Automotive Fuses - Does the brand really matter?

If you thought all automotive fuses were of the same quality, think again! This episode compares four fuse brands using a milli-ohm meter, the results are unbelievable!

TIMELINE:
0:00 Start
0:11 Introduction
1:20 Fuses to be compared
1:34 Fuse purchase
2:20 Harbor Freight Fuse Recall of 2009
2:38 Service Alert Bulletin for fuses of 2007
4:36 Auto Parts
4:40 O'Reilly Auto Parts
4:44 AutoZone Auto Parts
4:46 Walmart Auto Parts
4:49 Dollar Store
5:30 Littelfuse Fuses
6:36 Bussman Fuses
7:26 Old 2007 Harbor Freight Fuses
7:42 Fuse Data Sheets with milli-ohm resistance
9:26 SAE J2077 Miniature Blade Type Electrical Fuse Standard
12:12 5A micro-fuse resistance measurements
13:34 10A micro-fuse resistance measurements
14:12 15A micro-fuse resistance measurements
14:44 20A micro-fuse resistance measurements
15:21 25A micro-fuse resistance measurements
15:59 30A micro-fuse resistance measurements
16:25 Specifications and Comparison Data
19:18 Temperature Performance Comparison
20:00 eBay purchase fuse temperature performance check
26:34 Littelfuse fuse temperature performance check
30:48 Video review

This video helps cover content related to the 2017 National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) Master Automobile Service Technology (MAST) Standard task:
- 6.A.2 "Demonstrate knowledge of electrical/electronic series, parallel, and series-parallel circuits using principles of electricity (Ohm’s Law)."
- 6.A.3 "Demonstrate proper use of a digital multimeter (DMM) when measuring source voltage, voltage drop (including grounds), current flow and resistance."

ABOUT US
Weber State University (WSU) Davis Campus - Automotive Technology Department - Advanced Vehicles Lab. This episode covers how to use the incredible Hioki RM3548 Resistance Meter for Fuse comparisons and diagnostics This information applies to almost any other hybrid or electric vehicle on the road today.

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DONATE TO OUR DEPARTMENT

[bowtieguy]

Okay, so I’m ashamed to admit I had never put a seconds thought into the quality of fuses, but now I’ll never replace one without thinking of it. Thanks! Great topic and explanation.

[floyd]

I found this on a whim. I never thought there would be a difference in manufacturer of fuses. Shout out to you!

[ZookeeperJohnG]

You Sir, are a Rock Star and Weber should be proud of you and your work. Please also thank them for allowing these informative videos to be taped at their facility and published!

[kahvac]

Thanks John for the education. As a Master Electrician doing mostly Industrial troubleshooting I never knew the importance of quality fuses, I thought a fuse was a fuse. The implications of using inferior fuses should be criminal.
Thank you for the heads up ...I was never taught this at school that's why I come to you !

[robertoruiz]

Thanks john, as a auto tech student 40 years ago in college, I'm glad to see that this type of teaching is not totally gone.Your students are very lucky to have you as a teacher.I just learned that my thought processe on buying MORE FOR LESS ---was--- IS wrong !!! In most cases it pays off to buy the best, a FUSE should be thought as a safety feature like good brakes and good tires.thanks again john.HEY IS that why there sometimes called safety fuses?

[glenngoodale]

You are undoubtedly the biggest one man operation that I have ever come across in my long life. Its great to see a young man making the most out of life, working hard for what you want and doing it like an old pro.

[stephenwgreen]

Those eBay fuses are great. They'll last forever:). You're wiring harness may not, but you'll never buy fuses again lol. Thanks for a very informative video.

[mhg]

Thanks for this. I am a retired auto mechanic- I suspect this information is often overlooked, and is so important! Thanks for covering this in such detail, so people can make an informed decision. Great Job!

[citylockapolytechnikeyllcc]

I ordered Bussman Caddy1 kit for the shop from Zoro. Should be here today, to replace the kits I have bought of anonymous quality. They matched lowest online price of 126.00 for a 275 piece set of 4 boxes in a caddy.

BTW, your channel is very illuminating. I grabbed a tester and one of these old kits, they all measured about 1.2.... all "colors" I cant call em Amp anymore.

Thank god the auto makers use thinner wires.... so they melt if the fuse fails, thus the wiring IS the fuse !

[SuperMarioDiagnostics]

Nice were seeing it in action! Thank you for sharing professor! I'll be catching up on this soon

[lcastelano]

I am astonished . I never thought a fuse can be so complicated . Thank you sir.

[FreedomToRoam]

Good to know those Bussman and Little fuses are the right ones to use!

[rondhole]

Thank you very much Prof. Kelly, this is very crucial for all cars owner. I will never buy fuses or electric safety devices over unknown brands. Just check generic fuse on Total, Shell, Agip, and Aral gas station in Germany. All those fuses are from Bussman

[volvo]

Excellent! I figured the low quality fuses were junk just by what I've seen come out of China for low quality parts, but I just assumed they were junk due to tolerance variance, not the fact that they are SO FAR OFF that it's overspec by 5x!! I need to buy a collection of fuses and this solidified my decision on name brands!

[davidkendrick]

I’m a retired project manager for the F16 (F110) GE engine). I am aware of the difference in fuses. However, the normal auto owner does not understand the differences and will go for the cheaper fuse not understanding they could be damaging their cars electrical system. Thank you for pointing this out.

[robc.]

Very thorough and complete, Sounds very technical but the bottom line was don't buy JUNK.I just had a problem yesterday with a fuse and was riding the fence on which one to buy, I made my choice now Thank You.

[DiagNetwork]

Thanks for sharing John, the automotive service communities appreciate the intel!

[nv]

Really helpful. Several years ago I had a cheap chinese fuse weld itself into the contacts, fried a section of harness. Since then I'll gladly pay the difference for Buss or Littlefuse.

[windward]

Bussmann and Littlefuse have automotive blade and cartridge fuse product lines that overlap in most instances, with some fuse designs unique to the manufacturers. The most popular domestic fuse types are blade types: Maxi, ATC/ATO, Mini, Low profile Mini, Micro2, Micro3 and cartridge types: JCASE, Low profile JCASE, MCASE and Slotted MCASE. Beyond the types mentioned there are also large amperage bolted fuse types.

In their entirety, the motivation for the different types is space (size), closed or open element (environmental and opening thermals), opening time-current (basically; fast or slow blow), and isolation (shrouded and separated connection points). Cost is also a factor, but is many times not as important as space (which also translates into cost), for example with cartridge fuses (nominally small form factor high current slow blow with better isolation rating).

[vincescalise]

I just bought a bunch of those fuses from eBay, guess what they’re going to go in the garbage thank you for the information, it’s like they always say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, Thank you for all your great videos professor