What's wrong with the OEM Fuseblocks again?

[Sean F.]

I ask b/c I went to put on the new "birdman" fuseblocks tonight but the exising OEM fuse blocks looked brand new.

I know many have had problems with the OEM blocks fusing and melting at the back and causing electrical faults but I don't have any of those problems.

Is there another reason to be rid of them? Is it the fuses?

Mine all looked clean. Almost as if the had been replaced at some point by the previous owner.

Thanks

[Impactco]

Originally Posted by Sean F.

I ask b/c I went to put on the new "birdman" fuseblocks tonight but the exising OEM fuse blocks looked brand new.

I know many have had problems with the OEM blocks fusing and melting at the back and causing electrical faults but I don't have any of those problems.

Is there another reason to be rid of them? Is it the fuses?

Mine all looked clean. Almost as if the had been replaced at some point by the previous owner.

Thanks

I have been planning to do Birdman's units also. I have one newer fuse block that was replaced by a prior owner and it works fine but the other one is probably original and has obvious corrosion. The items on these circuits (headlights, instrument lights, etc.) are receiving very low voltage. The euro halogen headlights on the circuit are like two candles in brightness and the instrument lights are unuseable! I'm going to replace both of the blocks just to be thorough as soon as Birdman gets back from vacation. Bottom line is that yours may be fine now but they will eventually have problems. Better to spend the $100 and have peace of mind about the potential electrical issues the OEM blocks WILL eventually cause.

[thecarreaper]

i have to get to work, but i have threads with pics on my half melted fuseblocks in older original cars. the Bird Blocks were a tremendous help, and i would buy a set and sit on them , even if you dont need them yet.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by thecarreaper

i have to get to work, but i have threads with pics on my half melted fuseblocks in older original cars. the Bird Blocks were a tremendous help, and i would buy a set and sit on them , even if you dont need them yet.

Amen, mine were melted and believe they were already replaced once in their lifetime. What really gets me is wht the fudge did Ferrari use those 'nipple' fuses??? They have VERY LOW contact area and are known to come loose in general. Birdman's fuses box uses normal modern glass fuses, have MUCH higher contact area, and are easy to use.

Some days i wonder what Luigi was thinging when he built my car. Brilliance is smattered with stupidity... but isn't that the "remantic' part of our cars?

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As the owner of an Italian vehicle, you have undoubtedly found that, from time to time, the thing defies all known laws of Physics. Distinguished researchers from all over the world have spent entire lives trying to understand such phenomena. Recently, the Six Laws of Italian Sports Cars were discovered, thus reducing most owners' dependency on sorcerers and prayer, to keep such cars running.

LAW #3)THE LAW OF ELECTRICAL CHAOS

"All Italian Sports Cars shall be wired at the Factory by a cross-eyed, color-blind worker, using whatever supplies are within reach. All wires shall change color-code at least once between energy source and component. all grounds shall be partially insulated."

This tends to guarantee that the owner of such vehicles will eventually be intimately familiar with its electrical system, since he will need to trace out each wire, then rewrite his Official Schematic, which will differ from all others in at least one area.

[Mike C]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

What really gets me is wht the fudge did Ferrari use those 'nipple' fuses??? They have VERY LOW contact area and are known to come loose in general.

They weren't uncommon in european car... my VW bug had those (but now that I think about it, the VW was a '64 model...)

My original fuseblocks in the 308QV were fine, but I upgrade to the Birdman blocks to get the additional contact area.

[Steve King]

Although I did not get Birdmans set up I had made my own back in 2000 after I got my car. I found that the OEM fuse block got brittle over time and when I removed it , it broke into 3 pieces. Also I had the typical loose terminals which had been resoldered. I bought the fuse blocks from NAPA and just soldered a few buss bars to join the common fuse inputs and mounted it to an alum. strip. and drilled it to fit the OEM screw holes. I believe it took me about an hour to make the fuse block and about a 1/2 hour to install. Its a nice neat package. I think parts ran about $30. I'm looking at making a mini blade fuse setup this winter to see how that works. Enjoy the ride.

[spiderseeker]

You MUST change out the original fuseblocks or THIS(see attached) is your future. Birdman's fuseblocks can handle much greater current load. Why do you need it ? Because when your fuel pump gets older and starts dragging slightly, it will pull more current, this is what happened to my original fuseblock. Running stereo power amps etc draw more current too, stock fuses just can't handle any kind of load, very poor design.

[Sean F.]

I have birdman's fuseblock, that's why I took the first one out.

I just thought there were other issues besides the melting some have had. Mine look like new.

I'll keep what I've got for now and if I find it necessary, replace them with birdmans.

[wise3]

the first time my stock fuse panel gave me trouble, it was no cooling fans. The second time, it was no spark, and I was stranded. I may be slow, but I don't need a third time.