50 amp fuse goes out ???

[old bird]

88 Bayliner capri
2.3 OMC cobra o.d

50 amp inline fuse gets hot and falls apart, does not blow ????
what/where to look.
Thanks Larry

 

[wire2]

Re: 50 amp fuse goes out ???

Is the fuse tight in the holder? If not, the end connections will heat up, eventually causing the alloy link to melt. Check across the connections with a voltmeter. There should not be more than a few milivolts drop across it.

 

[old bird]

Re: 50 amp fuse goes out ???

Thanks Wire
Will do.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: 50 amp fuse goes out ???

when a fuse melts it can also mean a consistent heavy overload, as opposed to blowing from a sudden overload or short to ground where you see a black spot on the glass.

 

[wire2]

Re: 50 amp fuse goes out ???

You're quite right Howard. I did consider that he may have ~45 amps running to somewhere, but that's 600 watts of power, it would likely manifest itself somehow. Ideally, an ammeter would be used to measure actual current but few boat owners have one capable of 50 amps.
Plus I've seen a few 15 amp fuses melt with only 8-10 amps load, just because they were loose.