Need basic schooling on fusible links, please

Is the fusible link integral to the wire that runs between the firewall relay and the main firewall electrical connector? On a 1965, if that matters.

I'm checking the wiring on my dismantled '65 Satellite and I can tell there's a homemade wire with home-crimped terminals running there. I know what they look like, and I see no F.L. anywhere. This leads me to believe some previous owner ditched the fusible link and just ran straight wire.

I don't want to burn up my electrical system (or car for that matter). I see I can get them repop from YearOne, etc.

Thanks,
-Art

If the PO ditched the FL, perhaps there was a reason he did so - maybe it was getting fried due to some other problem that may still exist.

Anyhoo, FL generally is, IIRC, 2 gauge sizes smaller than the wire it serves to protect. If the FL was on a 10 gauge wire, FL should be 14 gauge, I believe. You can make one pretty cheap. THe FL wires are available as kits in any electrical supply section of the auto parts store. Easier - and cheaper - than buying a whole repop harness. Although, if your whole harness is hacked up, a new one might be more accurate and/or less prone to overheating/frying your car.

Mopar Marq is correct about fusible links. One thing I'll add: the f.l. is not an ordinary piece of wire that happens to be 2 gauge sizes smaller. It has special insulation that is flame-resistant. So, don't be tempted to splice in a length of smaller wire.

I was at NAPA and asked about fusible links. They were in a book and they can get them. Any idea about how they would be marked? By Amps or as you said wire size?

Thanks,

they are marked by size, and, they should be four sizes smaller than the wire they are protecting

http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/fusible-link.shtml

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/electrical-links.html

Some times I see two sizes smaller suggested, but, normally, it is four

Quote:

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Some times I see two sizes smaller suggested, but, normally, it is four

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Dawg, to clarify, An 8 gauge circuit protected by an 12 ga FL (12-8= 4, that's 4 math numbers difference) and gauges are even #'s so an 12 ga FL is 2 (ga) sizes smaller than an 8 ga circuit (12-10-8= 2 sizes different). So would that be 4 sizes or 2 sizes