evening Guys n Gals...

I'm thinking of trying to wire up an Aux fuse box in my XJ to handle my extra lights, CB, extra Cig lighter sockets, etc...I did a search on the site and couldn't find anything so now i'm asking...Has anyone done this? All pic's and help greatly appriciated folks

thanks,

Mac

 

hey mac you find an answer yet i wanna do the same thing

 

If you're going to put the fuse panel near the battery (less than a foot of feeder lead,) you'll just want to use relays to trip the circuits. The relay will be placed after the fuse in the panel, and you don't need a heavy-duty switch to trip a relay (DIN relay trip current is 100-150mA.)

If you're going to put the fuse panel somewhere more convenient, you'll also want to install a MAXI or ANL fuse in the feeder lead (near the battery,) so the whole circuit will be protected. Say you have the firewall wear through the feeder lead for your fuse panel - having the fuse near the battery should prevent an engine bay fire! I'd still use relays to trip the loads, which frees up switch selection (again.) Use 18/2 SJOOW stranded wire (you should be able to find that at your local hardware store) for switch signals - you can also use something like 24/8 Cat5 UTP, but that does require a bit more planning (very fine solid wire. Make sure it's not going to be stressed, pulled on, or anything like that. Also, SJOOW is oil- and grease-resistant; Cat5 is not. Plan accordingly.)

Yes, the OEMs do it much the same way - AMC used fusible link wires off of the starter motor relay screwpost, and Chrysler uses their PDC setup - both of those use leads 10-18" long, directly from the battery, to be fed. The fuse panel under the dashboard is fed entirely from the PDC or from the fusible links in distribution - for the reason cited.

I find ATO/ATC fuses easiest to use and logistically simpler (since the XJ/MJ uses ATO/ATC fuses anyhow, and they're easier to grab and check,) so that can make things simple. Typical "aux powerpoints" want a 5A, 7.5A, or 10A fuse (most of the ones I've seen are rated for 10A, but I often don't plug something that big into the socket - so a smaller fuse.) Your CB should have an inline fuse holder - but it will be a glass tube (AGC.) Pull the fuse and read the endcaps, you'll find the reading there. Use the same rating (if available) or very next higher rating (if not.) Example - if the CB wants a 1A fuse, use a 1A fuse. If it wants a 2-1/4A fuse, use a 3A - that will be the next higher available. Anything under 1A gets a 1A fuse.

If you need help finding parts, hit me backchannel. I carry DIN relay block kits (terminate yourself, but they're easy) that can be slid together and "ganged" - and have mounting tabs - as well as ATO/ATC fuse panels (6, 8, or 12-circuit) with single feeds, and ANL fuse blocks and fuses (80-200A. I should probably get some 60A fuses as well.) And, as you can probably guess, I can help you design your system to be both safe and reliable - both of which are hard criteria for anything I design or build anyhow... Link in sig.