jvc6

Well...I wish I would have gotten the notifications to these replies. haha Yesterday I took the fusebox apart again and coincidentally opened it the exact same way as depicted. Lots of crimping with pliers and hammering. As a matter of fact I jumped on the forum just now all excited to upload pictures and share with everyone how to do it. A day late! My copper wire was broken IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT as in that picture http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1582973586-post85.html
I feel if everyone's breaks in that same spot it's a GM flaw somehow and they need to pay for it. Oh well, anyhow... That tutorial needs to be flagged important so everyone with this headlight issue whom doesn't want to pay $500+ can follow it and fix their Vette.
Thanks guys, I love this forum. (my next fix is the Fuel Sending Unit, yes I bought the Vette with these 2 very common problems. But I've already found the step-by-step youtube video for the sending unit)

RLSebring

Congrats! The shame also is how much some are charging to repair. My last fuse block I bought was around $275.00 new and you see what little is involved in actually replacing the whole unit, maybe an hour tops.

torquetube

It's more like ten minutes tops. Five if you'd done it before. New ones come with all fuses and relays installed, so it's really quick.

cclive

So what exactly does this broken wire control??? Is it one of the two lines that control the headlight relay? I think it's just amazing that the wire always breaks in exactly the same place...

bheathcoe_07

If the break is always in the same place (at that curve) can we forget the curve and go straight across the top with the new wire?

bheathcoe_07

So I went ahead and decided to tackle this issue myself. Especially after the dealer telling me it was $535 for a whole new fuse box! Big thanks to senseoftouch for his step by step. Only thing I did different was use tin snip for the un-swegde portion. Made several cuts in each one and the screws came right out. Was able to hammer them back in afterwards. And because of my OCD took a pic on all the fuses in place, then took them out and laid them in order on my workbench. Also used stranded wire because it was easier to bend. Took about 1 1/2 hours but I'm all good now and spent a mear $12 on this fix. Cost of a 12 pack .

RicK T

Stranded wire was one of my thoughts as I followed this issue over the years. Haven't seen anyone use it before you though. Makes sense if the solid wire has a problem in the same spot in all the boxes.

So, is there a difference in the performance of solid wire vs. stranded wire, electrically speaking? TIA for any info you may have.

bheathcoe_07

When I went to purchase the solid wire and explained the reason behind it the guy at Home Depot said the stranded was better because of flexibility (when expanding because of the heat) and easier to bend. I had 14G stranded in the garage, stripped it down and took out three strands which I wrapped together. When putting it in place I used a very small flathead screwdriver to pop into place and hold down when I bent the wire. Really was much easier than anticipated.

torquetube

I think the curve is there for strain relief. Going straight would likely make it _worse_.

It's probably sufficient to grind out the little plastic grid square where the curve is. That would give the wire room to move.

I wouldn't mess with stranded conductors. The fuse box has punchdown terminals. They make good connections but you have to use exactly the right gauge wire, or else you'll have traded one source of intermittent continuity for another.

Jimbo 89

That seems to be the problem I am continuing to have. The fuel pump wire. The previous owner replaced the entire fuse box, but the problem persists. NO START. I just pop the hood, wiggle the fuse box and it starts right up. I guess my problem is where the fuse box connects to the wiring harness. Any help appreciated, Jim