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    #16
    Originally posted by ak96ss View Post
    +1 - bad idea to just upgrade the fuse without making sure the wiring can handle it. I ran new wire and used relays to make sure I wasn't overloading the circuit.

    Unless, of course, you have a fire extinguisher strapped to your driver's seat. Post pics when it burns up.

    :)
    DID NOT KONW THAT.....BESIDES THEY WERE THE ONLY SPARE FUSES I HAD AROUND....I'LL TRY AND FIX THIS THEN I DON'T THINK I WANT MY CAR CATCHING FIRE

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      #17
      I was being somewhat facetious - unless you are running high beams all the time, you probably won't burn the car down. "Probably," however, is not "won't."

      Were you blowing fuses 1 and 2? Running 60W bulbs in both high and low positions means you are pulling 10A (roughly) when you have your high beams on. Since the original fuses are only 7.5A, that's why they kept blowing - too much current for the fuse.

      By simply putting a higher-rated fuse in, however, you have made the wiring the weak link rather than the fuse. The fuse is designed to blow safely, without fanfare, smoke, or fire. The wiring is not - it will heat up with the greater current draw, and eventually melt the insulation and possibly cause a fire.

      The problem is that the wiring used for the stock setup is only 1mm, or roughly 16AWG. Although this is sufficient for the stock bulbs, it really isn't for higher-power bulbs. The rating of the fuse is selected based on the current-carrying ability of the wire used in the circuit, not on the load at the other end of it. So that 7.5A fuse that was originally in there was used because the wiring can really only handle 7.5A.

      You have to factor in the current draw and the resistance of all the connections as well as the total length of wire in the circuit.

      IMO you should have at least 14AWG wire for those bulbs. I went with 12AWG, mostly because I had a big roll of it. Thicker wire is always better than thinner for large-draw applications. The added benefit is that with heavier gauge wire, you'll actually get full output from the bulbs.


      In this case, though, running new wire may be overkill, given that you probably don't run the high beams all the time anyway. If it were me, I'd probably stick a 10A fuse in and see if that works. If it does, leave the high beams on for several minutes and then feel the wire. If it is warm to the touch, you should go to the larger-capacity wire. If it still blows with a 10A fuse, I would definitely use the larger wire.
      John in MD - 1991 318is
      190k miles and still rolling!

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        #18
        Nice.

        But turn off your caps lock.
        Me: "I can't wait to redline my car!"
        Mark: "Didn't you just break a rocker arm?"
        Me: "Yeah, I don't think I've learned my lesson."
        Mark: "You never will."

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          #19
          TURN OFF CAPS.

          more pics, plz.
          PNW Crew
          90 m3
          06 m5

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            #20
            So I took your advice ak96ss thanks...I put a 10A fuse thanks for the info.....So whats up with this whole CAPS LOCK thing?.....Well here are some day shots......She ain't much to look at but hey it sure is reliable......
            With my cheap ass muffler.....Got Rice haha

            She still has a looongg way to go

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              #21
              let me know if the 10a fuse is working as I will probably be installing mine next week some time and dont want to blow a fuse while driving arround at night.

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                #22
                I also bought these lights and so far they're nicer than the stock sealed beams, but I flipped my lowbeams because normally the euro city lights are on top of the housing. Overall, nice upgrade for somebody on a budget. And yes I upgraded all my fuses.
                1990 S50 goodness.

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                  #23
                  Originally posted by doogie howser View Post
                  say what?! that's a hell of a commute.

                  yeah, tell me about it. 225mi one way.
                  Originally posted by jrhaile
                  For the record I have never fucked a goat.

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