In a message dated 5/4/98 9:49:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jimbb88@erols.com
writes:
> What I use is a
> circuit breaker, since the problem, if it occurs, is usually a heat
> related overload, not a short. The circuit breaker will cool, & reset in
> a few minutes. Is the fuse a better solution?
Jim,
You will get a bit of a debate over this question, as some feel that a fuse
has a much more positive, less failure prone, operation. Myself, I feel that
either is acceptable in most cases. I guess a lot of it would have to do with
the application. Certainly, if an overload situation is to be expected from
time to time, then a breaker is the way to go. I definitely prefer a breaker
to a fuse for headlight circuits. If you have a prolonged short, you will
lose your lights no matter if you have a breaker or a fuse, but a momentary
short, such as might occur when you hit a pothole and the wiring bounces into
the sheet metal, will not put you in the dark. With a fuse, even this
momentary short, which would have done no real damage otherwise, could be
fatal (to you, not just the car).
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
'71 TR6---------3000mile/year driver, fully restored
'71 TR6---------undergoing full restoration and Ford 5.0 V8 insertion - see:
http://www.sky.net/~boballen/mg/Masters/
'74 MGBGT---3000mile/year driver, original condition - slated for a V8 soon
'68 MGBGT---organ donor for the '74
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