Accessory Wiring - Damages Fuse Block

Accessory Wiring
May Ruin Fuse Box

Here's another under-dash fuse related subject: If you're working on a car with an intermittent electrical problem on a circuit that goes through the under-dash fuse box, check for after-market accessory wiring. Some installers wire-in after-market accessories by stuffing the wire into one of the fuse sockets along with the fuse blade. This tweaks the fuse socket terminals, causing a poor connection. And once the terminals are tweaked, the only way to repair the problem is to replace the fuse box.

Even if there aren't any after-market accessories wired to the fuse box, pull the appropriate fuse and check the terminals anyway. (Something may have been wired in there at one time.) Good fuse box terminals should almost touch one another. If there's a noticeable gap, that may be the culprit.