cherxj

( '94 XJ 4.0, manual trans)

1 fuse melted in fusebox / fuseblock (blower fuse).
Tried picking-out melted fuse remains from its slot, but doesn't appear like removal of melted fuse-remains will be successful.

Used fuseboxes seem non-existent.
Ebay & Amazon have a generic chinese Fusebox for ~$20. Claims to fit XJ Cherokee - utterly generic of course, but their pics suggest it could work.

Anyone tried these ?

Found old-thread here recommending just changing terminals on existing FuseBlock - but that seems to be for rear terminals, not the actual Fuse-Slots ?

FYI, although it's Manual-Trans, culprit for melted-fuse doesn't appear to have been clutch-fluid, but instead rain-water being channeled down from rusted hole in roof. Unknowingly, I made fuse melt by repeatedly trying to turn-on blower-heater switch (which sometimes turned on, sometimes not) causing electric power to course through fuse slot. Ask me how long it's taken to figure out what occurred ...

lawsoncl

I'd guess the chinese one is basically a complete rewire. The rebuild threads posted over on your post NAXJA are for the terminals that face the front, where the fuses insert. https://naxja.org/threads/fuse-panel...post-246786246

awg

In your case I would probably run an external fuse for the affected circuit, just make sure you label it !

If not that, one out of a wreck will be cheap

It wont be easy to change the fuse box in the car

You also need some special tools to push pins in & out of the slots

btw, the fan blower motor will toast everything in its path, draws so much current through a jumble of switches and wires

I relayed my fan blower, needs one relay for each speed

lawsoncl

Just one circuit, yeah, maybe bypass the fuse box. But I suspect you have other fuses that are loose and corroded too.

When I did mine, I just used a paperclip and a thin screwdriver to push out remove the terminals. Some fell out on their own. Other tools were a soldering iron, cutters and strippers. I also used some extra wire and heatshrink to repair a couple of wires that were rotten and needed stripped way back. I'm pretty comfortable with soldering electronics, and it took me about 3 hours to completely replace all the terminals in mine. That included unbolting the firewall connector from the engine bay and cleaning up those connections as well. The hardest part really was sitting on a milk crate on the ground next to the drivers seat and working under the dash (having a lot of lift helped). Take pictures as you go for reference.

On the old style (96 and earlier) fuse box, the wires from the harness go directly to the fuse terminals, so repair means cutting and reattaching new terminals. It's more work to try splicing in a junkyard or generic fuse box than to just redo the terminates and have it like new. Some newer vehicles have modular fuse boxes, where they have one big connector to the wiring harness so replacing the fuse box is plug-n-play, We're not that lucky and have an old-style GM fuse box with direct wiring.

cherxj

Thanks LawsonCL.
Yes, you're right, a couple other fuses (near Blower Fuse) are cracked/corroded. Definitely going to go your route (replace terminals, instead of fusebox. Also, normally reasonable dismantler wants $300 for old fusebox)

Good to know I'll be able to push out bad fuse-terminals. I haven't yet removed fusebox (worried about what it entails, but gaining courage from reading here)

Soldering i'm good with.
Is the Solder melted over each end of wire crimped into back of a fuse terminal ?

If wires aren't rotten, when cutting/stripping wires to reattach to new terminals, is there enough wire length to do so without splicing ?

Do you smear Dielectric grease over back of fusebox ? (firewall/rear connectors of fusebox)


BTW, don't believe cause was Clutch-fluid, since rainwater regularly seeped into drivers-side foot-well (could never figure out how before), so water path must've dripped right on fusebox.


AWG: don't know how to set-up an external fuse, so hope above will work.

lawsoncl

Yes, I crimped the wires into the new terminals and then hit them with a touch of solder. I used brake cleaner and a brush to remove all the gummed up grease on the big connector on the engine side of the firewall. I replaced it with thick silicon grease (aka dielectric grease).

awg

I have been having some XJ auto electrical fun of my own

If you are good at soldering, and get caught with things going pineapple shaped with crumbling plastic, just solder extension wires onto the ins and outs of each fuse that is unrepairable, and run them to an adjacent generic fusebox. Sort of like a custom job.

You can use plugs instead of solder, which would make it somewhat easier to return to OEM, when you eventually acquire a reasonably priced new or OEM unit

If you ever the chance to pick a wreck, I always target harnesses and plugs, as much as I can get, those things can save yours, or some other XJ down the road

If I get payed out on my XJ, I can usually retort, "mine will still be going when yours is on the scrap pile mate"