What should I do about lights?

[danbfree]

Wow okay. Yeah those are "critical" systems. As I understood it, that's powering the DRLs directly and not a relay coil. If it is powering only a relay coil, then change that 5A to a fast-acting 1A. If it is powering the DRLs direclty, I'd certainly change how that's done. First, it's best to choose a related and non-critical circuit. Second, I had tested an Add-A-Circuit (AAC) product. The way they *should* be designed, is to have the secondary fuse, slave off of the original. If it were designed that way, you would only have the maximum potential of 15A going over the OEM wire that is feeding that fuse. But unfortunately that's not how these are designed. Instead you have the potential of 15A and another 5A, going over that OEM wire harness. That's a potential 33% increase in load. Take out your AAC and probe it out with a circuit tester. You'll be able to confirm what I've been saying. It's just something that we all assumed was designed right, but unfortunately wasn't and isn't. I know of no AAC type products that claim to do it right. But that's not to say that they don't exist.

It's certainly true that nothing may ever become of it. But what if it does? The potential consequences are too much to risk. Camshaft sensor consumption should be consistent. But it's a bright frigid morning and the O² sensors are running near peak loads heating themselves; DRLs on high. Wire gets a little warm, but nothing ever becomes of it. But fast forward many Winters down the road. That wire that spent some periods running too warm, has now melted through its insulation, and is now working on adjacent wires. Different oxygen sensors can even operate on higher tolerances; placing the circuit even closer toward the 15A maximum. The potential consequences are too much to risk.

.

Earlier this year I purchased a new motorcycle battery that sat on the store shelf too long and was allowed to run down to ~10.3v. I recharged it to 12.6 overnight and installed it in the motorcycle. Wouldn't crank at all... just the characteristic rapid clicking from the starter motor. So I grabbed my original battery (still good) to use as a jump start-assist. I connected it using the 18 or 20 gauge alligator clip wires laying around. I was just curious whether it would work. (I like to experiment sometimes and didn't care if I burned them up.) Not only did it work, it seemed work well enough. Several extended cranks and starts. (trying to pin down a running issue) Warm to the touch, but the wires believe it or not, looked good. Then I pulled them out a few weeks later and noticed this... https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhsZJDCN8kMMgaRaapkIsVm2Wuf-2A This is what starts to occur gradually, slowly, potentially over years, inside a wire harness that experiences brief periods of overload. The wires should've been fourteen or better gauge, instead of the eighteen or twenty I experimented with.

Thanks for all the details... now that I looked up my fuses in the online owners manual, I'll try to use a non-critical one for sure... but how do the 2 fuse slots for an AAC work then? If it was designed to just pass through the load through all of it then wouldn't there just be one fuse spot? Either way I'll definitely find something non-critical that is only a 5A but does turn on with ignition then and use 2 5A fuses on it?

 

[danbfree]

Wow okay. Yeah those are "critical" systems. As I understood it, that's powering the DRLs directly and not a relay coil. If it is powering only a relay coil, then change that 5A to a fast-acting 1A. If it is powering the DRLs direclty, I'd certainly change how that's done. First, it's best to choose a related and non-critical circuit. Second, I had tested an Add-A-Circuit (AAC) product. The way they *should* be designed, is to have the secondary fuse, slave off of the original. If it were designed that way, you would only have the maximum potential of 15A going over the OEM wire that is feeding that fuse. But unfortunately that's not how these are designed. Instead you have the potential of 15A and another 5A, going over that OEM wire harness. That's a potential 33% increase in load. Take out your AAC and probe it out with a circuit tester. You'll be able to confirm what I've been saying. It's just something that we all assumed was designed right, but unfortunately wasn't and isn't. I know of no AAC type products that claim to do it right. But that's not to say that they don't exist.

It's certainly true that nothing may ever become of it. But what if it does? The potential consequences are too much to risk. Camshaft sensor consumption should be consistent. But it's a bright frigid morning and the O² sensors are running near peak loads heating themselves; DRLs on high. Wire gets a little warm, but nothing ever becomes of it. But fast forward many Winters down the road. That wire that spent some periods running too warm, has now melted through its insulation, and is now working on adjacent wires. Different oxygen sensors can even operate on higher tolerances; placing the circuit even closer toward the 15A maximum. The potential consequences are too much to risk.

.

Earlier this year I purchased a new motorcycle battery that sat on the store shelf too long and was allowed to run down to ~10.3v. I recharged it to 12.6 overnight and installed it in the motorcycle. Wouldn't crank at all... just the characteristic rapid clicking from the starter motor. So I grabbed my original battery (still good) to use as a jump start-assist. I connected it using the 18 or 20 gauge alligator clip wires laying around. I was just curious whether it would work. (I like to experiment sometimes and didn't care if I burned them up.) Not only did it work, it seemed work well enough. Several extended cranks and starts. (trying to pin down a running issue) Warm to the touch, but the wires believe it or not, looked good. Then I pulled them out a few weeks later and noticed this... https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhsZJDCN8kMMgaRaapkIsVm2Wuf-2A This is what starts to occur gradually, slowly, potentially over years, inside a wire harness that experiences brief periods of overload. The wires should've been fourteen or better gauge, instead of the eighteen or twenty I experimented with.

Never mind! F26 is only used on the 1.0 Ecoboost 3 cyl and is empty on ours and switches on with ignition... So there's the final answer, use F26, as it's empty and switches on with ignition, I've switched mine over to that now and returned the 15A fuse to original spot in F23, thanks for helping me catch that brother!

 

[Intuit]

NutShell - Based on immediately available data, I'm guessing that F26 slot is wired for a 7.5A max fuse. ("Micro2" type) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZFNJI6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For the aforementioned reasons, not risking a 10A fuse in this slot.

============================

Not that it matters, but it looks like there's only one lead in that slot.
Based on available data in the manual, I can't tell whether that slot is wired for 7.5A or 15A.
The manual identifies our car as "1.6L GTDI" not "1.6L TIVCT".
The 1.0L GTDI has a *completely* different fuse box. (Click Me For VIDEO)

Assuming from this point, that the 1.6LTIVCT and 1.6L GTDI are identical.
Since the 1.6L GTDI doesn't use this slot, it makes sense that it isn't mentioned in the manual.

Surrounding that fuse for that block of fuses, there are three 7.5A, two 10A, five 15A and two 20A.
Looking at the exposed sections of the wire bundles, there are various different wire gauges in it... which makes sense, since copper is expensive. (but at the same time, having 99 different wire loom configurations is also expensive)

Based on the assumption that the 1.6L TIVCT and 1.6L GTDI have the same fuse box, and the fact the manual says the 1.6L TIVCT has a 7.5A fuse at F26, I am concluding that this slot can only support a maximum draw of 7.5A.

 

[akiraproject24]

Reading through this ALL again to brush up (depos been sitting a while). 5A fuse in the Micro2 add a circuit is working for the DRL's.

Going to use 16g wire instead of the 18g, I like making things more difficult apparently