Another fuse box question-brains needed

[Guest]

I just got my bike on the road, witha brand new Rick's Stator, and a Shindengen SH 775 RR, and a Dyna S electronic ignition. Also replaced the ignition solenoid, and grounded everything properly. I connected the RR directly to the battery with a 25 amp inline fuse. taped off the old rr concection, and had already disconnected and taped off the old loop to the left handelbar switch. Battery is a new seasled unit. Old stator failed last season due to burned wires at the first corner at the starter.

Bike was charging well, with 14.5 amps at 4000 rpm, and charging beginning at around 1500 rpm. All was well until the last quarter of the first tank of gas when I noticed my digital voltmeter flashing indicating no charging.

On inspection the 15 amp ignition fuse in the original glass tube fuse box had begun to melt and pull away from the plastic box.I read the relevant melted fusebox threads here, decided dirty connections were the culprit, and then ruthlessly cleaned all the fuse connections with an emery wrapped screwdriver shaft, cleaned with contact cleaner, and epoxied the melted section back into place, then coated it with dielectric grease. Everything is shiny bright and well protected, the solder joints in the fusebox are accessible for a resolder when I get a good soldering gun tomorrow. Test started the bike and everything is working, but didn't run it for long because of time.

I will resolder the main fuse before a detailed test. I have cleaned every connection until bright, then used dielectric grease.

I hope this was caused only by a dirty connection in the fuse box. Have I missed anything?

I am a bit confused about fuse sizes. The ignition fuse is 15 amps, which I replaced with a new 15 amp fuse. The RR connection straight to the battery has a 25 amp fuse , which I chose because I use an electric vest much of the time. Are these the correct sizes?

Help is welcome. This site has been an invaluable resource for my electrical education. I am very grateful for the help here.

[OldVet66]

It is not unusual for there to be problems with the old fuse boxes. That was one of the first things that I replaced on my bike. The problem with my old fuse box was similar to yours. High contact resistances were heating up the fuse clips. There are two problems with that. Besides the obvious overheating, the excess heat can weaken the clips so they will never maintain good spring pressure on the glass fuses against vibrations even if they are re-soldered. The harness connectors, plugs and switches need to be gone through to relieve excess resistances that have built up over the years and I would recommend replacing the fuse box entirely. I believe Steve just did a post on changing one out for a quality aftermarket fuse box. http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Wi...PC-8/pc-8.html

[OldVet66]

The fuse on the R/R is ok as well as the main fuse. All the others are 10A. I use electric glove liners and insoles. They are separately fused from the battery like the R/R. Just keep your auxiliary load to a minimum. I'm fine in any weather with the gear I have as long as my hands and feat are warm.

[robertbarr]

I believe Steve just did a post on changing one out for a quality aftermarket fuse box. http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Wi...PC-8/pc-8.html

I was thinking of going one step further.

For bikes with fusing needs that are this simple, just S-can the entire notion of a 'box' or a fuse panel altogether, and just buy a number of the high-quality pre-formed weatherproof inline fuseholders from Eastern Beaver and solder them where they belong. Plenty of room, since there would be no more fusebox.

Brand new wiring, new contacts w/ tons of spring force, modern fuses, no clutter, no mystery, gobs of options for tapping either switched or unswitched auxiliary power, and no surprises like Redman's rolling bakery incident.

The main requirement, seems to me, would be a means to identify which fuse is which. Perhaps a gadget like the P-Touch labeler that can crank out laminated strips, which can be wrapped around each pigtail. Could even include the fuse size.

Since these fuseboxes are a constant (and seemingly growing) problem, why keep them around at all?

[OldVet66]

That is interesting. I just got two waterproof Kubota fuse holders with screw mounting tabs for my O-Turn lawnmower (not a Kubota). They are quality heavy duty fuse holders with heavy duty wire pigtails that were only $4.05 each. There is also room on the top and front of the cap for labeling.

[barnbiketom]

These are what I get.. bags of 'em a time!!

I get bags of 20 off ebay.. they end up being about 1.50 each or so and I use them on all the bikes that need sprucing up in the fuse dept...
Always get 30A rated ones and pay attention to the wire size.. and how long they come with too..you do not want 6 gauge wire (TOO BIG) or 24 gauge. (TOO SMALL)
I try to get 12 or 14 gage and you can use smaller fuses of course but the wire should match the fuse..but the 30A rating of the holder will be bulletproof!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20pcs-Inline-12-AWG-ATC-Blade-Fuse-Holder-30A-fuse-mh-/170889324419?pt=US_Car_Audio_Video_Fuses_Fuse_Holders&hash=item27c9cc2783