[DrinkMore]

I installed my new radio a few weeks back and I know I needed to up the fuse to 10 instead of 5, otherwise it would blow. However, I did not do that because it didn't blow. So, I went on with my merry life (

) .

Today, I turned up the radio to 60 and it lasted about 1 minute before the sucker blew the fuse. So I am like, easy fix. No problem. However, after the radio blew the fuse, I noticed my speedometer was no longer functioning. I found this very odd as it was working before it blew.

I get home and pop the cover and use the spare 10 fuse and replace the blown 5 fuse. Radio now works and most importantly, my speedometer works. Now, before anyone says anything about it might have stuck, I turned off the car with the fuse still blown and started it back up and the speedometer still did not move. It works like it should now.

My question is, why is the speedometer hooked to the radio fuse? Can anyone else confirm this for 96/97 and 98/99 taurus/sables ?

 

[zeptoplix]

It is usually not a good idea to replace a factory sized fuse with a larger one.... 5 amps isn't much so I doubt you'll have any problems, but on all of my cars i have never had to upgrade the fuse in the box because of installing a new cd player.

 

[baby sho]

on all gen3/4s the speedo goes out with the radio...no problem at all. yes you can up the fuse to 10

Brad

 

[DrinkMore]

I feel better now

Only way to have aftermarket radios work, is to install a new fuse. Otherwise they will continually blow the 5 ones.

 

[fvt]

Originally posted by L0pan@Jan 28 2004, 12:12 PM
I installed my new radio a few weeks back and I know I needed to up the fuse to 10 instead of 5, otherwise it would blow.  However, I did not do that because it didn't blow.  So, I went on with my merry life ( 

  ) .

Today, I turned up the radio to 60 and it lasted about 1 minute before the sucker blew the fuse.  So I am like, easy fix.  No problem.  However, after the radio blew the fuse, I noticed my speedometer was no longer functioning.  I found this very odd as it was working before it blew.

I get home and pop the cover and use the spare 10 fuse and replace the blown 5 fuse.  Radio now works and most importantly, my speedometer works.  Now, before anyone says anything about it might have stuck, I turned off the car with the fuse still blown and started it back up and the speedometer still did not move.  It works like it should now.

My question is, why is the speedometer hooked to the radio fuse?  Can anyone else confirm this for 96/97 and 98/99 taurus/sables ?

WHEN CHOOSING A WIRE FOR YOUR PROJECT:
Several things to keep in mind when you select a wire for your project.
Choose the proper Gauge of wire; a chart is attached below that could help you with your decision:

GUAGE--------MAX CURRENT ALLOWED
10---------------32 amps
12---------------24 amps
14---------------20 amps
16---------------15 amps
18---------------13 amps


For the beginners: For example, lets say I was hooking up a component that takes out five amperes and you decided to use a 14 gauge wire (look at the chart). Now you had to choose a FUSE to protect the component and the wiring. An excellent choice would be 7.5 to 10 amp fuse.


FOR MORE INFO ON FUSES/WIRING/LINKS GO TO THIS SITE. VERY HELPFUL:
http://www.mgcars.org.uk/MG_Elec-Tech/body_wire_sizes.html

 

[godspunk32]

Hey-
This is definitely a thing with Gen 3 Sable/Tauri...I used to have a Clarion Dx-515 in my car, with the standard 5 amp fuse, but when I upgraded to the Panasonic CQ-DFX983U, which has the full LCD face, it wouldn't work at first, and then I found that it blew the 5 amp right away. I replaced it with a 7.5 amp fuse, and it worked for a few minutes, but as I was driving, it blew and I lost my speedometer. I upped it to a 10 amp, (after first consulting with a few different installers I know), and they said that 10 amp was fine, and it was very common for that to happen...

JR