wiring inline fuses

Jeep needed a new turn signal unit so I decided that was a good excuse to examine the wiring and address any issues. Most of the wiring looks okay however I did notice that the only fuse in the whole system was an inline fuse between the battery and flasher. Since the current wiring is okay, and there are not many electric systems on this thing (no wipers, no heater, basically just lights and ignition), I don't want to put in a whole new wiring harness. I was thinking of just putting in a few inline fuses. Question is, which systems need fuses, and what size? The wiring is all 12 or 14 gauge. I couldn't tell what size the one fuse near the flasher was, too old and corroded. Any advice you folks could give would be much appreciated.

 

every circuit needs a fuse in it... i've had an electrical fire from insulation rubbing off, and a fuse would have prevented the fire after the initial current spike. as for the size of the fuse, i don't know which size should be used where, but certain circuits are going to need more current than others (ie headlights).

 

the headlight switch will have a circuit breaker attached to the switch externally; look up and see if it's there; previous owner (s) may have removed it. Other than that, fuse in turn signals should be all you need. No b/u lamps ? cigar lighter? dash lamps are fed off the h/lamp switch.
if you were to add any accessories, CB, interior light etc, then you should fuse them per the requirements.

 

I think the painless wiring website might have a faq or pdf file on it.

Kevo

 

Actually, most of the wiring is 16 gauge with 12, 14 and 18 gauge thrown in.

 

unless it is a high draw item (headlights, ignition) i run a 10, or 15 amp fuse. 15 being heater, wipers, 12v outlet. 10 amp for the rest.