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7/29/2019 2003 New Beetle - Fuseholder Repair
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2003 NEW BEETLE - BATTERY BOX
FUSEHOLDER REPAIR
Disclaimer :
I am not a professional mechanic and make no claim of warranty, guarantee, or
success. Anyone attempting this repair / modification assumes all liability andresponsibility for their actions. As always, be careful . . . Wear eye protection and
disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable BEFORE beginning this procedure . . . SAFETY
is YOUR responsibility ! ! !
On my 2003 NEW BEETLE, a problem developed where the A/C Compressor would shut
off and SIMULTANEOUSLY the Electric Radiator Fans would stop running or fail to
come on, at all . . .
So, I started investigating . . .
After a lot of hunting, I discovered that one of the under-hood "battery box fuse-
holders" would overheat, BUT the 30 amp fuse WOULD NOT BLOW . . .
Eventually, it got hot enough that the BODY of the fuse would MELT, yet the fuse DID
NOT BLOW. The high heat caused a small portion of the factory fuse-holder to melt to
the point that the fuse would make INTERMITTENT CONTACT, yet the fuse STILL DID
NOT BLOW !
So, I called up the VW dealer and got "Sticker Shock" at the cost for this part
( $125.00, plus the GAS to drive there & back) !
Naturally, I decided to fix it myself . . . Here we GO ! !
FIG. 1 . . . View of the Fusible Link / Fuse-Block Setup
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FIG. 2 - Closer View - The problem is clearly visible . . . Keep Reading !
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As you can see in FIG. 2, the high heat has caused part of the fuse block to
melt . . .
In the next few pages, I will show you the steps I took to repair the problem on
my car .
This is NOT a DIFFICULT repair, so don't be intimidated . . . YOU CAN DO THIS !
FIG. 3 Things have been getting VERY HOT ! ! !
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The damage to the factory fuse-block is very clear in Fig. 3 . . .
NOTE : The other two fuse-holders are still functioning properly . . .
If any problem with them arises in the future, the same repair should work
equally well !
HOW CAN I FIX THIS MYSELF ?
KEEP READING ! ! !
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FIG. 4 - The PARTS you will need from your Auto-Supply Store . . .
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Some BASIC TOOLS are needed for you to successfully complete this project:
(1) Eye Protection
(2) Soldering Iron / Solder ( Butt Connectors will work, but I did not want to
cut factory wiring )
(3) Sharp Knife, Hobby Knife, or Box-Cutter to strip wires
(4) 10 mm Socket & Ratchet or a 10 mm Wrench
(5) Electrical Tape or other Insulating Material
GETTING STARTED . . . CAREFULLY strip off 1/2" of insulation from the wire,
being careful not to damage the copper wires inside . . . This was done
WITHOUT removing the PLUG, as it is awkward to grasp and release the
LATCH. I was afraid of breaking something. I used a VERY SHARP Hobby Knife
to strip the insulation . . .
The PLUG is LABELLED ( 1, 2, 3 ) In my case, it was WIRE # 3, which LINES UPwith the matching fuse-holder. The other two wires match up the same way
with their fuse-holder(s) NOTE FIG. 2 . . . Do not strip the WRONG wire ! ! !
**************************************************************************************
*******************************************************FIG. 5 - NOTE the STUD &
NUT in this photo . . . I previously replaced the NEGATIVE Battery Clamp and
had to MODIFY the Battery Box, so that it would CLOSE properly . . . The Nut &
Stud are a GROUND( - ) source and the stripped wire is HOT ( + ) . . .
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Proper INSULATION is a MUST on my car. If you have NOT modified the Battery
Box, you will NOT have this issue ! ! !
FIG 6. - AFTER stripping the wire, GENTLY separate the strands to open a GAP
for the new Fuse-Holder wire to be SOLDERED to ( You can use a Butt
Connector IF you want to cut the factory wiring )
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Hang in there . . . You're doing fine !
FIG. 7 - Determine where you want the REPLACEMENT Fuse-Holder to sit after
installation . . .
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FIG. 8 - STRIP the insulation as needed . . .
FIG. 9 - Since I am SOLDERING and NOT CRIMPING, I removed the INSULATION
from the RING TERMINAL . . .
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FIG.10 - Ring Terminal after SOLDERING . . .
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FIG. 11 - Another "TRIAL FIT . . . Note the ENDS of the Fuse-Holder wire have
been SEPARATED & TWISTED to make a PERMANENT SOLDER joint . . . KEEP
READING ! ! !
FIG. 12 - Thread BOTH of the TWISTED wires through the GAP and twist them
TIGHTLY around the wire in OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS . . .
ALMOST DONE . . . KEEP GOING ! ! !
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FIG 13. - SOLDER the connection, making SURE to get GOOD SOLDER FLOW . . .
REMOVE the NUT on the FUSIBLE LINK on the BATTERY SIDE ( OPPOSITE the
WIRES ) to ensure that you do not increase the AMP DRAW on the Fusible Link.
Tighten everything up . . .
NOTE: Although the photo's don't show it, I wrapped the exposed solder
connection with electrical tape and then covered it with a section of rubber
fuel line, split lengthwise, to allow it to be slipped over the connected wires.
FIG. 14 - Everything FITS and CLOSES NICELY . . .
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FIG. 15 - SUCCESS ! ! !
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Disclaimer :
I am not a professional mechanic and make no claim of warranty, guarantee, or
success. Anyone attempting this repair / modification assumes all liability and
responsibility for their actions. As always, be careful . . . Wear eye protection and
disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable BEFORE beginning this procedure . . . SAFETYis YOUR responsibility ! ! !
GOOD LUCK ! ! !