew up a couple times. Worked like a charm for some time, but today I looked at it and it was melted
I do have a somewhat modified auxiliary fan, in that it's the OE fan (I opened it and lubed it), but in parallel of having the AC and the 2 thermometer switches in the radiator, I also have in parallel (to the high speed switch) a relay that's controlled with the ECU so that it turns on if the temp goes above a certain threshold.
thanks in advance for any feedback

Juan

[Galahad]

 


 


 

Hello!!
Hey, Galahad, did you ever come across something like this?
I replaced the 25A fuse with a 30A one because it blew up a couple times. Worked like a charm for some time, but today I looked at it and it was melted
I do have a somewhat modified auxiliary fan, in that it's the OE fan (I opened it and lubed it), but in parallel of having the AC and the 2 thermometer switches in the radiator, I also have in parallel (to the high speed switch) a relay that's controlled with the ECU so that it turns on if the temp goes above a certain threshold.
thanks in advance for any feedback

Juan

Juan - we haven't had someone with this issue before. I have some ideas, can you email the support account so I can assist? Include photos of the wiring for F17 on the inside if you can, I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

[Ju@n]

Sent! Thanks Galahad

[MicahO]

First - thank you for putting together some fantastic products for the community.  I'm lucky to be a beneficiary of the knowledge in this insane asylum.

I finally got around to doing the install on my e28M5 last night and this morning.  As is noted in the instructions, no number of pictures are enough.  I took a LOT of pictures, and when it came time to put it back together, they sucked!   After a good night's sleep and a lot of cross-referencing between your online album and my own pictures, I got things to a point where I was confident in the wire locations.  Some notes ----

1) There were a number of wire-location differences between your online gallery and my own pre-dismantling pictures.  They were all of the one-left or one-right variety, i.e. if there were two slots in a single color/stripe area with only one wire, your box had the connection on the left and my box had the connection on the right.  This was particularly true in the furthest-forward battery of fuse locations.  Where there was a difference, I went with the position I saw on my own pictures.

2) The indicator LED's don't work.  This is listed as a hard-stop in your instructions, but.....  I spent a LOT of time cross-referencing pictures.  I really felt that things were correct.  There were indications of power once the battery was connected, so I pressed on.  And everything works (one more note to follow).  Car runs, electricals are all operating normally.  Seems fine, and the board's indicator LEDs are not part of the car's functionality. 
-->Perhaps this is related to one of the slightly-different connection locations noted above?  Where do the LEDs or perhaps the switch for them receive their power?

3) The high-beams popped the 7.5A fuses immediately.  My car is a US car converted to Euro lights.  I forget which FAQ I followed in 2012 or so, but they are of the variety that includes city lights and when the HI's are on, everything is lit - inners, outers, etc.  I put 10A fuses into the high-beam locations and they seem to work fine.  Given other headlight wiring changes, this may not be a surprise.

Any thoughts on items 1 and 2 would be appreciated.  Thanks again!

 

[Galahad]

First - thank you for putting together some fantastic products for the community.  I'm lucky to be a beneficiary of the knowledge in this insane asylum.

I finally got around to doing the install on my e28M5 last night and this morning.  As is noted in the instructions, no number of pictures are enough.  I took a LOT of pictures, and when it came time to put it back together, they sucked!   After a good night's sleep and a lot of cross-referencing between your online album and my own pictures, I got things to a point where I was confident in the wire locations.  Some notes ----

1) There were a number of wire-location differences between your online gallery and my own pre-dismantling pictures.  They were all of the one-left or one-right variety, i.e. if there were two slots in a single color/stripe area with only one wire, your box had the connection on the left and my box had the connection on the right.  This was particularly true in the furthest-forward battery of fuse locations.  Where there was a difference, I went with the position I saw on my own pictures.

2) The indicator LED's don't work.  This is listed as a hard-stop in your instructions, but.....  I spent a LOT of time cross-referencing pictures.  I really felt that things were correct.  There were indications of power once the battery was connected, so I pressed on.  And everything works (one more note to follow).  Car runs, electricals are all operating normally.  Seems fine, and the board's indicator LEDs are not part of the car's functionality. 
-->Perhaps this is related to one of the slightly-different connection locations noted above?  Where do the LEDs or perhaps the switch for them receive their power?

3) The high-beams popped the 7.5A fuses immediately.  My car is a US car converted to Euro lights.  I forget which FAQ I followed in 2012 or so, but they are of the variety that includes city lights and when the HI's are on, everything is lit - inners, outers, etc.  I put 10A fuses into the high-beam locations and they seem to work fine.  Given other headlight wiring changes, this may not be a surprise.

Any thoughts on items 1 and 2 would be appreciated.  Thanks again!



 

 

 

"Insane Asylum" is an accurate description, haha.

1 - Yup, the gallery is representative but not a 100% match for every car. The left / right positions are interchangeable within a fuse, and I suspect not every car in the same production run had exactly the same layout due to assembler differences. As long as the wire ended up connected to the correct fuse, you're all set.

2 - Dumb question, have you connected the ground cable and tried both switch positions? If they still don't work email support with some pictures and we can figure it out.

3 - Yes, euro lights in a US car often blow 7.5A fuses. Going to 10 isn't an issue on that circuit.

Thanks for the feedback!

[MicahO]

Ahhh - Step 47.  It appears I jumped from 46 (start with the front of the car wiring) to 48 (Once you are done....)    I'll look to take it apart and put that ground wire in....some time soon.  In the meantime, the fuse box seems fine and is working as expected!

One other question (with apologies as I no longer have a photo-hosting option):  the side-saddle fuse location.  On my M5 it's a red and a green wire to a red and a blue fuse - upper left on the outside of the fuse box. I expect I add connectors to the wire-ends and use the side-saddle item that was included in the kit.  What size fuse goes in those slots, and what does it do?  

I've got a bunch  O'family showing up soon, so I'll probably have to revisit these last two items in a few days....

Thanks again!!!

 

[MisterFixit]

One other question (with apologies as I no longer have a photo-hosting option):  the side-saddle fuse location.  On my M5 it's a red and a green wire to a red and a blue fuse - upper left on the outside of the fuse box. I expect I add connectors to the wire-ends and use the side-saddle item that was included in the kit.  What size fuse goes in those slots, and what does it do?  

Thanks again!!!

 

 

 

If I May-  (and please correct me if I am wrong)
The auxiliary fuse box is for your choice of accessories, depending on their function they may need power from one or the other of these wires: 
  RED - this is battery positive, hot at all times.  Probably good for up to 30 amps. The fuse is sized for the load, not the wire.
  GREEN - this is hot with ignition on, maybe 15-20 amps, but you'd have to check wire size.  Fused for the load, as above.
You may want an amplifier, or tow a trailer with lots of lights, maybe a refrigerator, ice maker, blender for margaritas, who knows.  Anything that didn't come with the car and needs power could be powered from one or the other of these two leads.  I would choose carefully, as you don't want something that stays on to drain the battery... have fun with it!

[Galahad]

One other question (with apologies as I no longer have a photo-hosting option):  the side-saddle fuse location.  On my M5 it's a red and a green wire to a red and a blue fuse - upper left on the outside of the fuse box. I expect I add connectors to the wire-ends and use the side-saddle item that was included in the kit.  What size fuse goes in those slots, and what does it do?  

Thanks again!!!



 

 

If I May-  (and please correct me if I am wrong)
The auxiliary fuse box is for your choice of accessories, depending on their function they may need power from one or the other of these wires: 
  RED - this is battery positive, hot at all times.  Probably good for up to 30 amps. The fuse is sized for the load, not the wire.
  GREEN - this is hot with ignition on, maybe 15-20 amps, but you'd have to check wire size.  Fused for the load, as above.
You may want an amplifier, or tow a trailer with lots of lights, maybe a refrigerator, ice maker, blender for margaritas, who knows.  Anything that didn't come with the car and needs power could be powered from one or the other of these two leads.  I would choose carefully, as you don't want something that stays on to drain the battery... have fun with it!

MyE28 now has photo hosting!

Red fuses are 15A, Blue is 25A, so you can safely use the same sizes on those wires - as stated above, red is always hot and green is keyed power. MisterFixit is right, you want to size the fuse to the load you're using, keeping in mind the maximum set by the wires going into the aux box. There aren't specific items that are powered by the aux box unless your car has modifications, my understanding is BMW added them in part to keep people adding alarm systems from setting a grenade off inside the fuse box proper. I suggest an ice maker and blender personally, but your tastes in driving beverages may vary.


Edit: had the fuse values swapped

[MicahO]

Excellent!  Thank you both for the excellent explanations, and suggestions!
 

[concordealex]

Just wanted to tell you guys that this kit is a life saver. I was dealing with intermittent no-start and (after an exhaustive diagnostic process) found the problem to be a melted connection around the fuel pump fuse (#1) which would intermittently kill the power to the fuel pump. 

Spent a day swapping this kit in and it has completely solved the problem. Great work guys. 

 

[MisterFixit]

... dealing with intermittent no-start and (after an exhaustive diagnostic process) found the problem to be a melted connection around the fuel pump fuse (#1) which would intermittently kill the power to the fuel pump....
 

I also had a no-start issue.  I swapped relays everywhere I could, and still no start  --  Shazbat!

As you may be aware, sometimes the respected 'Percussive Maintenance' method has a miraculous effect.  Turns out the issue was a weak connection at the ECU... which I discovered by random acts of frustration  (banging my fist on the dash directly over the glove box)!  Well, since random genetic mutation resulted in a brain that created the motor vehicle, it's not unreasonable that it could also solve a problem by the random banging of inanimate objects! 

I will also be checking for melting around fuse #1 (no need to be an idiot by ignoring good evidence).

Still, an ounce of prevention... I may be scooping up my shekels and diving into this upgrade myself soon ... Sir Galahad, my cap is off to you.

-"Mo"

[Galahad]

Thanks both of you! Glad to be solving problems (or will be soon enough )