Fuse

Ok, this one will be easy for you guys. I have read in other posts that older cars can blow fuses in a remote starter. I put in a crimestopper in a 94 baretta. Everything works as it should except on cold mornings a fuse blows. The car will not crank and blower doesn't work (doors still unlock, lights still flash). I would guess it is the starter engaging that does it (not the blower). The other post said that the problem could be the power wire that the RS is getting power from might not be big enough. Their other solution was to put a 30 amp breaker in in place of the fuse. 1. Wouldn't putting a breaker in be harder on the RS than needed? 2. I think I should use a relay. How large of a fuse should I use? 3. If so, should I run the new wire to the battery? Now I just have the wire run to the red 12V at the ignition. A "key start" would get the power from the ignition 12v wire anyway, right? Thanks

I never had to tap power from the battery because the fues is shorting out on the starter unit. You may have other issues with car or the install itself. I will name two for you so that you can check these issue out yourself. If you jump wires say the ignition wire on the starter unit and not used a relay, that will also be a cause for the fuse to short out. If you have done this already this would have compromise the OEM electrical system. The other is a defective solenoid switches can sometimes draw up to 50 or 60 A, causing the fuse to break on the starter unit. Replace it with the same value fuese that the engineer had design it for. Putting a bigger fuse in replacement of the old one will permanatly damage your starter unit.   Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.

that used to happen on our shop van... the starter had a dead spot on it and every now and then blew the fuse for that leg of the RS unit, i replaced the 30 amp fuse with a 40 amp fuse and never replaced it again.....Kevin Gerry

Certified Electronics Technician

MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer

Classic Car Audio

since 1979

If I just put in a 40 amp fuse, wouldn't that would put too much current through the RS causing premature failure? I doubt the wires are hooked up wrong because I used a T-tap with all the wires labeled. If my memory serves me right, that solenoid physically engages the starter, and like I said before it only happens when it is cold. It seems to me that the extra current draw would be from the added resistence of the starter engaging the bendix when it is cold. Would a good fix be a relay with a 40 amp fused circut tied to the 12v at the key? Also that factory main 12v red wire under the dash, are those wires typically fused in the fuse box or how are they protected? Also the factory starter wire, is that fused like the acc and ignition circuts?

bobk, I didn't hook up the defrost. No bells and whistles on this one. At first I thought it was the starter solenoid and the blower fan drawing too much at once, being the inexperinced guy that I am. Thought about it for a minute and knew that wasn't it, the blower turns off during crank.

T-tap, maybe this is the culpit. That is a major NO NO. Try tape and solder all your major wire component first and see if that will do the trick. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.

Sorry, its not what you are thinking. The guy I bought the RS from thought I should get his adapter that goes inline with the ignition wires. It saves cutting of the factory wires, just unplug factory harness and plug this unit inline. It worked ok, but I didn't buy one for my next install that I am going to do.

bobk, the rear defrost can't be turned on with the RS. Also the radio isn't hooked to the RS. It only turns on when the key is turned on.

Yep, the blower shuts off when the RS is cranking the enging.

With the defrost, I phrased it wrong: The RS does not have the defrost hooked up to it. Anyway, if the blower was going over the 30 amp RS fuse limit, one would think it would blow the factory fuse. I would use my meter, but it only measures up to 10 amps.