QuestionI wrote to you before regarding my 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 and it not getting spark. You suggested that it might be a fuse. We tried that and it worked except that it keeps blowing the fuse. We have changed the coil and changed the fuse twice and it still blows the fuse. It calls for a 10amp fuse and I was wondering if a larger amp fuse would work or what you thought the problem may be. Please help, I need a second car running in my family.
AnswerHello Barbara,
Great that it started working somewhat.
Although it is possible the coil may be drawing too many amps, I doubt that it is your problem. I feel that if it will run, the ignition primary circuit is probably just fine.
What the problem may be is one of the accessories.
When you have the key in accessory, only the accessories are drawing power, but in Run, not only is the ignition drawing power, but all of the accessories that are connected and on are running through the same fuse.
An aftermarket stereo, especially if some kind of amp is used with it, could run ak on 10 amps, but add the ignition, and possibly a heater or A/C, and the current would quickly grow to over 10 amps.
A larger fuse would seem like a logical solution, but keep in mind that the fuse is there to protect the wires from overload. Add a bigger fuse, and a wire under the dash could melt, then catch fire.
Some people have wrapped fuses with tin foil to make them carry more load than the circuit was designed for.
I will never forget the Firebird about four doors down the street. I was getting in my truck to go to work, when I heard the starter grinding and grinding.
Looked and saw smoke coming up.
I ran down and extinguished the fire with the kid who owned the car. He had just "connected" his stereo for the day. Said he needed the tin foil to make it work.
The fire was under the dash....all the wires had melted together. That is why the starter kept cranking.
The moral here is, don't bypass the fuse. Remove some of the load, and see what is causing it to blow.
You can actually remove the fuse, and connect an amp meter in its place, and see just what every accessory, and the ignition, draw. Do them one at a time.
A intermittent short, like where the wires pass through the firewall, can also blow the fuse. The amperage can measure just fine, but the wire wiggling while you are driving can hit a ground, blow the fuse, and then settle back, not touching ground, and all seem ok. Those are hard to find, but it won't be where a wire is just suspended loose. It will be where they lay across an edge, or around a corner, like through a hole in the firewall or sheet metal.
Good luck,
Van
