Fuse Panel Ford Taurus Sable 96-99

Discussion in 'Automotive Electrical' started by electrolytic, Jun 21, 2007.

  1. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    I have a theoretical Question! LOL I have a fuse panel under the hood with maxi fuses and also a fuse panel under the dash on the drivers side. I have upgraded to a 130 amp alternator and a 1200cca battery. So i added up the fuses under the hood and i came up with around 600 amps, then i added the other fuse panel under the dash and there is probably about 150 amps there. So my car is pulling about 700 amps and my orion could pull up to 150 amps by itself, so now we are at 850 amps off of a 130 amp alternator. How is this possible? I know it won't be pulling the full rating of the fuses at once but still....The numbers don't add up?
     
  2. pedro quiroga

    pedro quiroga Well-Known Member

    that doesnt sound right.to pull all the amperage everything would have to be running at once.i think that would never happen.it cant really.

    also in very high current demands doesnt your batt take over for very short periods.
     
  3. Willy D

    Willy D Full Member

    One thing to remember is the fuse rating is what will protect the circuit in the event of a short...I am not sure if there is a formula or what, but I am sure if you had lets say a 30 amp circuit for headlights, that you don't run anywhere close to that under a no short normal situation.....all the wiring and components in that circuit should be able to handle 30 amps, but the fuse would pop so the circuit does not endure that amperage for more than a split second.....

    Lighter duty circuits are rated less (fuse-wise) cause they are more fragile and cannot handle the amperage....Just because a circuit is fused at 30 amps, does not mean it is gonna see 30 amps through it on a regular basis..

    My trucks at work have an intake air heater grid (medium duty diesel) and that sucker pulls 90 amps when it engages....it cycles on and off on initial start up....you can watch the volt guage drop and recover......

    One thing you could do if you have a tester (like I do at work) is to put the tester on the battery with engine running, then clamp the inductive amp lead around the battery cable and turn all accessories on.....The amp draw will read on the meter.....

    I would say with all of your stuff running at full tilt, you are not drawing more than 100 amps or more....Lights draw alot as do rear window defroster, heated mirrors, heated seats, etc.....

    Willy
     
  4. aznboi3644

    aznboi3644 Full Member

    yeah like willy said...those fuses do not mean that those things are pulling that much current. Those fuses are just there to do what fuses are made to do...protect the equipment and protect your car from burning to the ground
     
  5. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    ok thanks all! Thought there might be something funny going on there that i wasn't aware of.

    I have another problem, well lot's of problems lol but every time i slow down to stop for a light or whatever, just before i'm stopped if i'm stopping just a little harder than usual, there is a gap in the voltage of the car's electrical system for about 1 full second, enough to make my small 100 watt esa amp cut out, and the sound cuts out and i can feel all the other electrical accessories of the car having a huge voltage drop, even like the engine dies down a bit now if i'm stopping a lot harder than usual.

    I thought maybe the belt was slipping, it seems tight, it is a serpentine belt, one for everything. Maybe the tensioner is not too good, or the altenator? Help! lol i need to figure this out before i put my orion back in.
     
  6. pedro quiroga

    pedro quiroga Well-Known Member

    take you car to a parts store to have the alt tested.

    around here most stores do it for free.i would imagine that may hold true in canada.
     
  7. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    ok, now it will do it while idling at a red light, i think it's when the fan is kicking in with the car at idle it sucks all the juice for a second then the car recovers and i see the heat coming down quickly because the fan has kicked in. Also it is idling at 600 rpms shouldn't it be around 900? What can i do about this voltage surge?
    It's making my 100 watt amp cut out.
     
  8. pedro quiroga

    pedro quiroga Well-Known Member

    my truck idle's at 700.that should be normal.

    i would seroiusly consider takeing it to a shop to test your alt/batt.
     
  9. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    Ya, i guess....lol i hate garages, it can get expensive very fast. I have to go get my front wheel bearing changed today or tommorow, it is a hub assembly with the abs sensor, i have the part already and they want 80.00 to change it at one place and 100.00 at another. Is the idle something i can change by hand or is that programmed in the computer?