Blue fuse? Should I be worried?

[Vicleonardo1]

Picture from my 75 2002. Weber 32/36 with electrical choke. 

I was getting wiper and turn signal fail so I took this pic before I removed and buffed and polished the fuse ends and connections-yes I disconnected the battery first.. (the cleaning fixed the problem).

Then decided to check the fuse diagrams and did not find one for a 25 amp fuse on #5 and 16 amp on #12. Not sure if this was from the PO or the Bodge Brothers that worked on my "restoration".

So far no fires, or electrical smells....

Should I swap in the correct fuses or am I missing something here? 

Thanks in advance. 

[dlacey]

Swap for correct fuse, use the ceramic bodied ones...there a lot of cheap plastic bodied ones around...they often melt if there is some contact heating happening due to bad cleanliness.

[Conserv]

dlacey has the right idea, but there were also changes over time to fuse ratings and fuse charts. Below, in the top photo, is the original fuse chart from my ‘76. It matches the fuses in my fuse holder, second photo.

 

There have been multiple different fuse charts.  Make certain yours is correct for your car. Bear in mind that sellers of replacement underhood stickers simply include a sticker in the set, without regard to your car’s year and market.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Conserv

[Mike Self]

Steve, it's interesting that the sticker you pictured above includes a fuse for an "automatic antenna"--never seen one on a 2002, and not sure where you'd put it!  I have seen 'em on E21s, though.  Also, my factory shop manual shows a 16 amp fuse for the heated rear window and heater blower, vs the 25 amp on your sticker...

 

I didn't recall having ever seen a 25 amp fuse called for on a 2002....

 

mike 

[HBChris]

Pic from a 236xxxx

[Hans]

And what's with the electric fuel pump on conserv's?

[SydneyTii]

Your fuse should not be rated above the cable rating, i.e. current carrying capacity, and also fused in mind of what it connects to.

[Conserv]

23 hours ago, mike said:

Steve, it's interesting that the sticker you pictured above includes a fuse for an "automatic antenna"--never seen one on a 2002, and not sure where you'd put it!  I have seen 'em on E21s, though.  Also, my factory shop manual shows a 16 amp fuse for the heated rear window and heater blower, vs the 25 amp on your sticker...

 

I didn't recall having ever seen a 25 amp fuse called for on a 2002....

 

mike 

I don’t disagree with you, Mike, but this is what the car had from new, and I had no problem finding an identical replacement sticker, suggesting other originals exist. What does an e21 have for a fuse holder? Could they have started (accidentally) placing e21 stickers on ‘02’s in the final year of the ‘02?  My ‘76 was manufactured April 23, 1976.
 

Below, in the first photo, is the new replacement sticker I installed post-repaint. And the second photo shows the same original sticker on a Sienabraun ‘76 that Jim Gerock photographed years ago in Virginia (thank you, Jim). Did BMW discover late in the game that heated rear windows and blower motors needed 25-Amp fuses, and they could be used safely? I suspect there are a lot of 1976’s with the same original sticker.

 

The electric antenna isn’t the only oddity. How about “luggage compartment light”, “glove compartment light”, and “electric fuel pump” (as Hans has pointed out)?

 

What’s a fella to do?
 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Conserv

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, HBChris said:

Pic from a 236xxxx

And, since 236xxxx’s are generally U.S.-spec 1975 models, this is what I’d expect was originally on Vicleonardo’s ‘75.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[02Les]

Here's a pic of my ratty Nov '73 built Touring decal. #4 fuse should be changed to 25A if you have the "rare" electric sunroof. (decal has been changed for a new identical one, btw)

['76mintgrün'02]

On 10/26/2019 at 1:52 PM, Conserv said:

The electric antenna isn’t the only oddity. How about “luggage compartment light”, “glove compartment light”, and “electric fuel pump” (as Hans has pointed out)?

 

What’s a fella to do?

 

Add those lights, of course!  (but skip the electric fuel pump)

 

 

AceAndrew is making rePop trunk lights...  I think this switch is NLA though.

 

 

I found a couple white fuses where red ones were supposed to be, so I swapped them out and added one blue one, to spruce it up a bit.  It looks a little more sophisticated, having three colors of fuse in the box.

 

Tom

 

[02Les]

Luggage compartment light....?

 

[Conserv]

3 hours ago, 02Les said:

Luggage compartment light....?

 

OK, Les,

 

I can cross that item off my “oddities of my fuse chart” list.... ?

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[bluehills2002]

Is it possible some stickers were used in other models sold by BMW at the time?   Did those cars use essentially  the same wiring  harness? I note the sticker in my ‘72 project specifies it’s for 1600s & 2002s, but the sticker in my ‘74 is more generic. I have an options catalog for the era that shows some of those mysterious options (such as power antenna and engine bay light) were available on other cars.

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, bluehills2002 said:

Is it possible some stickers were used in other models sold by BMW at the time?   Did those cars use essentially  the same wiring  harness? I note the sticker in my ‘72 project specifies it’s for 1600s & 2002s, but the sticker in my ‘74 is more generic. I have an options catalog for the era that shows some of those mysterious options (such as power antenna and engine bay light) were available on other cars.

That’s why I asked about e21 fuse holders; they were manufactured from April-ish 1975, at least in their Euro-spec form.

 

Of course that doesn’t entirely explain an English-language version, although there’s not an enormous time between my April 1976 ‘02 and the first U.S.-spec e21’s leaving Germany in July 1976... 

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Conserv