How to Replace a Car Spade Fuse Without Breaking it
Automotive fuses protect your car's electrical circuits from overloads and shorts by blowing out, thus saving your electrical components from major damage. Most vehicles have a fuse box, either located under the dashboard on the driver's side of the cabin or under the hood. Older cars had cylindrical glass fuses (or barrel fuses) that fit between two clips in the fuse box, but most modern vehicles use plastic spade fuses that are color coded to differentiate the fuse amperage. You can change blown fuses without breakage in a matter of minutes.
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Instructions
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1
Locate the fuse box. Check your owner's manual if you are unsure where the fuse box is located. Remove the cover on the fuse box by lifting up on the holding tabs. Place the cover aside.
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2
Locate the particular fuse you need to replace. Check the fuse diagram, which is sometimes located on the inside of the fuse box cover. Check your owner's manual for your vehicle's fuse diagram location.
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3
Scan over all of the fuses in the box if you are having trouble locating the fuse needing replaced, as a burnt out fuse may have a smoky color or will be slightly distorted from excess heat.
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4
Use a fuse puller (available from auto parts stores) to extract the fuse from the fuse box to keep from damaging or breaking the fuse. Place the jaws of the puller over the end of the fuse, and push it into place until the jaws lock over the end of the fuse.
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Squeeze the jaws of the puller together slightly with your fingers so that the jaws will not slip off the end of the fuse. Lift straight up on the fuse puller until the fuse clears the fuse box. Let go of the puller so that its jaws will release the old fuse. Discard the old fuse.
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Choose a replacement fuse that is the same size and amperage as the old fuse. Place the plastic end of the fuse into the jaws of the fuse puller. Hold the fuse in place by squeezing the jaws of the puller together with your fingers.
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Push the fuse into the fuse box with the fuse puller until it is fully seated. Release the pressure of the jaws of the puller and retract it from the fuse box. Push the fuse box cover back into place until it snaps into place.
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Tips & Warnings
Auto makers will often include a fuse puller to aide in changing fuses. Sometimes the puller will be clipped to the inside of the fuse box cover or will be stowed in a slot in the fuse box. Check your owner's manual for details.
References
- Photo Credit car fuses image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
